parking brake 'worn'

Now a few weeks later, for the first few minutes I hear a squeak when the wheels roll forward or backwards.

I wonder if it's related to the brake work a few weeks ago. If it's related hopefully my mechanic will fix it free (when I find time next week to take it in). If I thought it weren't related I'd take this opportunity to go to Art's for the first time (with the bonus that Art's a 1-bus instead of a 2-bus ride home).

 

Thank you very much for your very informative reply, Mendel!

I guess I can relax about needing to wait until next week, and not expect too much if it isn't resolved. After 11 years and 90K miles without a squeak it was quite a surprise.

 

Important question for our esteemed experts please: Can I trust Art's? I'm thinking the answer is Yes but my (formerly) "trusted" mechanic X disagrees with Art's' recommendation (and says no work is needed while I've just now given Art's the OK to do $499 worth of work).

** Details **

A month ago mechanic X replaced front brake pads (as they'd recommended) on my '05 Prius w/90K very hard miles. They also tightened the parking brake (extremely).

I brought it back to mechanic X because I noticed an unprecedented 'drag' whenever I took my foot off the gas pedal. Mechanic X said the wheels rotated freely, and drove it and said the 'drag' was normal for a Prius' regen.

But after 90K miles I knew the drag was new, so I took mechanic X up on their offer to adjust the (I forget which, IIRC rear) brakes. The drag was gone.

** Squeak **

But a week or two later I noticed a squeak in the first minute or so every morning when the car rolled forward and/or backwards.

I took it to Art's. The diagnosed the squeak: "front brakes...locking up. With the bleeders open, the calipers are binding."

I've given Art's my OK to "Replace front brake calipers*, install new shims, resurface brake rotors, clean and lubricate pads for re-use" for $498.76

*remanufactured

Before just now giving it to Art's for this work, I took it back to mechanic X and told them of Art's diagnosis. They said the wheels rotated freely (just as they said above in paragraph 3) then drove it all over town including up/down an incredibly steep 700' elevation gain, and said the brakes were still cool. They said I'd see the brakes smoking if there was an issue.

(And I did drive 50 miles averaging 85 mph last weekend, and no smoking.)

While I'm on disability and would have liked to go with a $0 diagnosis rather than a (for me very painful) $499 one, mechanic X's repeated statements that the wheels rotated freely (particularly given the first time they said that I [but not they] knew there was an unprecedented drag that went away with subsequent adjustment) makes me lean towards exstudent's recommendation of Art's.

Oh and I am deeply grateful for exstudent's recommendation of Art's. But in closing I would like to note that exstudent's recommendation could have been a bit more polite ("Why are you not getting your car serviced by Art's...?" particularly since I'd said nothing about where I'd taken it. I'm just saying (along with thanking exstudent very very much); and far better right than merely polite certainly; and I've lacked more than just a little politeness myself more than once.

 

Nope, X is not Luscious. It's located in the East Bay north of Berkeley. I'm thinking they're good (so I don't want to name them, I still regard them with respect and affection) but that they just haven't seem as many Prius' as Art's and Luscious have.