What is Wrong with My Brakes?

Having problems stopping? Wondering what is wrong with my brakes? The good news is the answer is probably something fairly simple and fixing brakes isn’t too financially painful.

They brakes on your car are designed to be fairly strong. They work by using friction to slow the wheel. The specific method depends on whether you have a rotor or drum system. Most modern cars use a rotor system on at least the front wheels. This system works by placing two pads on either side of a rotor that is turning with the wheel. When you want to slow down, you press the brake pedal and the pads squeeze the rotor. The harder you press, the harder they squeeze.

So, what is wrong with the brakes? As you can imagine, there can be more than one problem. The most common problem often isn’t a problem at all. Drivers will hear a nasty squeaking noise from the brakes when stopping and assume this is a problem. It rarely is as the squeaking is caused by braked dust and other materials getting in between the brake pads and rotor. If the squeaking drives you nuts, try upgrading to a better brand of pad.

A secondary problem that happens with brakes is a grinding feeling or sound when pressing the brake pedal down. This is a real problem. It usually indicates that the pads need to be replaced. Brake pads have a little metal bump built into the pad. As it wears down, the bump is exposed and you get the grinding. Why have the bump? It is used to warn you the pads need work. When the grinding starts, get the brakes looked at asap or you could have a more expensive problem which is our next subject.

The rotors are a flat disc that spin with the wheel. The rotors are squeezed by the pads and heat builds up. The rotors are smoothed and balanced. They can, however, be gouged or warped. The damage usually occurs when a driver fails to replace pads that are worn out. Damage can also occur, however, when the rotors are hot and you run through cold water across the road. The sudden heat change warps the rotor. Rotor repairs are expensive, so try to deal with any hint of a brake problem early to avoid bigger issues.

What is wrong with my brakes? There are a host of answers, but the brake pads are almost always the first place to look. Fortunately, replacing them isn’t too painful financially.

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