Braking system is essential in our car and it is an essential safety feature. When the braking system works poorly, our car won’t be able to stop at the right time. It means that accident can happen because we may hit something and collision could immediately happen. When complete braking failure occurs, our car will run at high speed and we will be unable to stop it. This is a very dangerous situation. Reckless driving happen increase risks on the road and the problem could get even worse when we have bad braking sustem. The brake pads could weat much faster during urban driving situations, with lots of starts and stops. If our car carries heavy loads and tow trailers, the braking system will also work harder. In general, we should check the braking system every 30,000 miles to make sure it still works properly. When replacing the components, such as pads, it is a good idea to choose high quality models that may last longer, perhaps twice as long.
It should be quite easy to determine whether brake pads are wearing thin. When we engage the brakes, we may hear the squealing noises. This could happen when brake pads have become too thin. This is a clear indication about the wear and tear of the braking system. Sound is produced when other components touch the rotor. Noises in our car should be seen as an indicator that there’s something wrong with our car. Even when the noise is barely audible, we should check it at the mechanic’s shop to make sure whether we need to perform the necessary replacement tasks. If we don’t replace the brake pads, the squealing noise will become grinding noise. This is a sign that the damage has started to propagate. The abrasion has gone past the wear indicator layer and the rotor itself is being ground up. When we engage the brake, the rotor will start to have slight damages that will accummulate. Replacing brake pads is a simple and easy thing to do.
The cost of repair can be quite expensive when we need to re-surface or even replace the rotor. Other than rotor and pads, we should also check other components of the braking system, such as calipers and drums. In order for the whole system to work properly, it is important that each component is in good condition. Even we have regularly replaced the pads, the drums and rotors will also start to wear out. As an example, we may need to check the rotors when the brake pedal pulsates when stopping. Instead of replacing the rotor, we may still resurface it. It means that the rotor will have a new surface for pads to properly grip unto. Resurfacing the rotor will save money, instead of buying a new one. Obviously, we can’t resurface rotors indefinitely and eventially, we need to replace them. Before buying used cars, we should make sure that rotors are still in good conditions and whether we can still resurface the rotors multiple times.