I've just rang Fiat who said that they'll 'fix' my problem and provide me with a courtesy car while they are checking it as it's only 14 months old.

However something dubious came up during the conversation that if it's not a technical problem I'll be charged £71 if it's just that the breaks need cleaning.

How can I check and clean the breaks myself and see if that sorts it out before taking it through and paying £71 for them to be cleaned?

What model is it?

ie discs or drums?

Guessing most likely discs. Well you could take the rear wheels off and lift the calipers out and clean any dust/grime off. That's about it really.

It's 'brakes' btw!

My 100hp constantly squeals/groans when reversing. Dealer says it's a 'characteristic'. I did find that I had some squealing whilst braking going forward, though I found some seriously hard braking cleared it up a fair bit. Only really get it when reversing now.

OP's signature says he has a 1.2 Dynamic - so that's rear drums isn't it? The disc brake versions all make strange noises, esp when reversing (4x4 groans like a sick cow!) But drums shouldn't do this... Unlikely to be worn shoes at just 14 months. The rear brakes tend not to do much unless there's weight in the car as there's a limiter. Fill the Panda with friends and drive about braking hard! That should wear off any rust or dirt in the drums!
Pete

Herts Hillhopper said:

OP's signature says he has a 1.2 Dynamic - so that's rear drums isn't it? The disc brake versions all make strange noises, esp when reversing (4x4 groans like a sick cow!) But drums shouldn't do this... Unlikely to be worn shoes at just 14 months. The rear brakes tend not to do much unless there's weight in the car as there's a limiter. Fill the Panda with friends and drive about braking hard! That should wear off any rust or dirt in the drums!
Pete

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Ahh, I have sigs turned off as i'm not particularly interested in looking at pictures of rabbits etc. They are just way too big on this forum.

It seems unlikely that rear drums would squeak, I guess all you could do is take the drum off and clean out all the dust and try that, but it doesn't seem a likely cause. And yes as you say the rear brakes don't do that much in a front engined car.

i did have a look inside the drums on our ele about a month or so back, there was a fair amount of brake dust collection, couple of minutes work to brush/blow it all out

Thanks for all the replies, apologies for the spelling error, I know it's brakes, just posted during work...4 websites to launch ugh.

Is there anything in perticular I need to be aware of when taking the wheel off? Should I be able to see the dust if I just take the wheel off, or do I have to go further?

obviously the drum itself, once off you'll see where all the dust is, it's a tight fit, needs a careful blend of delicate touch and brute force.

i promise, when my hand is better to create a guide....no really i will

Reverse squeal is good for making lazy shoppers get out of the way when you're trying to park / leave in the supermarket car park!