Brakes are one of those things you seldom give a second thought to. You step on the brake pedal and your car stops. The process is so simple, that we tend to fall into the habit of taking our brakes for granted.
The problem with brakes is that they get used a lot and eventually they wear out. For safety reasons, you want to replace your brakes before they completely fail.
Here are some easy to identify signs that it’s time to invest in a new set of brakes.
Your Brakes are Squealing
The easiest way to tell that there’s a problem with your brakes is that each time you apply pressure to the brake pedal, there’s a high-pitched whining sound. The sound is emanating from a small piece within your brakes that’s called a shim. It serves as an early warning sign that your brakes are wearing out. When you hear that squeal, it’s time to drive to your favorite mechanic and have them take a look at your vehicle.
The only time the high-pitched squeal could be a false alarm is when there’s a chance that your brakes are wet. You’ll be able to tell the difference between wet brakes and bad brakes because the wet brakes will dry off and stop making noise after you’ve stepped on the brake pedal a few times.
Your Car Isn’t As Responsive
The second sign that it’s time to bring your car to a trusted mechanic is that your car simply doesn’t stop as sharply as it once did. If you step on the brakes and the pedal goes down further than normal or because you’ve noticed that you have to start applying the brakes much sooner than you once did, it’s time to have a professional go over your brakes.
What Needs to Be Replaced
Until your car has been hoisted up and a mechanic is looking at your brakes, it’s difficult to know how much work is needed. Often the pads simply need replacing. Other times, we’ll have to replace more components, such as the brake drum.
The good news is that it doesn’t take long to replace worn-out brakes so you’ll be back in your car and on the open road in practically no time at all.
Whether you need your brakes replaced or simply to have something else done to your car, you can’t go wrong when you bring it to us. We’ll treat your car as well as we treat our own.
The sooner you contact us and set up an appointment to have your brakes serviced, the sooner you’ll feel safe in your vehicle.