CAR MAINTENANCE TIPS – WHEN SHOULD YOU REPLACE YOUR CAR BRAKES

When everything is functioning perfectly alright with your car like engine, air condition, wipers, side mirrors, infotainment system, and navigation and so on, all of a sudden you found that your breaks are not working when you wanted to stop your car; Isn’t it horrible to imagine? That is why you should have a keen eye on your car’s breaks functioning. The life of brake pads or brake shoes depends on the friction material that gets pushed against a metal disc (rotor) or drum to stop your vehicle. There are lot of factors related to decide how long will they last. Here we are giving you an idea how should you check whether your break system is properly functioning or not? Read on to know.

If your brakes are squealing

If you drive only 8,000 miles a year but it’s mainly in a crowded urban area such as Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai in India, you will need to replace brake pads or shoes more frequently than someone who drives 28,000 miles a year across the flatlands of national highways. Commonly, you use your brakes excessively in urban driving than on a rural highway.

Irony is, there is no unambiguous schedule that states when the time to replace the brakes is, so you need to rely on your ears and the advice of a qualified automotive technician like PPS Motors. Most vehicles should have their tires rotated at least every six months, and that is a perfect time to have the brakes checked, as well. Any experienced mechanic can check the thickness of the pads and the state of the calipers or drum hardware to identify wear.

Most of the contemporary cars have built-in wear sensors that scrape against a brake disc when the pads needed replacing. Driver can hear an annoying screeching sound when they apply brakes (or when the brakes are released on some vehicles). Some cars include electronic wear indicators that aware the driver with a dashboard warning if the pads reach minimum thickness, but this feature normally comes in luxurious cars and so it’s always better to rely on regular brake maintenance check-ups than to assume the car has your back.

Those sensors aren’t on every vehicle or necessarily at each wheel, so drivers should check for squeaking, squealing, metal-on-metal grinding (often a sign that brake pads are entirely gone) and other noises that indicate wear. Some minor noises can be corrected by cleaning the brakes, but long-term, noticeable noises typically mean parts are worn.

If the brake pedal pulses under light or sensible braking, it could reflect wear or a warped disc. (Pedal usually vibrates under alarm braking if your car has an ABS). If the steering wheel jerks or the car pulls to one side or the other while braking, you may have one worn or otherwise compromised front pad.

Here are the other signs of worn out breaks – when driving longer stopping distances, or when you apply the brakes your foot goes down beyond, closer to the floor. Because brake linings wear steadily, you may not notice the demise in performance, so that’s where the skilled eye of a mechanic can help.

Most cars are equipped with a brake warning light that comes on for a few seconds every time you start your car. If it turns on during driving, that possibly means your brake system is low on fluid because of a leak or a problem with the brake master cylinder. Note that this may or may not be the same warning light linked with the parking brake, and it’s not the same light that comes on if you miss ABS functionality.

All new cars and light trucks get front disc brakes. Most of the cars have rear discs, as well, though some lower-priced cars still have rear drum brakes. With disc brakes, it has been a common practice to replace just the brake pads and resurface the rotors on a lathe if needed so the surface is even and smooth.

In today’s modern automotive industry, more automakers have switched to rotors that are lighter and thinner to reduce weight and save money. Discs used to last through 2 or 3 resurfacings, but don’t be amazed if when it’s time for new pads you’re told you also need fresh rotors. The current ones may not have enough material to be shaved off in rematerializing and may not be as resilient as those from, say, 10 or more years ago. In addition, most mechanic shops are reluctant to resurface rotors because it is quite a time taking job. Additionally, the quality of the work can differ by who does it and how worthy they are. Instead, it is quicker, easier and more cost-effective for repair shops to just install new rotors along with new pads.

Well, after reading if you feel that you are not really sure when you should change your break system, just take your Volkswagen to the PPS Motors’ authorized Volkswagen service center in Khajaguda. It is sure to offer you the best-in-class repair / overhauling / general services.