VXOC Astra-J/GTC

Brake calipers
binding, squeaking or rattling.
have you had a problem or are you having a problem
post here for all brake pad and caliper issues.

Find the how to change front and rear pads here

Certainly , one common problem is a rattle from the front end on uneven surfaces at low speeds . .

Vx are aware of this and they have brought out superseded brake caliper carriers and pads that are supplied with shims . These can be fitted under warranty , if you fight your corner . .

The shimed pads kit , was still on back order , the last time I checked so , yes , common fault. .

Rear brake squeal: after driving about 2 to 3 miles the noise is like that of someone holding a metal rod against a spinning disk, or pads worn down to the metal but comes on and stays on, sometimes noise reduces for a while after applying the brakes, but comes back.

I had this a while back and found the MPG dropped of quite a bit also. I found that 1 wheel was hot after this had been squealing. Unfortunately for me my car was just out of warrantee so I had to pay. The garage removed the rear pads and cleaned up the callipers and no doubt the pins as well, greased where needed and I have never had the same noise again. That cost me £70, as I was going away during the week and didn't have time to have a go myself.

new problem for me
went out to the car tonight rear left brake light on
the main lights were not left on and the battery was dead
jumped the car and i am now getting errors
saying release hand brake i turn the warning off
and it just keeps coming back on
there is nothing wrong with the EPB hand brake
but the errors still coming on.

I doubt it'll work but when I sorted Lewis cruise control out the (p) was flashing non stop no error messages I had to start the car and release and apply the EPB a few times.

Tucpal did you leave the indicator on? This would put the parking light on but it shouldn't drain the battery.

tucpal, main thing i wanna know is how i get my calipers looking like your lol...
but on topic i have rattle drivers side which i have no clue what it is. When driving upto rustys last weekend it does sound like its outside.

possibly that was my thoughts the wife was the last one in the car
just going to leave the car parked up for a bit and see what happens
i am thinking a sensor fault but i will have a good look in the day light.

So driving in to work the message will now come up every time I go into first gear so some how jumping the car has cursed a fault with the EPB I will have to check the fuses etc tomorrow


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Try disconnecting the battery for 30 mins or so.

also when you jump started the car did you put positive to positive and negative to ground on the block?

i know if you don't it can cause damage to systems.

Will try the battery trick in the morning the car was jumped correctly but it looks like the car did not like something


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Lewis6317 Wrote:tucpal, main thing i wanna know is how i get my calipers looking like your lol...
but on topic i have rattle drivers side which i have no clue what it is. When driving upto rustys last weekend it does sound like its outside.

Sounds like the common fault. According to Vx , you will need the upgraded caliper carriers and/or the shimmed pads. .

and if your under warranty get it done
or you will have to sort it your self like me
and i still have not done it yet
but i will be replacing the pads and discs in a few months
and i will be looking into this as i am sure it gets worse
as the pads get past half way worn
i never noticed this when the car was in warranty
i do very little mileage a year so now the car is on 26k
after just over 3 years i am noticing the car is getting
the knocking from the front right side now
and the pads are just about 3/4 worn

tucpal Wrote:So driving in to work the message will now come up every time I go into first gear so some how jumping the car has cursed a fault with the EPB I will have to check the fuses etc tomorrow


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disconnected the battery for 30 mins and all is good
no more error message so it looks like the EBP just needed resetting
after jumping the car so thanks rusty.

tucpal Wrote:disconnected the battery for 30 mins and all is good
no more error message so it looks like the EBP just needed resetting
after jumping the car so thanks rusty.

Glad it worked mate

tucpal Wrote:and if your under warranty get it done
or you will have to sort it your self like me
and i still have not done it yet
but i will be replacing the pads and discs in a few months
and i will be looking into this as i am sure it gets worse
as the pads get past half way worn
i never noticed this when the car was in warranty
i do very little mileage a year so now the car is on 26k
after just over 3 years i am noticing the car is getting
the knocking from the front right side now
and the pads are just about 3/4 worn

So far I have had the caliper carriers replaced and it never made a blind bit of difference which prompted Vx to say that I needed the shimmed pads(on back order , allegedly). .

However , the movement in the caliper that was there before has gone. A local motor engineer has been all over it looking for the fault , unsuccessfully. I mentioned the shimmed pads to them and their response was "Surely the pads are held in place by the clips and therefore don't need shimming ?"

Even under braking , I can still get the "clatter" at low speed , which is a worry. .

I suppose fitting the shims is when the conundrum may get its answer. .

i am real glad you made the trip over here
this shim thing there going to attempt
i really want to know what they are going to do
so please report back here with as much info as possible

i don't under stand what they are going to do with shims
in my eyes yes there is movement in the calipers
and when the pads are new there not that bad
but as they start to wear down this movement in the calipers gets much worse
its almost like the caliper is not adjusting to the worn pad

the last fix they came up with was to place foil on the back of the pads
and that just did not work as the foil wore down in no time

i also think this problem has been around for a long time now
and this should have been sorted out long ago.

