You cannot drive safely if you have bad brakes. You need good, consistent, and strong braking power to ensure you can stop safely and maintain safe driving speeds. If you hear metallic scraping noises while you are braking or the brake pedal feels like you are pressing into a sponge, you need brake repairs done right away.
Why do we need to do regular brake maintenance?
Brake maintenance is your first line of defense against bad brakes, eventual brake repairs, and possibly a bad accident. All brake systems use either brake pads or brake shoes that contain friction material. That material is slightly softer than the hardened steel brake rotors or brake drums that they press against to create friction and bring your vehicle to a safe stop.
When your brake system is in good shape, the friction material on the brake pads or brake shoes often lasts anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 miles and maybe more. A lot depends on how much city driving you do versus how much is on a highway or rural roads with fewer stops.
Regular brake maintenance keeps a close eye on those brake pads and brake shoes to make sure they are not at the end of their service life. If they are, your mechanic can replace them with new ones and bleed the brake lines and possibly change the brake fluid.
What does a standard brake repair consist of?
A standard brake repair does more than maintain your system. A certified technician will inspect the system and identify any parts that need replacement. You might have a bad caliper or maybe a brake rotor that suffered damage from worn out brake pads.
The standard brake repair will replace any worn out or damaged parts with new ones. If the master cylinder is leaking fluid or enabling air to get into the brake system, a new master cylinder will go onto your vehicle in place of the old one.
Even the brake lines can be inspected and replaced as needed. The same goes for anti-lock braking system sensors that might have gone bad. Anything that needs to be repaired gets fixed and the brake fluid replaced. Then it is just a matter of bleeding the brake lines to give your vehicle the full stopping power that it needs.
What is a complete brake job?
A complete brake job usually includes replacing all brake pads or brake shoes and possibly all brake calipers and rotors or brake drums. The brake lines are inspected and replaced as needed, and the master cylinder might be replaced.
With all-new equipment and a new supply of brake fluid, your vehicle has an entirely new brake system. This should provide you with good service for many tens of thousands of miles when you maintain it.
The highly experienced and certified technicians at A2Z Complete Car Care can handle all of your vehicle’s brake maintenance or repairs. We are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.