Lee Janssen Motor Company

Brake Service

Hearing Brake Noise?

Stopping power is crucial to a safe and successful driving experience. When you need brake service, your Certified Service experts at Lee Janssen Motor Company can recommend quality ACDelco Gold (Professional) or GM Original Equipment brakes.

Determining the Time for Brake Repair or Replacement

Sometimes, your vehicle’s brakes will alert you when there is trouble. Squealing noises, chirping sounds, and grinding are indications that brake repair is required.


Brake Pad Warning Indicator


GM brake pads often come equipped with a small, thin piece of metal attached to them to act as a warning indicator when the pad material is getting low and the brake pads should be replaced. This device makes a high-pitched sound on brake application, letting you know it is time for brake service.

Brake Service Specials

Most ACDelco Gold Front Brake Pads Installed*

24 Months/Unlimited Mile Warranty**

$229.95

Coupon Code: 203. *Installation and rotor inspection included. Turning or replacing rotors, all other services, and tax extra. Excludes enhanced-performance brake pads and some vehicles. **Please see your Dealer to learn more about the warranty part details and qualifications. Offer ends 5/16/2024

ACDelco Silver Front Brake Rotors installed on most cars & small SUVs*

12 Months/Unlimited Mile Warranty**

$399.95

Coupon Code: 214. *Tax extra. Excludes coated rotors, enhanced-performance rotors, medium-duty trucks, and other select vehicles. **Please see your Dealer to learn more about the warranty part details and qualifications. Offer ends 5/16/2024

ACDelco Silver Front Brake Rotors installed on most trucks and full-size SUVs*

12 Months/Unlimited Mile Warranty**

$429.95

Coupon Code: 215. *Tax extra. Excludes coated rotors, enhanced-performance rotors, medium-duty trucks, and other select vehicles. **Please see your Dealer to learn more about the warranty part details and qualifications. Offer ends 5/16/2024

Brake Pad Rebate

Up to a $40 rebate* on the purchase and installation of select front and rear brake pads

Eligible brands are GM Genuine Parts ($20 rebate per brake pad set), ACDelco Gold ($15 rebate per brake pad set) or ACDelco Silver ($10 rebate per brake pad set).

Coupon Code: 303. *Purchase and installation must be made at a participating U.S. GM dealer. See mycertifiedservicerebates.com for details and rebate form. Rebate must be submitted by 5/31/2024. Limit two brake pad rebates per VIN (one per axle). Rebate will be issued as a Visa® Gift Card. Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery of gift card. Offer ends 4/30/2024.

Brake Rotor Rebate

Up to a $40 rebate* on the purchase and installation of four select brake rotors

Eligible brands are GM Genuine Parts ($10 rebate per rotor), ACDelco Gold ($7.50 rebate per rotor) or ACDelco Silver ($5 rebate per rotor).

Coupon Code: 318. *Purchase and installation must be made at a participating U.S. GM dealer. See mycertifiedservicerebates.com for details and rebate form. Rebate must be submitted by 5/31/2024. Limit four brake rotor rebates per VIN. Rebate will be issued as a Visa® Gift Card. Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery of gift card. Offer ends 4/30/2024.


Are Your Brakes Signaling a Problem?

Sometimes, your Chevrolet vehicle's brakes will alert you when there's trouble. Whistling noises, chirping sounds, and grinding are a few of the indications that brake service may be required. It is important to quickly recognize signs of reduced system performance. Some signs to watch for are:

  • Pulsing brake pedal or shaking steering wheel when brakes are applied
  • Soft brake pedal
  • Squealing or grinding noise when brakes are applied
  • Unusual odor at the wheel area
  • Excessive brake dust on wheel

Various GM vehicles often come equipped with brake pads that include a small, thin piece of metal to act as a warning indicator when the pad material is getting low and the brake pads should be replaced. This device makes a chirping noise on brake application, letting you know it's time to have your brakes serviced.

Brake Service FAQ

GM Brake pads are equipped with wear indicators that produce a squealing noise when the brakes are almost worn out. The noise may be present with or without the brake pedal applied, but when noise is heard from the wear indicator, the brake pads should be replaced as soon as possible. Wear indicators are set to create noise when there is around 2 mm of brake pad friction material thickness remaining. In the case of assessing pad wear through inspection, pads should be replaced at or before 2 mm thickness is reached.

Rotors should be replaced before they reach this minimum thickness and should not be turned below this.

No. If there are no conditions such as pedal pulsation or steering-wheel vibration during braking, and the brake rotor is at least 1 mm thicker than the discard thickness, then it does not need to be turned or replaced.

No, but it is a good idea to check the condition of your rotors at every tire rotation.

Brake-pedal pulsation and other conditions such as steering-wheel shaking while braking are caused by thickness variation in the brake rotor when a thicker spot of the rotor rotates through the caliper, it pushes back against brake fluid, which can be felt at the brake pedal. The brake fluid and pedal then relax again as the thick spot exits the caliper. This process produces pedal pulsation and "brake torque variation," which can shake the steering wheel and seats. Brake pulsation is not caused by warping of the disc. However, distortion of the disc due to excessive temperatures or improper installation and torqueing of the wheels can lead to brake rotor thickness variation over time. Brake-pedal pulsation is corrected by turning and/or replacing the brake rotors to eliminate the thickness variation.

Brake squeal is caused by the high-frequency vibration of brake components (rotor, calipers, and/or pads) in response to excitation from the brake friction process. A significant amount of time and engineering goes into eliminating brake squeal from original equipment brake components. Brake components are engineered as a complete system—factory-original performance can only be assured when using original equipment brake pads and rotors. When brake squeal occurs, there may be damage or excessive wear on one or more components affecting noise, including the brake pads, the noise-damping shim that is bonded to the brake pad, or the rotor friction surface.

In addition, it should be recognized that high-performance and track-capable brake systems using high-performance pad materials may be at higher risk for producing brake squeal noise, even when no damage to the components is present.

Brake pad life depends on driving habits, vehicle usage, and operating environment. Brake systems are designed to provide 20,000 to 25,000 miles of pad life in very severe use (such as heavy-traffic urban areas) and can give 40,000 to 60,000 miles of pad life in average use. Some factors that will reduce pad life include frequent heavy braking, elevated temperatures (caused by high-speed braking, driving in mountainous areas), driving with the vehicle heavily loaded, and severe environments such as high-corrosion areas and areas with a lot of road debris and dust.

Yes. Pads with higher metal content will tend to operate with more abrasive friction, where hard metal particles in the pad interact directly with the brake rotor surface. Use of metallic pads will create more brake dust and will shorten the rotor life. Non-asbestos organic pads (also known as ceramic pads) used on most GM vehicles in North America develop a transfer film, a layer of material on the pad and rotor surface that acts as a cushion (at a microscopic scale) between the brake pad and rotor, protecting both from abrasive interaction that causes wear.

Brake dust can occur to some extent on most brake systems, but it is significantly more noticeable with metallic pads and on high-performance brake systems. Brake dust is a mix of debris from the brake rotor, which is the most significant component, and debris from the brake pads. Pad materials that wear the rotor more aggressively will cause more dust.

While brake rotors designed to fit the same vehicle will often be similar in appearance and dimensions, there can be differences in internal cooling vane design, thickness of the brake plates (against which the brake pad rubs), and the grade and material specification of the cast iron. For original equipment brake rotors, significant analysis and testing goes into determining the right geometry to minimize thermal distortion and squeal noise and to maximize cooling. Similar rigor is put into the material selection, which can also affect the risk of squeal noise as well as friction and wear properties.