Plop plop plop plop plop sound when braking

[joramed]

Has anybody experienced or heard this sound when braking? I have a 2003 EXL with 44k miles on it. When I step on the brake to stop the car over a short distance from about 50~60 mph (but not hard braking), I can hear the plop..plop..plop..plop..plop sound just before it finally slows down. The brakes are not squealing, the tires are not skidding and there is no vibration on the steering wheel. But I can feel some "roughness" on the brake pedal which is somewhat like the brake pad coming in contact with the rotor that has a rough surface. The pressure of the tries are at 32psi. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[humanoid]

Did you have your brakes serviced recently? If not, your brake pads may be wearing unevenly on the brake rotor or the rotors themselves may be warped or warping.

[Anonymous]

As it turns out, the front brake pads are already worn out beyond the wear indicator. Somehow, the metal wear indicator that is supposed to make the screeching noise when reached was broken so I was not alerted that the brake pads need replacement. The rotors now have deep scraped concentric grooves on its surface. I wonder if it is absolutely necessary to lathe its surface first or will it eventually even out with regular use after new pads are installed. Thanks for any comments.
:(

J

[joramed]

Sorry, that was me above.

J

[humanoid]

As it turns out, the front brake pads are already worn out beyond the wear indicator. Somehow, the metal wear indicator that is supposed to make the screeching noise when reached was broken so I was not alerted that the brake pads need replacement. The rotors now have deep scraped concentric grooves on its surface. I wonder if it is absolutely necessary to lathe its surface first or will it eventually even out with regular use after new pads are installed. Thanks for any comments.
:(

J

Definitely have the rotors turned before putting new pads on. Unturned rotors may wear unevenly and may damage the new pads as well. Just do the whole 9 yards and you won't have to worry about it for a bit.

[bfax11]

If the grooves are deep, you should seriously consider new rotors. Cutting them enough to rid the grooves could make them too thin, in which case, you'll need new rotors anyway.

If you a are taking it to a competent shop, they should be able to measure and guide you in the right direction.

[joramed]

Thanks everyone for your comments. :)

[humanoid]

Thanks everyone for your comments. :)

So what did you end up doing?

[joramed]

humanoid,
i replaced the front brake pads with new ones and test drove the vehicle by doing several hard braking stops. everything seems to be smooth now so i didn't bother to lathe the rotors. maybe not doing so will bite me in the end but i will leave it as it is for now. thanks again :roll:

j