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Your brakes are one of the most important safety features of your car. Your braking system is comprised of various components such as electronic regulators, hydraulic fluids and moving mechanical parts. As such, you’ll need to perform routine maintenance or occasionally replace parts to ensure that your car stops in the shortest distance possible as expected when you need it the most.
It’s no secret preventative care and auto maintenance can save you money, which is why the team from Fred’s Auto Repair has collected some tips on how to properly maintain your car’s brake system. Watch the video to learn more and contact us for your maintenance needs!
If you notice deterioration in overall braking, do not wait for an accident to happen. Instead, schedule an appointment at Fred’s Auto Repair and we’ll perform an expert evaluation. Our vehicle brake inspection service includes brake fluid exchanges or replacing brake parts such as rotors and drums, calipers, discs or the master cylinder. We recommend that customers opt for BG Fluid Service* , our customized maintenance service, to qualify for additional warranty coverage.
In addition to increased stopping distance, other telltale signs of potential brake issues are unusual noises, increased vibrations or burning, chemical-like smells:
- Metallic squeal while driving
- Grinding sound when brakes are applied
- Wobbling or vibration when braking
- Spongy brake pedal or increased brake pedal range of motion
- Car pulling to the left or right when braking
- Burning smell after repeated hard braking
Manufacturers have varying maintenance intervals for their different models. 30,000 miles is a typical guideline for brake fluid service and 40,000 miles for pad replacement. Consult your user manual for your exact recommendations. Obviously if you notice leaks or spots near where you park, then investigate that situation in a timely manner.
We occasionally get questions about what’s the difference between types of brakes - disc or drum. Other times we get questions about using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts or upgrading standard discs to ceramic or metallic ones. It is worth reviewing how brakes work and recent automotive history.
When you depress your pedal, fluids mechanically translate that movement to create resistance on your wheels via a clamping mechanism to either slow down or stop their rotation. The heat created by that friction has to be dissipated. Discs, being exposed to outside air, do a better job preventing heat build-up compared to drums. Discs are therefore less susceptible to “fade” during heavy braking (say descending a steep hill at high speed while towing a heavy trail).
Discs are more expensive than drums and the majority of a car’s ability to stop depends on the front wheels (possibly up to 90% per Edmunds.com). Due to economics and physics, many manufacturers deployed front discs and rear drums brakes for their new car designs beginning in the 1970’s. Four-wheel disc brakes have become more widespread as consumers have shown an increased willingness to pay the premium.
Additional Information about Brake Pads
Most new cars come with standard brake pads that use resin to bind mixtures of rubber, fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon compounds. Standard pads offer the lowest price and most quiet operation compared to either metallic or ceramic pads. The shortest stopping distance is achieved with metallic pads that unfortunately are the noisiest and most prone to wear and tear on your system. Ceramic brakes are the most expensive option, slotting in between standard and metallic systems in terms of performance, noise, and longevity.
The size of your pads, the material being used to create friction, and heat dissipation, impact the performance of your braking system. The weight of your vehicle, tire traction, and road surface conditions (snow, smooth, etc.) are other major influences on stopping distance.
Possibly the two most important factors controlled by a driver is reaction time and travelling speed. Driving faster not only means less time to stop but also more impact upon collision. The relationship between braking and speed is quadratic, not linear. That is to say stopping distance is proportional to the square of velocity. So, while traveling 20 mph, stopping distance, including reaction time is about 65 feet. Quadruple speed to 80 mph and stopping distance increases eight folds to about 500 feet.
There’s no substitute to being attentive to conditions that can change suddenly and adjusting your speed accordingly. Likewise, maintaining your braking system in good operating shape is prudent. Come see us at Fred’s Auto Repair and we’ll have your car performing as expected.
* BG Brake Service
- Plan 1: Upon initial service, if your car has logged fewer than 50,000 miles and you service your brakes every 30,000 you’ll be covered for up to $4,000 in brake repairs.
- Plan 2: Upon initial service, if your car has more than 50,001 but less than 100,000 miles and you service your brakes every 30,000 you’ll be covered for up to $2,000 in brake repairs.
For more information about other Lifetime BG Protection Plan, select either of the PDFs below
