Modern Buddy

As the title says, my brakes are extremely squeaky and it's really ruining the experience. Any suggestions on what to do about this?

I notice the problem is worse with two people on the scooter, could it be weight-related?

Front brakes or rear brakes? How many miles on the scooter? Plenty of helpful people on here, but very few mind readers.

Front brakes for sure. It's a 2008 with almost 1700 miles on it.

It only takes about 90 minutes for a first-timer to pop off the headset, flush and bleed the brake fluid, and replace the brake pads. I would suggest doing that as a matter of routine maintenance on an ‘08 model and then see what squeaking remains. Tools...I think just a couple of good Phillips screwdrivers, a metric set of Allen wrenches, a wrench for the bleed fitting, and a brake bleeding tube? And a helper to squeeze the brakes while the fluid cycles through.

My non-Buddy scooter had been stored outdoors for a long time before I bought it and the brakes were working but making a bit of noise. Turned out the brake pad plates had rusted and popped one of the brake pads off.

A flush and bleed of the brake system is certainly in order as your scooter is 11 years old. Check the thickness of your pads. They should still be good. Pull your pads and sand them up and down with 150 grit sandpaper on a flat surface. Wipe the dust off and re-install them. Pull your headset, clean around the reservoir cap and remove it. Drain out what's left of your old fluid with a turkey baster ($1 at the Dollar Tree) Refill with Dot 3 or above and bleed until no more bubbles. I've seeen calipers seize from the rust on the inside.

I couldn’t justify doing any work on or reinstalling brake pads that are squeaking and have had 11 years of who-knows-what treatment from previous owners. Just not worth the $20 replacement cost. They’re already telling you they’ve had enough of being cooped up in the caliper all this time - set them free.

If it was me and my only issue with the front brake was noise, I would try putting some silicone sealant on the back of the pad. You may just have a vibrating pad and the sealant will dampen any vibes. It’s probably not a bad idea to flush and refill the system and scuff up or replace the old pads but it may not be necessary.

If it was me and my only issue with the front brake was noise, I would try putting some silicone sealant on the back of the pad. You may just have a vibrating pad and the sealant will dampen any vibes. It’s probably not a bad idea to flush and refill the system and scuff up or replace the old pads.

If it's 11 years old with only 1700 miles on it, it might have a little rust on the disc. Inspect it.