It’s Important to remember to use your brakes For your safety and that of others, it must be in good condition. It’s a good idea for them to be inspected at least once every six months. You might notice the following signs: Your brake pedal feels spongy, it takes longer for your car to stop, or your brakes make grinding or squealing noises when you apply them. These problems should be reported immediately to your mechanic. Your mechanic can check for wear and tear, and make repairs. Your brakes will last many years with proper maintenance.
For your bi-annual brake inspection, hit the brakes
It is a good idea to have your brakes inspected every six months. Ideally, you’d get your brakes inspected during a tire rotation, and you should get your brake fluid changed out about every year or two. But what about situations that are more urgent?
Regular brake inspection is important
Great question. Your brake indicator lighting up with your dashboard indicators would probably indicate that you’re overdue for an inspection to see what’s going on. The brake indicator light could indicate an impending mishap.
Here’s an instance – If the brake light turns on anytime you go to apply the brake or if the brake light stays on, then there’s a good chance that your hydraulic pressure has been compromised on at least one side of your braking system. That’s, as they say, no Bueno!
Many moving parts make up your Braking System
Your vehicle’s brakes These are crucial for your safety as well as the safety of others. Because your brakes are comprised of a number of parts that need a periodic inspection, replacement, and tune-ups, you’ll want to make sure your brake inspection is done on schedule.
Fact is, though, most folks immediately (and narrowly) think about brake pads when it comes to brake inspections – some of the credit deservedly goes to the Chris Farley movie Tommy Boy for that one!
Your braking system includes more than just brake pads. It also includes rotors, calipers and brake pads for each caliper. There are likely to be tubes and hoses in your braking system that can become loose or fall apart over time.
For starters, three-point brake pedal check
The brake pedal is your primary point of physical contact with the brake system. That’s why submitting your brake system to a three-point pedal check during your brake inspection is so critical.
These three points are what you’re referring to. Well, at a brake inspection the brake height, the brake’s free to play, and brake’s reserve distance will all be checked to ensure that each is attuned to your manufacturer’s specifications outlined in the owner’s manual.
In short, here’s what all of that stuff means: Your brake pedals height is the distance from the brake pedal to the floor when the brake pedal is not pressed down; free play (somewhat eccentrically named…) is the distance from the pedal being at rest to the brake system actually engaging; and, finally, you have reserve distance.
The reserve distance is basically the result of the two first definitions (brake height, brake free play), in that the reserve distance is the distance between the pedal and the floor after the brake system has been engaged.
What can All Around Auto Repair do to fix the problem?
It is important to inspect your brakes regularly in order to identify the problem and fix it. Occasionally, something like your brake’s reserve distance can get too afield from the manufacturer’s specifications.
The good news? You can still discern a lot from the three-point test of your brake pedal. All Around Auto Repair will take your vehicle in For brake inspection, you can avoid a lot of problems before they become serious.
The reserve distance being off with your vehicle could indicate an issue with your braking system’s cylinder pushrod, for instance, or your free play being off could indicate return springs in need of inspection.
The entire system is interconnected. The pros have the insight to see how it all works.
One really important thing that All Around Auto Repair’s ASE-certified mechanics will help you out with is your brake fluid. For optimal brake performance, your brake fluid is stored in the mastercylinder (i.e. brake mastercylinder reservoir). It must be regularly changed.