Dear Tom and Ray:

Help!! My husband is driving a 1988 Honda Accord that has about 90,000 miles on it. Recently, we've noticed a loud screeching noise coming from the front right tire when he depresses the brake pedal (anticipating your advice, we checked for small children and animals there and found none). The sound is like metal scraping metal. Two mechanics independently checked out the brakes and found nothing wrong. They both said the front brake pads were a little worn but safe to drive on. What's going on here? By the way, in case this is helpful, we had the transmission replaced about three years ago. -- Emily

Tom: Oh, that pesky transmission!

Ray: No. It has nothing to do with the transmission, Emily. Don't listen to the rantings of my lunatic brother. I don't know for certain what it is, but it sure sounds like brake pads.

Tom: Here's what I would do. First, ask a mechanic to apply some Disc Brake Quiet or some similar lubricant. It goes on the back sides of the pads and keeps the metal backing of the pads from vibrating against the caliper, which is one cause of brake squeal.

Ray: If that doesn't help, have someone swap the pads left and right. I believe the pads on this car are interchangeable. So have a mechanic take the right pads and put 'em on the left front wheel, and vice versa. If the noise follows the pads to the left, you can make a pretty strong case that you've got a bad set of brake pads.

Tom: And it is possible for pads to be noisy because they're contaminated with grease or oil, and that wouldn't necessarily be visible to a mechanic. So if the noise does seem to be caused by the pads, I'd just toss 'em out and slap in a new set.

Ray: And I'd recommend genuine Honda pads for this car, Emily. In my experience, they tend to squeal less (fewer of my Honda customers come back and squeal at me when I use real Honda pads on their cars). And make sure your mechanic uses all of the shims and special paste that come with the pads. They're an important part of the anti-squeal line of defense!

Which is cheaper, buying or leasing? Should you keep a car forever or dump it after three years, before trouble starts? Find out in Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1998 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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