Recently I did a brake job on all 4 wheels of my 2007 Accord. Used OEM brake pads and had rotors machined(turned). Used the shop manual and lubed appropriate points during reassembly. Result was excellent...smooth, quiet and straight stops with no issues to note. It's been about 3K miles and an irritating noise has cropped up only during light braking. Its a rubbing sound. Not squealing or grinding. I'm going to pull the front wheels and take a look, but frankly I'm not sure what to look for. Any suggestions?

 

Are you sure the front brakes are causing the sound?

Check that the brake pads can slide back and forth without binding in the metal clips.

 

Yes, sound is coming from front brakes. Occurs during slow stop with light brake application. Under moderate to heavy application the sound is not there.


I rotated the caliper up off the rotor to inspect the pads. They move easily within the metal clips. No apparent issues there.


Caliper pins move in and out freely. Not sticking or binding. Pad wear inside to outside looks similar.


At a loss here. Not sure what would cause the noise. Any other suggestions?

 

After a closer inspection of the front brake pads, I noticed 1 of the 4 had a different appearance. The centers appear to be darker. See attached pic. Could this be the cause of the noise???

 

Hard to call.

You could try to "bed in" the brake pads again

 

It’s been a few weeks with no noticeable improvement. DecidedI’m going to purchase new rotors and pads and redo the front brakes. Looking upthe front rotor part numbers at Majestic Honda and I see two different numbers listed for thesame Accord 4DR EX 4CYL AT model, but no explanation. Are these interchangeable?

45251-TA0-A00 DISK, FR. BRAKE

45251-TA5-A00 DISK, FR. BRAKE

 

Just my $0.02 worth on this, but I suspect your problem all along has been the turned rotors. After turning, they need to have a non directional finish put on them to avoid problems like you have experienced, and it takes an experienced hand to do that right. That's why I usually just change the rotors if they have given any indication of needing turning.
You might save yourself some money by going with Brembo standard rotors instead of Honda, plus I think they are a little better than Honda's. With as few miles as you seem to have on those pads, you may not need to change them again; they'll wear to the new rotors quickly as long as they are not glazed (you didn't get them VERY hot to the point of brake fade).
Yes, do be sure the brake lube (thin film) is on the points where the ears contact the calipers (brass clips) and where the caliper backing arms and the pistons contact the back of the pads.
Do these things, and it will be quiet as new.