My 1996 Eldorado front brakes squeal or squeak faintly when coasting. As soon as I apply the brakes, it stops. I pulled the wheels off the other day and everything appears to be fine. There is about 30% left on the pads, and looks like whoever did the last brake job used anti-squeal adhesive on the back of the pads. The car has 62k miles on it and a mechanic checked the brakes last summer and said I still had plenty of pad left. I would hate to replace the pads if there is still life in them, and the noise is just annoying, not alarming. Any suggestions on how to solve it? Also, what is the going rate for a front brake job on a 96 Eldo ? Am I better off getting the pads elsewhere to avoid the typical mechanic's upcharge? Any suggestions on good pads that won't break the bank ? Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide. I always get good advice on this forum.

Sounds like loose calipers, however there are a few reasons as to why you would have squeak while coasting. Possibly rotors are warped etc. Someone chime in here.

If the pads have wear indicators that's likely what it is. In my experience they make more noise when coasting and quiet as you hit the brakes.

They are tabs that touch the rotors shortly before the pads wear out. Take a look at the front pads.

Warped rotors are not likely to make your brakes squeal. They will cause your vehicle to shudder when stopping. It's hard to judge how much pad there is left, so 30% is really a guess and nothing more. Typically, the wear tabs will be placed to activate well enough in advance to save your rotors. It sounds to me like you would be wise to replace your pads now, rather than risk having to replace the rotors too, in spite of there appearing to be `30%' left on the pad. Any mechanic can do your brake job for you, but if you have any mechanical aptitude at all, you should be able to do the job yourself. Get a good service manual and take the time to familiarize yourself with the procedure and you should do fine.
My .02
Fred

so a warped rotor would make it like chug to a stop? like there is a high point on the rotor?

My dad is having the same problems with his 96 Eldorado, but I have not got a chance to check the brakes on the car yet. From the sound of the breaks this car is in need of break pads to be changed soon but I am worried that my dad's car will need rotors if they can't be turned (slight vibration when breaking at highway speeds). My question is has any one done the breaks on this car? If so what's the procedure as I am not familiar with this Caddy (I have done them for my 89 sedan deville and 85 Fleetwood Brougham). Are there any special tools I need (for rear caliper) and what are the best pads for this car? Any help is appreciated guys.