Odd question but I have the 2.0CDTI which has a bigger brake setup I've not noticed a problem mind you I've yet to do 10000 miles so is it just the smaller brake setup with this problem?

this was sort of the way of thinking for a bit
that the smaller brakes were the problem
but i have also heard the same happen on the bigger brakes
i never noticed this till about 20k
and the drive just seems to be picking every bump in the road out
i know i have movement in the front calipers
i have also had brake squeal issues on and off
a good brake service sorts that out
but i am also convinced the right caliper is binding
it will be interesting to see what happens when i change my
pads and discs over
will it get any better i will have to Waite and see.

I'll keep an ear out then.

i have a feeling it is the pins in the caliper
that is the fault remember they had a rubber bit on the end
i think that may wear down with the movement of the brake over time
it will be interesting to see what this shim kit is
it may be some sort of sleeve for the pins to reused movement in the caliper
and as my car is past its warranty there is no way i am paying them
to fix a fault with the way the caliper is made
so i really want to know what the fix is
then i am going down to the dealers with full knowledge of what this is all about.

tucpal Wrote:i have a feeling it is the pins in the caliper
that is the fault remember they had a rubber bit on the end
i think that may wear down with the movement of the brake over time
it will be interesting to see what this shim kit is
it may be some sort of sleeve for the pins to reused movement in the caliper
and as my car is past its warranty there is no way i am paying them
to fix a fault with the way the caliper is made
so i really want to know what the fix is
then i am going down to the dealers with full knowledge of what this is all about.

Okay , I phoned today and the shimmed pads should be with us next week (£38 , trade) , I'm not convinced it is the fix but we shall see. .

The independent garage I went to , heavily coated the pins in copperslip so I don't think it is that but they did point out that the right hand macpherson strut isn't as efficient as the left. However , by their own admission , the strut usually doesn't make a noise. .

TBF , I have driven Vx's now for 25yrs and never had a problem like this before. It has been /is really annoying me as I like my car to sound "right". If I don't get to the bottom of this soon it will certainly be my last Vx (it is certainly been the most expensive Vx for me to date). .

keep us updated cheers.

i am not to sure i always had a gut feeling this is a strut problem some how
i came across this not so long ago could there be a problem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htfTec7mhFQ
i know its not in English but there is something interesting
in it look how the right hand side damper has more movement.
there is also another clip of someone different doing this fix as well

Simon Templar Wrote:Even under braking , I can still get the "clatter" at low speed , which is a worry. .

If it's still there when braking, then that rules out the brakes (Usually) I assume the anti-roll bar links are ok?

tucpal Wrote:but as they start to wear down this movement in the calipers gets much worse
its almost like the caliper is not adjusting to the worn pad

They will be adjusting, if it weren't, then you would have extra travel on the brake pedal.

The reason the caliper appears to move more as the pads wear is due to the caliper slide pins coming out further from the carriers. So it ends up exaggerating the movement.

Whether Vauxhall have a cure or not, I don't know, but Vauxhall ain't the only ones with the problem. Clios and micras are real bad, but no ones seems to bother too much. My own micra has done it forever. No harm is getting caused, so I just have silicon sealer on the parts of the caliper that touch the pads. Noise is gone and never returns.

Yes, maybe it shouldn't do it, but we will never get the perfect car, no such thing I'm afraid.

totally agree i will be replacing the pads and discs in about 2 months
i will be interesting to see if it gets any better.
i did service the pads and add grease to the pins and this did help for a bit
and it did get rid of the squeaking noise
i will be replacing the dampers at some point this year for the blisten b6
so i can rule out the dampers at that point.

tucpal Wrote:keep us updated cheers.

i am not to sure i always had a gut feeling this is a strut problem some how
i came across this not so long ago could there be a problem
??????? ?????? ASTRA j - YouTube
i know its not in English but there is something interesting
in it look how the right hand side damper has more movement.
there is also another clip of someone different doing this fix as well

Strangely enough , the independent garage I went to , reckoned that the Macpherson strut top mount was the problem and I went and bought a new one , Made no difference whatsoever . .

As far as braking goes , the noise does disipate but doesn't stop it completely . .

Now , I feel reluctant to buy the shimmed pads . I changed the pads last year (Nov') and I think that it is poor that one has to buy a set of pads just to get some ****en shims. .

I may give this top mount thing a try but will Waite till I do my brakes


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The story so far. .

The Russian guys in the video were certainly on the right direction. .

On dismantling , the top mounting (which is almost new) had less movement on the strut rod , than is seen on the video .There was some side to side movement of the rod in the strut . When the top mount was fully tightened onto the rod there was no movement of the top mounting , however the tape was applied and we did a road test. .
Problem almost cured. It seemed to muffle the sound and there was only a sound of rattle on really bad bumps(cobbled street). .

