Extend the Time Between Brake Repair

Do you take your vehicle’s brakes for granted? There are many things that you can do to extend the life of your brakes, to prolong brake repair needs, and to save money on repairs. A car’s brakes are its utmost safety feature, and extending the lifespan of them not only can save you from expensive brake repair procedures, but you can also save your life or the life of others by being aware of certain techniques.

To begin, keep your foot off the brake pedal! Riding the pedal causes premature wear and tear and the heat that is generated from the friction caused by such action will certainly and surely warp rotors and drums. This not only cause the headache and expense of premature and unnecessary repairs, but it can cause fellow motorists to misjudge your intentions in traffic and on the road.

Being cautious is certainly wise, but overusing the brake is not necessarily cautious. Instead, try to anticipate stopping situations ahead of time so that you can slow your vehicle mostly by decreasing speed from alleviating the gas pedal or accelerator. This is especially advised in treacherous weather conditions when your intention is to slow down rather than to stop completely. In such a situation, if your vehicle is equipped with traditional brakes, you should pump your brakes to avoid sliding and skidding. Do not, however, pump if your car is equipped, as many later models are, with an anti-lock brake system or ABS. Instead just apply steady pressure and continue to steer your car.

You may be surprised to know that the best way to hit all the green lights is to maintain the legal speed limit. Once you have gone through one green light, keeping your speed at the suggested rate will not only contribute to prolonging the life of your brakes but it will also make you more likely to hit all subsequent lights at the same point in their timed cycles. This will eliminate stops which saves you time and will essentially save you money. The fewer stops, the less wear and tear on your system. Less wear and tear means fewer repairs, and fewer occurrences of brake repair saves money. Incidentally, maintaining a speed that will allow you to avoid stopping and going will also cease some of your road rage, and it also increases fuel efficiency. Think of this as an easy way of “going green.”

Even with these suggested cautions, you should check your brake system every ten thousand to twenty thousand miles, and if you are predominantly a city or town driver as opposed to a highway driver, you should perform a check more frequently.