Know Your Brakes for Better Maintenance

While driving a vehicle, many lives, including yours, are in your hands, or rather your ‘foot’ to be more appropriate. For some, speed is fun while for others it is what they need. In either case, the vehicle’s brakes should be in perfect condition as more speed means less time to stop in case of emergency. According to a study, an average driver takes about 1.5 seconds to react, implying the time taken to apply the brakes.

Speed is Life-threatening Without Perfect Brakes

Most drivers are well versed with the dangers concerning malfunctioning brakes, especially the accidental risks resulting in injury and vehicle damages. There are two simple ways of knowing whether your brakes need servicing - the brake light and ‘your’ sense light. Here, by sense light we mean the realisation that your vehicle is taking longer than usual to stop, and you instinctively decide to visit a local car mechanic. But these two are not the only signs of inadequate braking system.

Brief Discussion on Brakes’ Basics

Before understanding the necessary measures to check the alarms given by the braking system, let us get an insight into how brakes work. Brakes have been categorised into 4 types, based on their presence within the vehicles. These are disc brakes, drum brakes, emergency brakes, also known as parking brakes (secondary braking system), and anti-lock brakes. Additionally, disc brakes and drum brakes work as service brakes that allow your vehicle to stop. Typical hydraulic, electromagnetic, pumping, frictional, and servo are few of the commonly used brakes systems, necessary for smooth operation of brakes on different types of roads as well as under varying weather conditions.

First Care, Then Think of Repair

Brakes are the most crucial part of any vehicle, however the maintenance of the same is not complicated.

• Check the brake fluid levels periodically and make sure that the correct level is maintained. In addition, the brake fluid should be used as per your car manufacturer’s recommendations which you can easily find in your car manual. However, you have to be careful while topping up the brake fluid reservoir every time. The contaminated brake fluid can damage the master cylinder and affect the wheel cylinders as well. To avoid the same, brake fluid replacement is advised every 2 years or after 25,000 miles.
  
  

• The brake lines and master cylinder also need attention. These two key parts of the system grant brake fluid from the reservoir to the individual brakes and ensures there isn’t any leakage on the lines.
  
  

• Usually, the brake pads may ask for a replacement every 6,000 miles as the pad thickness is deteriorated to below 5 millimetres over time due to heat produced while using.
  
  

• Check if rotor resurfacing or replacement is required. Over time the smooth surface of rotor forms grooves caused by worn brake pads. It is for this reason that with every rotor replacement, a new set of pads is advisable to be installed.

Rescue Your Brakes

Modern cars use wear sensors to indicate when a component needs a repair or replacement. It is not that simple for every car user to interpret all of them due to difference in the make of every vehicle. We hope this piece of writing makes you feel better informed when caring for and repairing those brakes. To get a certified mechanic check on your brakes, get in touch with Triple S MOT Centre Slough today!

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