How to know your brakes need attention

How brakes wear

Most cars use disc brakes up front and either discs or drums in the back. When you press the pedal, fluid pressure squeezes the pads against the rotors, and friction slows the car. The pads are made to wear down. The question is never whether they wear, only how far they have gone.

How long they last depends on the car, the pads and the driving. Stop and go traffic, hills and heavy loads use them up more than open highway does. Inland Empire commutes have plenty of stopping, and the grades up toward the foothills ask a lot of the brakes on the way back down.

What you hear

• Squealing or screeching when you stop. Many pads have a small metal tab that squeals when the pad gets thin. It is built in as a warning. Some squeals are harmless, from dust or morning moisture, but a squeal that stays is worth a look.
• Grinding. This usually means the pad material is gone and metal is wearing into the rotor. It can turn a pad job into a rotor job, so do not put it off.
• A clunk or rattle when braking. This can point to loose hardware or a worn suspension part.

What you feel

• A soft pedal, or one that sinks lower than it used to. This can mean air in the lines, a leak or worn parts. Brake fluid is what carries the push of your foot to the pads, so have this checked before you drive far.
• Vibration in the pedal or the steering wheel when you stop, often from rotors that have worn unevenly.
• The car pulls to one side when you brake. A sticking caliper or a worn hose can make one side grab harder than the other.
• The car takes longer to stop than it used to.

What you see

A red brake light on the dash can mean the parking brake is on, the fluid is low or the system has a problem. An amber ABS light means the anti lock system has found a fault. Your regular brakes usually still work, but the ABS may not help in a hard stop. Both are worth a visit.

You can also look. Through the spokes of many wheels you can see the rotor and the caliper. Deep grooves or a lip at the outer edge of the rotor are signs of wear. A wet spot on the inside of a tire, or drops under a wheel, can mean a brake fluid leak.

Brake fluid

Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air over the years. Water in the fluid lowers its boiling point and can corrode parts inside the system. Your owner's manual lists when the fluid should be changed. Many drivers never think about it until something else needs work.

What a brake inspection covers

We inspect the pads, rotors, calipers, lines and fluid, and we service standard and ABS brake systems on most cars and light trucks. We show you what we find. If the pads still have life in them, we will tell you that too. You get a written estimate and decide what gets done before any work starts.

One rule

If something about your brakes feels different, trust that feeling. Brakes do not fix themselves, and catching wear while it is still pad wear usually keeps the bill smaller.

For more, see our brake service or book a time.

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