Over the lifetime on your car it is inevitable that your brakes will need replacing, both in terms of brake discs and the brake pads. Skipping this kind of vehicle maintenance is certainly not recommended. After all if you cannot stop your car, then it is not worth driving at all. However by driving carefully and not braking suddenly you can prolong the life of your brakes dramatically. We may not get involved with replacing brake discs at Ace Glass (too busy replacing car windshields!) but we do like to be aware of all types of maintenance on your vehicle
Having a badly balanced vehicle also places further wear and tear on your brakes. Let us see what the top five telltale signs are that your brakes need changing;
- Grinding/ Squealing Noise When you apply The Brake
If you hear any horrible noise when applying the brake such as a squealing, screeching or worse then it is time to get your car inspected as soon as possible. This could mean that the pads and brake shoes have worn down considerably or the gasket in between the brake pad and the piston is actually missing which will cause vibrations and unpleasant sounds.
- Brake Warning Light Comes On
If the brake warning light appears on your dash, then something is amiss, so you should get your car inspected by a qualified technician immediately. It could be a number of things, which has led to the light appearing. Don’t take any chances.
- Brake Pedal Is Spongy
Often if you apply the brake and it feels spongy or slow to respond to braking then this could well be caused by the pads being too worn and unable to cope. Or your brake fluid is too low which will again make your brakes less effective and wont enable the car to apply the adequate braking pressure. Worse case scenario – your master cylinder is failing. Get it checked before the brakes fail completely.
- Brake Pedal Is Too Hard
The brakes can feel hard as well as spongy, but they can mean very different things. If you apply the brake and it is difficult to apply pressure then this can mean the vacuum brake booster system could be leaking or on its way out. Get a mechanic to check the brake system for leaks and any other problems immediately.
- Smell Of Burning Near the Tire Area
Many drivers these days tend to ‘ride the brakes’ In other words they are constantly applying pressure to the brakes, this is a lot more common in automatic transmission cars due to the lack of engine braking of a stick-shift car. If you get this burning smell, it could well mean the pads are shot and they have overheated. This is common as well when driving downhill when you have no choice sometimes to ride the brake. Just take more care when driving so you don’t have to do this.