I bought a 1997 Ford Taurus GL about a year ago.  At first it ran
great, but now the brakes squeak like crazy, especially when I first
start it drive it for a while.  It's had two brake inspections in the
last few months, and the mechanics say "everything looks okay".  The
mechanic at Ford basically says "welcome to Minnesota, it's the
weather, get used to it.  We could grind down the rotors for $330 if
you want, but that would probably be only a temporary fix".

Well, it doesn't seem to have ANYTHING to do with the weather.  It
does it regardless of the weather.  It's really loud each time when I
first drive it, especially when I first take off and go down a slight
grade to turn onto the main road.  You can also hear what sounds like
something grinding or moving around like it shouldn't be.  Then it's
loud at the next few stops, then often after that, it doesn't always
squeak when I come to a stop.  But it virtually always does when I
first start it and drive it, and especially when I go down the grade
to turn onto the main road.

I am almost certain it is the rear brakes and the mechanic thought so,
too.

I know brake noise problems can be a tough fix, but I was hoping there
would be SOMETHING that could be done.  It's really loud and annoying
sometimes, and I really liked my car and was proud to own it before
this.  I paid quite a bit for it (low miles, SEEMED to be in good
condition) and am discouraged about this.  I know it's not a major
problem like something with the engine would be, but when you pay good
money for something it would be nice if it didn't squeal, squeak and
embarrass you to drive it.

I've heard there is some kind of silicone substance you can buy and
coat the brakes with and that this can help?  But I have no idea where
I could find someone to apply the stuff for me.  I've also tried
"burnishing" the brakes – I read where if you stop suddenly from a
high speed several times it can help.  But it didn't help.

If anyone knows of a way to fix this, I would extremely impressed and
grateful.

Tess in SE Minn.

BTW, this is unrelated to the brake thing, but I am NOT thrilled with
Ford.  In July the dreaded "Service Engine Light" came on and it ran
erratically and the air conditioning sometimes blew hot air.  I took
it to Tires Plus, who said it needed a new ignition coil.  That didn't
help.  They kept working on it, and didn't call me back for several
days, but finally said it was the control module.  They wanted a lot
for the module, so I took it to Ford, who said on the phone they could
get it faster and wouldn't charge as much.  When I took it to Ford
they said "it's the ignition coil, the one from Tires Plus is faulty".
The next day they called back and said "no, wait, it is the control
module after all."  I had tried to tell the Ford clerk guy this in the
first place when I brought it in, but he didn't even bother to write
that down.  They charged a LITTLE less per module, but they said I
needed two of them, and I ended up spending several hundred for the
two of them.  Then the Service Engine light came on again a few days
ago.  This time Ford said it was a Vapor Management Valve, but that it
was no longer acting up and they cleared the error code.  They still
charged me the $92 fee just for plugging it into diagnostics.  Is
there a BETTER WAY, a better and more trustworthy mechanic out there?

I don't want to pay $92 every time the Service Engine light comes on
and nothing is wrong.  : (