When your vehicle needs car care, often recommended every 5,000 miles or 6 months, the best practice is to schedule a brake inspection. This is often a cheap means to prevent breakdown, which may be catastrophic.
When you brake, pads press against a rotor, a disk-shaped part that rotates at the speed of your wheels. The friction generated by this action converts motion to heat. Brake parts wear as they convert energy of motion to heat, dissipating within the airstream.
Whenever you brake, the pads and rotors lose a little amount of their material. Everyone’s brakes wear at different rates concerning highway miles vs. stop-and-go driving, how aggressively you employ your brakes, and hill driving.
Due to these individual differences, frequent inspections should get on your radar. Incipient brake problems can sometimes be amid the subsequent symptoms:
- Squealing sound when braking
- Burning smell after braking
- Vibration during braking
- Brake light illuminated. (Like all red lights on your dashboard, this requires a quick trip to our workshop for remediation.)
- stopping distance extended from previously (as pads and rotors get thinner, they work less efficiently at converting your speed to heat and dissipating it. This is a warning sign that requires redress.)
This specialized fluid is excellent at transferring your pedal action to the pads at each wheel, leading to the braking you desire. It must have a high boiling point, as the heat generated is conveyed to the brake fluid.
But brake fluid has a few drawbacks requiring a regular drain and fill service. Brake fluid takes in moisture. The scientific term for this is hygroscopic. Over time, the results are that the brake fluid’s boiling point is lowered, and water within the fluid causes corrosion in your internal brake parts. If you brake hard while driving downhill, old water-containing brake fluid may boil, ending in brake fade. It’s more likely if you travel in hot climates. Brake fade happens when your pedal must travel farther and farther to accomplish an equivalent amount of braking. When the pedal reaches the end of its travel, you’ve got a breakdown (ineffective brakes).
Vehicles subjected to frequent hard braking may benefit from DOT 4 fluid with a higher boiling point. Brake fluid also holds contamination until the next drain & fill service. Regular brake inspections are a requirement, and brake fluid swaps are as significant as oil changes for the longevity of your vehicle and, therefore, your family’s safety.
Wheel speed sensors measure RPM like a tachometer and send this information to the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and stability control system. When these systems notice a difference between wheels, they brake and release braking on individual wheels many times per second to stop wheel lockup and loss of control. Our technician will confirm they’re operating correctly during a brake inspection. Finally, regular emergency adjustment is essential. Because the brakes wear, slack must be adjusted out of the hand (emergency) brake to function correctly.
We have dedicated brake repair experts. Call us at 510-793-6067 or visit our website to get a quote and book an appointment for a brake inspection or any auto service you require.
