The brakes on your vehicle have a big job to do, but over time, the parts in the system wear out, and the performance of the brakes will start to fade. Servicing the brakes before they become less effective is the best way to avoid problems with them, and taking your vehicle to an auto brake service if you suspect there is an issue with them is essential.
Noisy Brakes
One of the most common ways to tell that something has changed with the brakes on your car or truck is to listen to them. If the brakes are making grinding noises, you may have pads that are worn enough that the wear indicator tab is rubbing on the brake disc as it rotates.
The grinding noise is intended to get your attention and prompt you to take your car or truck to a shop that offers brake services and have them inspected. If you continue to drive the vehicle with the brakes in this condition, the tab can damage the rotor or disc, and a brake technician may need to replace it.
Squealing is also common when braking, but in most cases, the squealing is not an indication of wear but of pads that are glazed over and are not performing as they should. When the surface of the brake pad becomes glazed and hard, the amount of friction they can exert on the rotors is significantly lower, and the stopping distance of the car will increase. In both situations, the brakes should be inspected by a shop that offers brake services as soon as possible.
Brake Performance
When your brakes take longer than normal to stop your vehicle, the pedal drops nearly to the floor when applied, or the car pulls to one side when braking, you need to take the car in for servicing. Many times, brakes that act this way are not related to wear but to something mechanical.
The brake services tech at your local garage will go over the system for you and check for calipers that are frozen and not working and leaks in the system that can affect brake performance. The brakes on your car play a significant role in the way the car handles, and ignoring brakes problems can result in a vehicle that becomes unsafe and hard to drive.
Once the tech determines what is causing the performance issues, they can replace the parts that are damaged or worn, and test the system to ensure it is working correctly. Most brake systems are not overly complicated, so making repairs is straightforward and will often not take a lot of time. Talk with the tech at the garage about what they found when inspecting the system, and they will tell you how long it will take to fix.
Share23 September 2021
When is the last time you had your brakes checked? Are you waiting until you hear the brake pads grinding into the rotors before you do anything to replace them? Does your car pull to one side when you press on the brakes? Do you feel a shimmying in your steering wheel and brake pedal as you press the pedal to stop? If you have any of these issues, it is time for you to learn how to care for the brakes on your car effectively. Taking preventative measures and getting repair work done before serious problems arise will save you money over the years.
