# Grinding alternating noise



## core009

I have this alternating grinding noise. Seems like the brake rotor is grinding with the brakes. It's very noticeable at 20-30mph. It's coming from the driver side.

I'm not sure if this is related but I noticed on on my front driver side wheel, the brakes seem to have some metal hook sticking out. It's not there in any of the other 3 wheels. SEE ATTACHED PHOTOS

Does anyone know if this is normal for this to be sticking out and could it be the cause of the grinding noise I'm experiencing?

Thanks


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## iChris93

I don’t see any pics attached.


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## garsh

iChris93 said:


> I don't see any pics attached.


We've got some strange forum behavior where we allow people to upload pictures in a post, but not actually do anything with them.
When this happens, I go in and edit the post. There, you can see the uploaded pictures, and there's a convenient link you can click to place them into the post body.
@TrevP , any idea how this happens? I haven't tried reproducing it myself (uploading pictures without them being included in the post).


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## garsh

core009 said:


> I have this alternating grinding noise. Seems like the brake rotor is grinding with the brakes. It's very noticeable at 20-30mph. It's coming from the driver side.
> 
> I'm not sure if this is related but I noticed on on my front driver side wheel, the brakes seem to have some metal hook sticking out. It's not there in any of the other 3 wheels. SEE ATTACHED PHOTOS
> 
> Does anyone know if this is normal for this to be sticking out and could it be the cause of the grinding noise I'm experiencing?
> 
> Thanks


The "metal hook" is the brake pad's wear indicator.
If the pad wears down low enough, then that little piece of metal starts rubbing against the rotor.
That should produce a very annoying squealing sound.
Every one of your brake pads should have that wear indicator - it might be on the "bottom" side instead of the "top" for the other side of the car.










If the noise you're hearing is a grinding sound, then it's probably not the wear indicator. The most likely cause is simply rust building up on the rotor. We tend not to use the brake pads much on a Tesla because the regenerative braking works so well. The downside to this is that the lack of use can allow rust to build up on the rotor.

The fix is pretty easy though - just use the brakes a little. The brake pads will quickly knock off any accumulated rust, and that will probably stop the grinding sound.

There are other possible causes for a grinding sound. A small pebble could be lodged between the brake pad and rotor. These will usually either wear down or work themselves out after a little while.


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## lance.bailey

i've caught a rock in a pad before in another car I owned. backed up and tapped the brake to dislodge. 
went to the service center a few months after owning the car with a complaint that the brakes squeeked. was told that I never use the brakes due to regen and that I should turn off regen for a bit to knock of the rust. worked fine and squeek went away so I put regen back on
the brake inspection was complimentary - try a service appointment to see if you can get an inspection done


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## core009

iChris93 said:


> I don't see any pics attached.


I've inserted them again. Let me know if you have issues. I cam email them. Thanks


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## core009

garsh said:


> The "metal hook" is the brake pad's wear indicator.
> If the pad wears down low enough, then that little piece of metal starts rubbing against the rotor.
> That should produce a very annoying squealing sound.
> Every one of your brake pads should have that wear indicator - it might be on the "bottom" side instead of the "top" for the other side of the car.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If the noise you're hearing is a grinding sound, then it's probably not the wear indicator. The most likely cause is simply rust building up on the rotor. We tend not to use the brake pads much on a Tesla because the regenerative braking works so well. The downside to this is that the lack of use can allow rust to build up on the rotor.
> 
> The fix is pretty easy though - just use the brakes a little. The brake pads will quickly knock off any accumulated rust, and that will probably stop the grinding sound.
> 
> There are other possible causes for a grinding sound. A small pebble could be lodged between the brake pad and rotor. These will usually either wear down or work themselves out after a little while.


Thanks for the info! So the indicator is normal. But it's interesting that only the driver side front has it sticking out. Does that mean that the pads needs replacing? As for the pebble, that's what I think it is, but it's been a month and even with disabling the regen braking, it has not gone away.


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## core009

lance.bailey said:


> i've caught a rock in a pad before in another car I owned. backed up and tapped the brake to dislodge.
> went to the service center a few months after owning the car with a complaint that the brakes squeeked. was told that I never use the brakes due to regen and that I should turn off regen for a bit to knock of the rust. worked fine and squeek went away so I put regen back on
> the brake inspection was complimentary - try a service appointment to see if you can get an inspection done


Thanks! I have appt with Tesla tomorrow to look at it. I'll let you know what (if) they find.


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## garsh

core009 said:


> Thanks for the info! So the indicator is normal. But it's interesting that only the driver side front has it sticking out. Does that mean that the pads needs replacing?


No, it doesn't.


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## ramblewhat

i have the same issue.


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## ramblewhat

core009 said:


> I have this alternating grinding noise. Seems like the brake rotor is grinding with the brakes. It's very noticeable at 20-30mph. It's coming from the driver side.
> 
> I'm not sure if this is related but I noticed on on my front driver side wheel, the brakes seem to have some metal hook sticking out. It's not there in any of the other 3 wheels. SEE ATTACHED PHOTOS
> 
> Does anyone know if this is normal for this to be sticking out and could it be the cause of the grinding noise I'm experiencing?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> View attachment 39113
> View attachment 39114
> View attachment 39115
> View attachment 39113
> View attachment 39114
> View attachment 39115


did you find out what is the problem case this happen?


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## iChris93

ramblewhat said:


> did you find out what is the problem case this happen?


OP has not been online in over a year, so you're unlikely to get an answer.


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