Do your brakes feel ineffective? Are they making a funny sound or are you feeling resistance (or perhaps no resistance) when you press down on the brake pedal?
Often our car's brakes give us signals that they need servicing long before it becomes a problem.
In this quick tutorial we'll show you five simple ways you listen for these signs of distress and head off potential problems before they become a disaster.
01 Change my pads
If your brakes feel ineffective, and are making a grinding, rumbling or screeching noise, it is likely that your pads need replaced. The brake pedal could also be vibrating and if the car pulls to one side under braking, this could also mean pad wear.
Have a look behind your wheels – either between the wheel spokes or remove the wheel altogether – and if the pads (located in the caliper or disc brakes) seem thin, they need replacing.
Brake pads are designed to gradually wear down over time, but that means the car's ability to stop within legal tolerances reduces. Worn pads are very dangerous and should be replaced as soon as you become aware of the issue, and always replace pads in pairs (left and right side).
02 Change my discs
When you hear a loud metallic howl from your wheels, it can be due to scoring on your car's brake discs, or a noticeable judder means the the discs could be warped – however if an inspection proves there to be nothing awry then beware because your hubs could require new bearings.
Warped discs may not necessitate a disc renewal, however – many garages and machine shops can skim discs to freshen them up. However the brake disc tends to distort when it is already thin, which is likely to mean they should be replaced.
Severe wear to discs will lead to a loss of braking ability and are very dangerous, so once below accepted tolerances should be replaced immediately. Always replace in pairs and replace the brake pads at the same time.
03 Check my pipes and hoses
If your brake pedal is lacking 'feel' or, in the worst case, is dropping to the floor, you are likely to have a loss of fluid pressure in your brake hoses, most likely caused by a leak or in some cases by new fluid not being introduced properly. Air or water in the hoses leads to a spongy brake pedal feel.
If the pipes are rusty or damaged, they'll need replacing, and leaky hoses should be replaced too – on performance brakes, a good idea is to upgrade to braided hoses.
04 Grease up my brake piston
Sticky brakes, a grinding noise from the wheel, and/or the car violently pulling to one side could mean the brake piston (found in the brake caliper) is seized - dismantling the caliper and applying red rubber grease carefully to the piston will fix that.
It is important to nip any sticking brakes in the bud as soon as you notice it, because seized brakes are extremely dangerous.
05 Change my tyres
Yes, there's always the chance that your 'brakes' failing are actually the tread in your tyres being down to illegal depth.
Before you start dismantling your brakes to effect a repair to seemingly ineffective stoppers, have a look at your tyres to ensure it's not premature baldness that is causing your woes.