Brake Repair: How to Tell When Yours Need It

Maintaining your car’s brakes can make the difference between driving safely and driving dangerously. Hopefully you have your brakes checked on a regular basis so you won’t be surprised when it’s time to have your brake repair job done. However if you have let your maintenance go there are still some signs of when you need to have your brakes checked for repair or replacement.

The most obvious indicator that you need to have your brakes fixed is when your brakes squeal when you apply or release them.

Actually by the time your brakes are making this noise, it means your brake pads are down to the metal and they are rubbing up against the metal rotor of your brakes and brake repair is much needed. This is absolutely dangerous and you should not be driving your car in this condition because you are driving with very little to no braking power.

Other indicators that your brakes are getting worn include your brakes grabbing when you apply them or your steering wheel vibrating when you apply your brakes. Another warning sign is your stopping distance increases because it is taking longer for your brakes to work.

If you have your brakes looked at early enough, before you are hearing metal on metal you may still be able to get away with some brake repair maintenance that won’t mean replacing your whole brake system and you may just need to have your brake pads replaced.

Under the best of conditions your brakes need to have at least a 10-12 mm thickness. By the time the thickness hits 4 mm it is a good time to replace them and by the time you are hearing metal to metal, your brake pad thickness is down to a dangerous 2 mm thresh hold.

Some other examples of components of your automotive braking system that can be maintained or replaced include the brakes rotors. On older cars, the rotors are able to be shaved low so the metal is once again smooth, and you can get extra life from the brake rotors on your car. On newer cars however the rotors are generally designed to be thinner and lighter so the option to shave down the metal for a smooth new life is diminished. So if you have a newer car, you probably should replace rather than try to turn or shave the rotors down depending on your mechanics advice.

The life span of your rotors will vary on a wide variety of factors including your driving habits, where you drive, the type of car you drive and the quality of rotor parts. You can expect to replace your rotors between 18,000 and 60,000 miles with all of these factors coming into play.