Squeaky Brakes

[mochaplaya85]

Hey everyone I've been a lurker to the forum since i got my 2001 IS300 in July of last year...I love the car but i've been having a few problems that aren't too serious but just annoy me and was wondering if anyone has had similar problems or may know of a fix...

1. My brakes seem to get squeaky after they heat up (my guess). In other words, when i turn the car on in the morning, the brakes will be silent for the first 3-4 red lights i get to. From the 5th red light on they will squeak every time i use them. Also, the squeaking usually begins and is the loudest aroung 30-40 MPH. It still occurs sometimes below or above those speeds but its pretty much guaranteed in that range. Once I turn the car off and let the brakes cool down the cycle will start over again. A local mechanic told me my brakes had plenty of life left so the cause probably isn't worn out pads. Any ideas on why this could happen?

2. The light on my dash that indicates headlight unleveling comes on intermittently. Thing is I see the lights leveling when i turn the car on at night and my visibility is fine. I read an old post on how to level the headlights and was wondering would that resolve the issue of the indicator light coming on in my dash or is it just something to do to improve visibility?

3. Finally, I moved from chicago to florida and currently attend college in ft. lauderdale. I was wondering if anyone might know any good toyota, lexus, or local mechanics to do service and what not as i'm approaching 60K miles and am trying not to break the bank too much?

Sorry about to wordiness but just wanted to be thorough and thanks for any advice or input you guys have

[05IS300]

Make sure they are factory pads, if not replace with factory ones immediately.

[smooth1]

Welcome to the LOC!

What pads do you have on the car? have you tried cleaning them with some brake parts cleaner? Sometimes brake dust can get trapped behind the pad and cause the squeal. You may have a slightly glazed brake pad also, which could also cause the squeal.

As for the headlight issue, when the car is in motion, the headlight is adjusting up and down to maintain a level position. So it may be having an issue.

[Parking17]

I have the same issue with my right rear brake. Squeals like crazy. I replaced rotors, lines and pads with quality parts. All is well, but guess what, squeal is still there. Just when I step on it, then goes in about a second or so. I can live with it.

As for the lights, did you have suspension work done? Check the forum for headlights and suspension. There is a thread somewhere about an adjustment on the rear suspension to solve the problem.

Welcome to the forum!

[mochaplaya85]

Hey guys thanks for getting back to me. As for brake cleaner, I haven't tried that yet but i'll give it a shot and see if it helps. I haven't had any suspension work done either so i dont think that's a problem. I'm not exactly sure what kind of pads I have. I bought the car used but i don't think i have his contact info anymore. Is there a way to check?

[smooth1]

Hmm, probably not, but maybe check for how much life is left. If your down to say 25% or so, maybe just replace em anyway with a quality set.

[Crime Scene 954]

mocha, what part of ft. lauderdale u in