Tried to replace item with a Monroe strut but alas not correct fit. I think only the genuine parts are available at the moment. .

i will have to try this my self
I always had a feeling this was the problem
bilsten do dampers they may be better B6 or B8

thanks for the update

tucpal Wrote:i will have to try this my self
I always had a feeling this was the problem
bilsten do dampers they may be better B6 or B8

thanks for the update

Problem was solved today by fitting an original Vx macpherson strut with the tape in the appropriate position . Its a good yin. .

that is a real good result
but at the same time that is a bad design
i will get this done when i do my brakes at the same time
and report back.
thanks for the update.

tucpal Wrote:that is a real good result
but at the same time that is a bad design
i will get this done when i do my brakes at the same time
and report back.
thanks for the update.

The strut cost £100( sorry , but a ****en rip off ) and it stated on the box that the item was made in China , which made the guy at Vx parts chuckle . I was reluctant to shell out for a couple of Bilsteins at this point as I rather think that , to go down that route one would be better fitting all four shockers .

There isn't a proper trade club price for the item as yet so , the garage just discounted the vat off the part for me . It might be a shock absorber by name but the shock of the price as yet , has not been fully absorbed. .

The Monroe strut that we sourced on Saturday (which didn't fit ) was only £71 full price. .

Got a problem now with hill start assist it comes on when on a hill and now disengages after 10 seconds I have tested the EPB on a hill and the handbrake works as it should it is just the hill start assist that is not holding no fault codes or messages


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I don't use that feature much but I find to get mine to work I have to push the brake pedal hard down, it will also auto disengage after about 10-15 seconds. Mind you I was taught never to hold the car on the clutch nor the brakes always use the handbrake.


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I thought that the hill start was only to hold on for 2 seconds after you released the foot brake. After that you will roll back.


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May be I am just going mad I was sure it held me there till I hit the gas


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Only holds for 2 secs, and half the time if doesn't always detect slight hills!

Make sure you keep clutch fully down, quite easy to have your seat in a different position causing the clutch to maybe not be fully down. This will stop the system working, also as rusty has said, sometimes need to press quite hard on the pedal. Usually you will feel it getting activated through your foot.

Why did Vauxhall not just make it work at all times??

agreed and i am going mad

My wife's Mokka displays it on the dash when its activated usually on a gradient greater than 5°

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OK i am 100% sure i know what is the problem is with the caliper rattle now
i have never had this brake caliper rattle before
but after changing the discs and pads with genuine GM parts
i had a rattle start after a month from the left hand side when going over bumps in the road
so i changed the shim clips over for the old ones and noticed the noise has gone
on closer inspection i noticed the clips in the center on the new ones that rattled
were not in the same position as the old ones and were not holding the clips in position
making the brake pads rattle in the caliper

here are the old ones note the clip position in the center



and the new ones i was given that rattle note the position of the clip in the center
it is in the wrong position



so it looks like there are faulty batches of shims clips out there
to fix this simply bend the center clip into the correct position
and the rattle will stop :cool

Yeh I've got the same issue, my drivers side one 'creaks' when I brake, not worries cos I know what it is! I'll fix it when I next change my bake pads, good advice!!

if they are like the above ones just bend them down

well today vauxhall have said my car in not road safe, as because the drivers rear caliper pistons are seized. So i have a near caliper going on good thing easier to paint it lol, bad thing TWG not fitting the bill this time. Not even my heated seat.

I would look around for a good used or reconditioned one mate as the new price is not cheep and the dealers labour will also be high

I told him that don't let VX do it and buy a used one you can get them from £30 on Ebay.

its all good, today I have spoken with Vauxhall and TWG maybe paying for the caliper

This will also explain your MPG problem

yeah, also I got issue with MAF sensor Rusty's picked up some error codes when i saw him.


P2882 - Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor Performance - <Unknown status byte>
(52) - Not present

P0101 - Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor Performance - Slip Detected
(64) - Not present

P2122 - Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) Sensor 1 Circuit Low Voltage
(00) - Not present

P2127 - Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) Sensor 2 Circuit Low Voltage
(00) - Not present

P0113 - Intake Ait Temperature (IAT) Sensor 1 Circuit High Voltage
(00) - Not present

Had a problem where the rear brakes would squeal, once you touched the brakes it stopped but then came back.

My mechanic gave me some stuff called Bendix disc brake noise suppressor to apply to back of the pads.

I did this and now it's silent and total bliss.

I just need to track this stuff down, Bendix don't make it they handed that side of it over to Honeywell, search Honeywell and it appear they are closing there operations down.

So if anybody knows where to get it please let me know, an image of the product below.



From what my mechanic says it glues the pads to the calliper.

I use ceratec on the back of the pads but that's more to lubricate the pads that stuff may be worth a try