Brake Repair Warning Signs

Having your car stop is probably one of the most important things that affect your car’s safety. When you have problems with the braking system you are not only putting your life in danger, but you are putting everyone on the road’s lives in danger. If you follow some of the warning signs that your car gives you, you might be able to get your brake repair taken care of before it becomes a serious issue.

Warning sign number one: a grinding sound when you depress the pedal. This sound can come from either end of your car. When you hit the pedal to stop or slow down, you’re telling the pads to engage. The sound that you are hearing is metal against metal. That means that the lining on your pads has worn thin. This is probably the most common type of brake repair issue. It simply means that you’ve waited too long and now need to get your car into the shop and have the pads replaced. If you wait much longer you will probably also have to flip or replace your rotors as well. Flipping them over is not a huge issue, but replacing them can be a touch on the costly side.

Warning sign number two: the car vibrates when stopping. There are a couple of ways the car can be vibrating in this instance. If the car only vibrates when you are slowing down or stopping, that means that a brake repair is necessary, since the action of applying them is what caused the car to shake. If the entire car vibrates that means it is the rear ones that need to be addressed. If the shaking is only felt in the steering wheel then the front is most likely your problem. Front or back, it’s generally the same issue. The shoes and drum are not in alignment when the pedal is pushed. This could be a problem with the wheel bearing or something is loose. If the wheel bearings check out ok, then the drum will need to be machined to correct any warping that has occurred.

Warning sign number three: a rattling sound when pedal is applied. If you are slowing down and hear a rattling sound, most likely you have some loose parts. This could be either the caliper mounting bolts or the anti-rattle springs. The caliper mounting bolts secure the caliper to the support bracket. The anti-rattle springs are the ones that secure the pads and are in place to help keep there from being rattling in the first place.

Should you have these or any other issues, you should take your car to a mechanic and have them checked out. It is better to get preventative brake repair than wait until they are so far gone that someone could get hurt. Pay attention to the warning signs that your car gives you and you’ll be better able to take care of the problems before they explode into larger, more costly issues.