Keeping a vehicle or piece of machinery in good working order requires some regular maintenance.
While an oil change is often the first thing that comes to mind with properly maintaining a car or truck, your brakes are an important part of the safe functioning of those and other machinery.
But how do you know when you need brake service?
Let’s look at five signs that you need brake service or repair.
Squeaky Brakes
When you engage your brakes and hear a squeak or squeal, it isn’t just a sound that will make you cringe.
It’s also a sign that you need brake service. In a brake system, your brakes have pads that help limit the friction against your rotors.
Inside of a brake pad is a metal indicator. Over repeated use, your brake pads can be worn down, exposing this indicator which creates that squealing sound.
Vibrating Brakes
Do your brakes pulsate as you engage them to come to a stop? If they do, you may have an issue with warped rotors.
When you brake, the rotors in your braking system heat up because of friction. Over time, this warps the rotors and result in the vibrating feeling you might feel as you brake.
Veering to One Side
When you push your brake pedal, your vehicle shouldn’t veer off to one side.
It’s important to remember that unlike when your alignment is off and your vehicle pulls to one side as you drive, a potential issue with your brakes happens when you engage them.
Sometimes your brake service with this problem will consist of a simple fix like draining and replacing the brake fluid. But you won’t know unless you have this looked at by a mechanic.
Difficulty Braking
If you’ve been driving your vehicle for a while, chances are that you have become familiar with how the brake pedal engages.
If you notice that your sensitive brake pedal now requires you to engage it a lot more to come to a stop, you have an issue worth taking a look at.
Brake Light Comes On
This may seem like a no-brainer, but for some drivers or machine operators, it isn’t. Pay attention to service lights that come on. Sometimes, these lights come on but go back off and drivers will breathe a sigh of relief. But remember, just because a brake light goes off, doesn’t mean you don’t need brake service.
Brake Service is Important
Properly functioning brakes are crucial to the safe operation of your vehicle or piece of heavy equipment.
Brake life will vary upon the type of vehicle or machine, the speed it’s being operated and the type of system you have.
It’s important to look out for signs like squealing brakes or pulling to one side. If you notice that it is becoming harder and harder to bring your vehicle to a stop, that’s a good sign that you have an issue.
Brake service and repair is part of keeping you and your vehicle safe!
