Of all the auto parts of a car, brakes are of utmost importance as they are solely responsible for the safety of the passengers. Often, brake shoes give out warning signs that it might be time to replace them. If you delay replacing brakes, it is likely that a brake failure might occur while you are driving and it can turn out to be fatal.
It is fairly easy to detect the warning signs of worn-out brakes in an automobile. Most cars have disc or drum brakes in the front and back respectively. But sometimes they have disc brakes on all four wheels. The drum consists of a disc rotor, brake pad, and callipers and the drum brakes have brake shoes, wheel cylinders, springs, etc in them.
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7 Warning Signs For Replacing Your Car Brakes
Since car brakes are crucial to our car system, we should properly understand, maintain, and if necessary, replace them from time to time.
Here are some of the major signs that the brakes in your automobile need replacing-
- Worn Out Brake pads- The brake pads might be worn out if there is a harsh grinding noise on pressing your feet on the pedals. This results in faulty brakes and can also damage your rotor which costs a fortune.
- Lack of Brake fluid- A sign that your brake fluid is dangerously low, is that if your foot puts down the brakes entirely but still the brake is not being applied properly. Brake fluids are responsible for keeping up the break life of your automobile. The complete lack of it can lead to brake failure. So it is very important that you check up on this immediately. However, if you are losing fluid constantly, then there might be a leakage somewhere and you should get that checked too. \
- Vibration in Brake Pedal- Vibration of the brake pedal of your automobile is also a warning sign that you need to check up on them. This can happen if the brakes have not been maintained properly or have been under heavy stress. In this scenario, one needs to get the brake pads and rotators polished and oiled for smooth running. Also, one must check if their steering wheels or the entire car is vibrating while applying the brakes, and if so, must immediately get them checked.
- Stuck Caliper- Calliper refers to the hinged component of a brake. Calipers can get stuck resulting in stuck brakes. This will result in the car tilting to one side of the road. If this phenomenon occurs, it is time to get your brakes checked. A stuck caliper can make your brake pads deteriorate rapidly. Calipers can be stuck because of faulty suspension or worn out tyres or poor alignment of wheels.
- Unpredictable Brake Pedal- If brake pedals are too soft or hard, it is a clear warning sign that they are not working properly. Lack of brake fluid, worn out pads or air in the hydraulic system makes the pedals soft while moisture in the brake fluid, worn out motor, or dirty brake fluid leads to hard brake pedals. In both cases, immediate change of brakes is required.
- Indicator is on- In some cars, there are sensors which can detect if it is time to change the brake pads. These pads have sensors attached to them and lets the owner know if they are worn out in any way. If this indicator turns out, you need to get them checked by professionals for replacing or servicing the pads.
- Brake Pad thickness less than ¼ th of an inch- The easiest way to determine if your brakes need change is by inspecting them thoroughly.
- On inspecting the spokes of your wheel and you can locate the brake pads and they are less than ¼ th inch in size, it is time to get them changed.
Where to Find Relevant Parts
The online auto parts giant Boodmo is a great site to get your brake shoes and brake pads replaced from. They are an automotive company with dedicated websites for providing every auto part required for your car. You can also get an instant offer for your car if you want to sell.
Boodmo keeps every possible auto part of all the brands and models of cars at extremely affordable prices. One can buy the parts from this website and then call a mechanic to replace the said part without having to go to a service centre.
Conclusion
You should also do manual checks twice a year to make sure they are in good condition. You can also let them be checked by professionals once in a while during servicing of car. Ideally, you should make sure that they are in proper working condition and get the brakes changed at least till the thickness of them is around 2mm. Thus, you should always get your brakes checked if you encounter any of these warning signs.
