I have a 2010 Winnebago Tour 40CD built on a Freightliner chassis with drum brakes all around.
I purchased the unit as new, from a Seattle area dealer, in October 2010, when it had 3,500 miles on it.
The coach now has 11,000 miles on it. For some time now I have been concerned with the noisy service brake operation, which I can best describe as follows.
When starting out cold, during the first few applications the brakes emit a low pitched, loud squealing sound (almost like those pesky dump trucks). This clears up after driving a mile or so, and / or after the brakes have been applied a few times (that being of little comfort to my neighbors, when I first roll out of our downhill driveway).
While the brakes are still relatively cool, they emit a soft, high-pitched sound, which occurs closer to stopping speed. This condition worsens as the brakes are subjected to fairly heavy usage at low speeds, such as was the case during a recent stop-and-go drive in heavy traffic, along the Pacific Coast Highway in the Los Angeles area.
In summary, very seldom do the brakes bring the coach to a stop in complete silence.
It is important to point out that I used to make my living driving passenger highway coaches, as well as tractor-trailers, and that I am accustomed to using the engine brake at all times, and whenever possible, plan my stops so as to only apply the service brakes at low speeds, mostly when the engine brake deactivates due to low speed.
Earlier on, I called Freightliner about this condition and was advised that because the coach is “new” the brakes need to be burnished. They would not authorize my local dealer to pull the wheels and inspect the brakes. In my opinion, at 3,500 miles, when I bought the coach, the brakes were no longer “new”, at least not for the purpose of burnishing them.
I would appreciate your thoughts, comments and suggestions on if and how the situation can possibly be remedied.
