2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor Has a Brake Squeel After an Accident

Reader Question Hi, i just got my dad’s old car (2004) Mitsubishi Endeavor, and have a couple of questions. When i had my permit, i got into a major accident and the front right side of the car was completely crushed in. The engine fortunately didn’t have to be replaced, but the radiator, and other parts had to be replaced.

Finally after getting it back from the body shop, i noticed there was a a squeaking from the car. For example: If i came to a traffic light, and came to a full stop, the brakes squealed. Then when the light turned green, as soon as my car accelerates to about 15 miles per hour, there is another squeak. Should i replace the brakes?

The car has 30,000 miles on it. Is ceramic brakes the best choice for SUV’s? Another question, that i wanted to figure out, which sounds silly, but is important to me is how to get the cars paint job extremely glossy. For example, like a lamborghini’s paint job, it looks extremely glossy. Is this because of the quality of the paint job? My Endeavor’s paintjob is brand new, and is black. It shines, but is nothing compared to a lamborghini’s.

Finally, sorry for asking so many questions, is how in the world do you change the color of your brakes. Again, the more expensive SUV’s, made by Mercedes, or Porshe always have brakes which match their paint job. PLEASE, answer my questions. I am a new driver, and really need some advice on this kind of stuff.
Thank you,
Jaime

Yo Jamie,

Thanks for your email. On the squeak, yes I would have the brakes inspected. At 30K miles I would suspect you are probably due for a front brake job, and you are probably hearing the brake wear indicators.

On the brake color. There are a few aftermarket companies that offer painted calipers etc. like www.brembo.com or you can paint the front calipers (the part that holds the brake pads, and is what you are seeing from the outside of the wheel) yourself or have the body shop paint them for you. I would ask your local auto part supply store to order you a set of brembo brake calipers in the color you want, they are not that expensive and will come with new brake pads….which you probably need.

On the paint gloss. There is probably 2 coats of paint and 2 coats of clear coat (the final layer of clear polish added to the top of the paint which protects the paint and makes it shine) on your paintjob, where as the high end cars, like Jag, Mercedes, Lamborghini etc. etc. have 4 times the paint and clear coat. So, with your current paintjob….you are not going to get the shine and gloss as the high end vehicles.

I can recommend you try this product called 5 star shine, it is pretty darn good and adding depth and shine to paint, and you can just wash your paint with water when it gets dirty. Really cool stuff, kinda expensive…but it works. Here is the link for more info

5 Star Shine – The Best Car Polish Available

Did I answer all your questions?
Blessings,
Austin Davis