The short answer: Most brake squeal is caused by a small metal tab built into the brake pad, deliberately positioned to scrape against the rotor once the friction material wears down to a certain point. It's an intentional early-warning system, not a fault — but it does mean your pads need attention soon.
The distinction that actually matters is the type of noise. A consistent, high-pitched squeal that happens every time you brake is almost always that wear indicator doing its job. It's your pads telling you they're getting low, not that something has broken. This is worth booking in for, but it's not an emergency.
A deep grinding, growling, or metal-on-metal noise is a different problem entirely. That sound means the friction material is completely gone and the metal backing plate of the pad is now grinding directly against the rotor — every stop is now damaging (and potentially requiring replacement of) the rotor itself, not just the pad. This is worth treating as urgent.
One more normal sound: An occasional light squeak on the first few stops of a damp morning is usually just a thin film of surface rust on the rotor from overnight condensation — common in Melbourne's cooler months and nothing to worry about once it clears after a stop or two.
If in doubt, get it checked rather than guess which category your noise falls into — a two-minute pad thickness check tells us exactly where you stand, and we'll always tell you honestly if it can wait or if it can't.
Brakes Making Noise?
We'll check pad and rotor condition and tell you exactly what's going on — free with any service.