There seems to be at least two schools of thought when it comes to brake caliper maintenance. Some people uses a little bit of anticease on retaining pins and bolts. Others
actually apply Anti-Squeal Paste on the back of the brake pad to reduce braking noises.
The other school of thought is to do nothing. Not even use brake cleaner because the chemical can deteriorate the seals.
What are your opinions on this? Thanks
allowing parts to move freely is mechanically always a good idea. That's what brake grease on the pins and ears of brake pads and caliper piston seals is all about. You need to use a high temperature grease or anti-seize, and you certainly don't want it on the pad faces.
something between the pad and the caliper piston is there to dampen the fretting that can take place, which makes the noise. You can do it with a grease that lubricates, reducing the friction and the resulting noise. You can do it with a super smooth plate or low friction shim that will also reduce friction and the resulting noise. You can do it with a goo that will basically bond the pad to the caliper piston.
There is nothing requiring you to do only one of these categories. You can certainly do both. Or neither. Though doing neither is not something I'd particularly recommend. Especially if you want good brakes.