Brake Issues yet again.

Okay so I was the one that was stupid enough to drive for 15 minutes with my parking brake on last month. =/ Didn't really think there was much wrong with it[my 2001 Toyota Camry LE for reference] after the first week or two of getting through my paranoia, however, now for the past couple of weeks, I have noticed that whenever I brake, 90% of the time, as I'm coming to a stop or going really slow, it sounds like metal scraping on metal in a spinning sound... almost as the tires are turning, get what I'm saying? Then, if i slam down on the brake, there's just one big high pitched squeak.

I'm thinking the brake linings are worn or the brake pads need to be replaced in the rear? It's probably from that driving-with-the-parking-brake-on-incident... probably wore my rear brakes down a TON.

So if it's what I'm thinking it is, how much is this going to cost me, you think? I'd like to go with the cheapest route since I will have to pay for it myself and I'm just a wee teenage gal living from paycheck to paycheck... lol. ;)

I'm thinking those have rear disc, if so it probably just needs pads, cheep set will run you around $20. Any idiot can put them on - if you have access to the basic of basic hand tools you can do it. It would probably be smart to have the rotors turned also as they may be warped do to excessive heat buildup, that will run you about $12.

I disagree with the advice to turn the rotors merely as a preventative. I would only turn them if they shudder (and then turn them immediately) or if they show visible damage. Also, it will cost more than $12 to turn the rotors if a shop does them.

Here's a good link on the "warped rotor myth," well worth reading.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=401478

I used to just add pads without turning the rotors until the last time I did the brakes on my wife's truck. I put on pads without turning the rotors because they were not "warped". She drove it mainly, and I drove it about a week later and noticed that it didn't stop very well. In fact, I could not lock up the brakes (no ABS). I could floor the pedal, which was not the case before. I assumed I got air in the lines. Three bleedings did nothing. I began analyzing the stopping patterns, noticing that the braking power increased as the time on the brakes per each stop increased, leading me to think it was a friction issue. It turned out that the rotor was very smooth. There was not enough friction between rotor and new pads to allow them to seat. I had the rotors turned for $12 each and the brakes were stronger than ever after that.