Many people do not think of checking their vehicle’s brakes very often. If they hear a noise, they might bring it to a repair shop. But by then, the damage is already started.
The noise you hear is the tab on the brake pads scraping the rotors. You only hear that when the brake pads are lower than the tab.
We recommend checking your brakes every month, especially if you drive in a lot of stop-and-go traffic or hilly terrain. If you are not comfortable checking the brakes on your vehicle, stop by RDI Power in Brooksville, FL. We’ll check them for you.
Symptoms of Low Brakes
The most obvious symptom is the scraping and grinding noise you hear when the tabs start rubbing the rotors. The other symptoms are less obvious because they happen so slowly that most people do not notice them.
Other low brake symptoms include:
- It takes longer to come to a stop, especially when the roads are wet. The thinner brake pads heat up faster and become less effective.
- The brakes feel mushy.
- The pedal goes more than halfway to the floor.
- The manual emergency brake handle or pedal pushes or pulls more than half the normal distance.
Low brake pads are not the only problem that you might have. A leaking master cylinder, frozen calipers, and collapsed brake lines can also cause issues with stopping. You can prevent all of these issues from getting worse by checking the brakes more frequently.
What Happens if the Pads Get too Low
A vehicle’s brake system is the perfect example of a repair that ends up costing you more money the longer you ignore the problem.
If you let the pads get too thin, you’ll have to replace the rotors instead of turning them. You could also cause the calipers to overextend or the brake lines to collapse. Finally, though rare, you could also cause damage to the master cylinder.
When you notice that the brake pads are getting low, bring your vehicle into RDI Power in Brooksville, FL, for brake repair as soon as you realize they are low – or have us check them.
Brake System Maintenance
In addition to checking the brake pads frequently, you should also keep up with the maintenance on the brakes. Granted, they don’t need as much maintenance as other systems, but the maintenance they do require is important.
In addition to checking the brakes frequently, you should also check for leaks in the metal and rubber lines, master cylinder, and calipers. If you have a vehicle that still uses drums, you should check the wheel cylinders. They are more apt to leak than calipers because of the rubber inside the wheel cylinder.
Finally, flush the brake system every five years. You’ll get rid of any dirty brake fluid and replace it with new brake fluid.
Contact RDI Power in Brooksville, FL
If you believe your brakes are low or you need a diesel mechanic to check the brakes for you, contact RDI Power in Brooksville, FL, for an appointment.
