Brakes: Important for Your Safety.

When it comes to your vehicle, it is very important to make sure that the brakes are in good working order.  Just know that your vehicles’ braking system is the most critical safety system, and that your life, and the lives of others greatly depend on their working ability to stop or slow the vehicle while traveling down the road.

Periodic inspection of your vehicles’ braking system should be done at least annually, if not at every engine oil change.   They should also be checked immediately if any problems are suspected, especially if the brake light or the ABS light on the instrument panel becomes illuminated, or you hear a harsh metallic noise when applying the brakes to slow down the vehicle. A properly operating brake system will help ensure safe vehicle operation and control under various road conditions that we encounter throughout the year.

Disc Brake Assembly

Disc Brakes:  Most modern vehicles have disc brakes on each wheel, with a special caliper at the rear wheels that are incorporated with a parking brake assembly.  The parking brake assembly squeezes the brake disc when the parking brake is applied, and should not allow the vehicle to move.  The brake pads are housed into a brake caliper assembly and squeeze the brake rotor as it turns to slow the vehicle down when the driver depresses the brake pedal inside the vehicle.  In each brake caliper, hydraulic pressure should be applied evenly on both brake pads that squeeze the rotating brake disc.  Upon inspection, if you notice that one brake pad is thinner than the other in the brake assembly, a brake service should be performed to free the seized or defective brake caliper assembly.  In addition, brake pad thickness should be greater than 1/8” of braking material.  If your brake pads are becoming thin, they should be replaced immediately to ensure optimal braking performance.  Vehicles that use disc brakes have better and proven stopping abilities than vehicles that are equipped with drum brakes.

Drum Brake Assembly

Drum Brakes:  Older vehicles and some late model vehicles have drum brakes.  Drum brakes were the original brake design for automobiles in earlier times.  Vehicles today have mostly advanced to the use of disc brakes in various models.  Drum brakes began to be phased-out of production in most vehicle models because they don’t work as well as disc brakes does when they become wet or frozen, and often need internal adjustment to ensure braking ability.  Drum brakes work by evenly pushing apart two brake shoes that are comprised of a semi-circle cutout design of brake material to contact a rotating drum, which slows the vehicle when the brakes are applied.  A parking brake mechanism inside the brake drum manually forces the brake shoes against the brake drum to apply the parking brake when needed.  Be aware that brake shoes are normally much thinner than brake pads, even when they are new.  If you see that your brake shoes are about 1/16” in brake material thickness, it is time for them to be replaced.

In case of a brake failure in the hydraulic portion of the braking system in your vehicle, know that your parking brake can most-likely be used to slow-down your vehicle, and eventually make it come to a complete stop.  Never attempt to drive a motor vehicle with faulty brakes.  This can be very dangerous, and could cause severe injury to you and others, and often includes considerable property damage.

Things to look for in potential brake system problems:

•Vehicle pulls to one side during braking.

•The brake pedal pulsates when the brakes are applied.

•The brake pedal feels “mushy” when depressed.

•Noise is heard when the brakes are applied.

•Repeatedly adding brake fluid to the master cylinder.

All of these symptoms of problems in a vehicles’ braking system can become serious issues, and can lead to injury and property damage if not quickly inspected and serviced.  Just know that the brakes in your vehicle need service and maintenance from daily wear and tear, meaning that they’re a normal wear item for any vehicle, and will eventually need replacement.

Some factors that affect brake wear include:

•Personal driving habits.

•Vehicle operating conditions.

•Vehicle type and design.

•Brake lining material quality and design.

Remember that the entire brake system in your car should be checked every year, which should include brake linings, rotors, and brake drums – if equipped.  Avoid letting your brakes go to the “metal-to-metal” point, which often means that unnecessary, and expensive rotor or drum replacement will have to be done to your vehicle to correct a faulty braking issue.  Brakes are the most critical safety system in your vehicle, and that your life and the lives of others greatly depend on their working ability.  Good brakes provide you and your passengers with added safety on the road, and can save you both time and money when they are properly maintained.

For more information, check-out this brake safety guide.