Bring Brake Problems To A Stop

Posted on: 2 July 2018

Driving a car is a privilege, and maintaining your vehicle properly is essential when it comes to your own safety and the safety of the motorists you share the roadway with. The braking system is among the most important safety systems in any modern vehicle since they nsure that you will be able to bring your vehicle to a complete stop quickly to avoid an accident.

When you can identify brake components that are starting to fail, you can have your mechanic replace worn components before they compromise your ability to brake properly.

Worn brakes cause a vehicle to pull to one side.

When your brakes begin to wear out, you might notice that your vehicle will start pulling to one side when you depress the brake pedal.

Brake pads, calipers, and rotors can wear unevenly. If there is more wear on one wheel's braking components, then that wheel will not come to a stop as quickly as the others. This creates the pulling effect that you are likely to notice.

An experienced mechanic will be able to determine which components must be replaced to restore proper brake function to your vehicle once pulling becomes a noticeable problem.

The brake pedal pulsates when brake pads start to fail.

Another tell-tale sign that your vehicle's braking system is under duress is a pulsating brake pedal. You should be able to press the brake pedal and have it move all the way to the floor without resistance.

A pulsating or vibrating sensation is created when worn brake pads have trouble gripping the rotors to stop the vehicle. As the brake pads skip across the rotors, the pulsations are transferred to your foot. Failing to address a pulsating brake pedal could result in serious rotor damage that might be costly to repair.

Worn brake pads will produce a screeching sound.

It's important that you listen closely to the sounds produced by your vehicle when you push the brake pedal. Brake pads are outfitted with a metal shim that acts as an early warning device to let drivers know the brake pads need to be replaced.

When this metal shim comes into contact with the rotors, a screeching sound occurs. Over time, the metal-on-metal contact between the shim and the rotor could create deep gouges in the rotors. This will require that you replace both the rotors and the brake pads to restore proper braking function. Before your brakes get to this point, take them to a service such as Buettner Tire & Auto to have them repaired.

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