My drivers side read wheel was squealing while I was rolling through a parking garage today. I applied the E brake at a very low speed and the squeaking stopped. Also, the wheel was VERY hot. Just curious if anyone has info on what this might be. It did not squeal on the way home but again the wheel was very hot.
Rotors get hot when you use the brakes. Does the car pull or does it feel like there is drag when rolling slowly?
It really doesn't feel any different when I drive. And it's only that wheel in particular thats a lot hotter than the rest.
I didn't see mention of model, age or mileage of your car, but an older rubber brake hose can deteriorate internally and block fluid flow. It could possibly be a caliper problem if the piston is not retracting when the pedal is released.
It's a 2003 325i with 107,000. Is it worth trying to replace the caliper (if that is the issue) on my own? Or should I let the professionals handle it?
First, you need an accurate diagnosis of the problem, before considering replacing anything. If your skillset is such that you can't figure out the problem, perhaps it would be better not to attempt the fix yourself. If you find it is a caliper, you'll need a jack, jack stands, level hard-surfaced working area to safely support the jack and car on the jack stands, wheel chocks, wrenches, sockets, a breaker bar (or air tools, impact wrench and iimpact-wrench sockets), brake fluid (& perhaps brake parts cleaner), a setup for brake bleeding, a torque wrench, tightening specs for the caliper bolts, flare nut wrench(es) for the brake line fittings, and probably more tools I'm not remembering at the moment. Replacing a caliper is certainly do-able, if you have what you need and the wherewithal to do the job. A Bentley manual for your vehicle would detail the procedure. If you end up going that far, also might as well replace brake pads if you're anywhere near needing pads - in which case you'll need some means of retracting the pistons into the calipers. Probably a good idea to spec rotors too - you'd need thickness specs and a micrometer or other means of accurately measuring the brake rotors. Generally, I would guess the options are something brake related (brake line as mentioned, caliper, or parking brake) or wheel bearing related - maybe even something else.
