freebird

Hey All, I have an 09 vert with the Z-51 option. The first couple of months the brakes were fairly quiet. Now they squeak like crazy. I broke them in properly so that isn't the issue here. My dealer now has the car and he said there are no service bulletins on this but he agrees they make way too much noise. Has anyone had any luck getting GM to fix this. I don't want to purchase ceramic pads at this time. What can I get GM to do about it? Thanks!!

JRHAWK9

bed them in good, it will probably take care of it. I have not had any squeaks with my Z51 '08 in the 3,000 miles I have driven it. Although I step on them pretty good at times.

CH-Z51

I installed Hawk HPs pads, bedded them in properly and not a squeek since (2 years ago) Also eliminates most of the brake dust problem.

slojoh

mine squeaked at first but it went away. can't tell without hearing it though..............mines 08 z51. good luck

GaryTX

I had an 05 Z51. It had minor and intermittent squeaking. None on my new F55. Not real bothersome and Chevy wasn't interested in doing anything about it.

Look at the bright side. You will not have to buy those expensive Z51 badges for people to know you have one. By the way, just mentioning Z51 on this forum runs the risk of starting another Z51 discussion. Not that I am trying to or anything of that nature but most of the time they get pretty funny. Instead of the badge, consider a personalized plate "SQUEAKY"

spinalator

Mine squeal like a pig. Very frustrating and quite annoying...

BC427

The dealer will take the brakes apart, clean as much of the brake dust away from the moving parts as he can, lube the backing plates and the sliders and maybe install new shims. He will then give it back to you saying they can no longer hear any noise. He will remind you that noise is part of the braking process. Weeks later you will bring it back to the dealer with the same noise issue. This time they will replace the shims, clean everything again and maybe spray the rotors with "magic" fluid that stops noise. They will give it back to you telling you they don't hear any noise and again tell you noise is part of the braking process.
You will also notice that they have turned the volume of your radio higher. This can go on forever. Each time you take your Vette back to the dealer there is the risk that something else will go wrong, something will get scratched or broken.
At some point you will switch to ceramics. I did at 200 miles.

crazyeddie

Mine squeck some, I just don't care. eddie

IRS-Cop

Same here! At first it drove me crazy...now I like it....cause everyone knows I have arrived!

TCW

I used standard GM (non Z51) pads on my car and have had no squeaks in over 9000 miles.

Tom

blkc6z51

My 05 z51 has never squeaked, just bed them it will go away.

phileaglesfan

Work them harder. These are performance brakes. Everything is a compromise.

Max EPR

I bed mine pretty hard at about 1000 miles and nary a squeak at 7000 miles. I do think they like to be used hard now and then. I'm also thinking that not all brake systems are alike.

skamp

I just installed the GM ceramic pads this weekend and the squeaking is gone. Install took about 2 hours for all 4. Braking power seems about the same. It was worth the $150.00 to have brakes that sound like a car from the 70's.

Steve

S2K

And so the saga continues. This has been going on since the first C6 rolled off the assembly line (perhaps an issue on the C5, but I don't know). I had the base brakes and this problem began just like yours. I argued with the dealer at length, but kept getting the "normal" answer. Sure, a $50-60k car that squeaks like a dump truck at every stop. Sounds like a great deal. Save yourself the aggravation and get some ceramic pads. It has been many years now and I have not thought about this problem nor heard this noise since I bit that bullet. Should I have had to pay for this? No. But life is too short to deal with the frustration of the squeaky brakes especially in a convertible where they are even easier to hear.

P.S. Don't buy GM ceramics. Why should they profit from this nonsense.

Vet

The Z51 brakes squeal just like any other high-performance brake system... well, not as bad actually. Mine do squeal occasionally, not all the time. It can be annoying, but since it's intermittent, it's not a big deal. I've considered going with GM ceramics to kill the noise altogether, but knowing how well this car can stop, as is, from triple digit speeds (and wanting this capability), I've decided to leave well-enough alone. I've heard mixed reviews on how braking performance may change going from the factory Z51 pads to ceramics... don't want to take chances... the next time I'm passing a line of trucks on a two lane road, soon after about to head into a tight curve, I want to KNOW that I can scrub off the speed real quick... the car can do it fine right now... I'm not messing with success, especially now that I'm used to the current braking capabilities. I'd rather live with a little squealing now and then, than to potentially degrade braking performance a bit which could lead to disaster. A car with this much power and overall capability needs the best braking capability it can possibly have... the stock Z51 set-up is just right in my opinion. So we may have to live with a little squeal of a true performance braking system... not a lot to ask when you consider how incredibly capable this car is overall while ALSO being so practical, economical and user-friendly... not to mention so comfortable and quiet (except for a little brake squeal )... It's a killer race machine that is also a daily driver street car... pretty much the pinnacle the way I see it. A perfect balance between extreme performance capabilities and daily street use behavior. The day I no longer have any tolerance for even a pinch of race-car behavior or noise, I'll buy a big luxury car and be done with it... though I doubt that day will ever come.

TBD

I am confused. Had a 2004 w/ Z51 package and now a 2009 w/ same and have heard nary a squeak...ever. Interesting in that some say it's a real problem and others say nothing is heard. Is there a middle ground?

Peace, out.

S2K

Well, your 2004 would have been a C5 and we are speaking of the C6. Great that your '09 is behaving in this regard. Hopefully it continues. Don't know your mileage.

As for middle ground. Sure, those who get it every now and again like our friend Vet above your post.

Also to Vet above. I have had my ceramics for many years and have been in all sorts of situations here in So. Cal. I have no concern that my brakes will do their job (sans noise) when required. Mostly because it has been required and they did the job. However, if I didn't hear the noise much or at all I wouldn't have changed brakes either.

John510

I have a NON Z51 and it squeeks.....DOH! was going to take it in eventually.

cmonkey713

My 2007 Z-51 brakes don't squeel. My car is an R8C delivery car and had about 35 miles on it when I picked it up at BG. I don't know if they "bedded" the brakes on the shakedown run, but the brakes have never made a sound. Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones.