Brakes 'thump' when backing out of garage

Q. I recently had my rear brakes changed on 2002 Toyota Camry XLE. When I back up every morning, they make "stump, thump, thump" sound.

The noise only appears when I first back up the car from our garage. Any idea what the cause may be?

A. If a car has rear drum brakes and makes a noise like this, it might just need a smoother cut on the drums. I have seen before where someone put too rough of a resurface on the drums. What happens is the shoes follow the groove until they snap back against the backing plate, causing the thumping sound.

If you have rear disc brakes, which you probably do, it could be a similar problem to the drum system.

You could also have worn out brake hardware, or the mounting points where the pads ride could be worn out.

I would recommend you return to the shop that did the brakes and leave the car overnight so they can experience the noise firsthand. This should help the technicians pinpoint the problem.

• Douglas Automotive is at 417 W. Main St., Barrington, (847) 381-0454, and 123 Virginia Road, Crystal Lake, (815) 356-0440. For information, visit douglasautomotive.com. Send questions to underthehood@dailyherald.com.