Bought my Prius (2005, with 160K miles) about a month ago and since I've had it I am hearing a metal on metal grinding noise when braking at low speed. How loud the sound is depends on how hard I am on pushing on the brakes. One of my co-workers has the same model and said that his does not make that sound. Not sure if its just because it has after-market brake pads or something? This noise only occurs when braking at low speeds (below 10 MPH) so I assume its an issue with the front brakes. Is this something I need to get looked at by the dealership? I had a local mechanic that worked on my old Honda beater take a look and he said that the rotors and brake pads looked new and wasn't sure why they'd make noise.
Dirty rotors are the first suspect. Next time out, as you are descending a hill, put the car in Neutral and use your brakes to slow or stop. That may do it. If it does, repeat this exercise once a month.
Yes, it's just rust on the discs. The Prius uses the regen braking so effectively that the front brakes don't get polished off often enough, mainly below 8 mph. I have a long downhill driveway. When I start out, by the time I reach the bottom, at less than 8 mph, the brakes are silent.
