2001 Grand Damn issue?

[matts86chev]

So my girlfriend has a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am and lately it has started this grinding noise whenever you hit the brakes and gets louder when turning. I have read a bunch of forums about issues with the factory tires on these but she had new tires put on long before this started and never had a problem, it has 164k miles on it so its not like one of those known problems with something from the factory because knowing Pontiac that would have kicked in at like 3k miles. I am trying to fix it for her but I don't wanna just go Rambo on it and kill and replace everything right off the bat. I was thinking it's the rotors needing turning or maybe a bad master cylinder but I wanted to see if there were any other possible culprits and this forum is more reliable than the ones full of random jackasses who complain about what mechanics tell them instead of sharing any solutions! Next time maybe she will have to get a nice old Chevy truck!

[fakerwade]

Sounds like a brake lining issue. The brake linings are attached to a metal back plate and the linings are designed to wear every time you hit the brakes. When the linings are all worn out then all that's left is the metal back plate, what your probably hearing is the plate rubbing against the rotor (if worn in the front) or the drum (if worn in the rear brakes). The rear brakes could also be disc but on American built point "a" to point "b" cars they were usually drums. The key for you is to determine whether the noise is coming from the front or rear. By visually inspecting (raise the car and remove tires/wheels) the surface (both sides) of the rotors, looking for gouges and rough grooves in the surface of the rotor (both sides). If the rotors are smooth (glass like), then the problem is probably in the drum brakes in the rear. Once you determine where the problem is the you need to replace the brake linings (called "pads" for disc brakes, "shoes" for drum). This procedure is not to complicated but mistakes can be made, which is why it's a good idea to have someone who knows what their doing do the work. You don't want to put your life or others life at risk when the car doesn't stop, ya know? If the rotor or drum surface is heavily grooved then its a good idea to just replace them. Turning them is only slightly cheaper than replacing, but when you turn a rotor or a drum you make them thinner, making them more likely to warp in the future. Hope this helps.