Tips For Maintaining Your Brakes

Posted on: 28 June 2017

Without the ability to effectively slow or stop your car, it can be easy to find yourself in dangerous situations or accidents. Yet, brakes are often a part of the car that will be taken for granted by drivers. While you might assume that brake care will be a complicated aspect of car ownership, there are some care guidelines that will reduce the risks of your brakes becoming unsafe.

Have The Brake System Professionally Inspected

There can be a number of warning signs can indicate that your car's brakes are starting to fail. However, if your car is showing obvious signs of brake problems, it is likely already starting to become unsafe. In order to make sure that you have brake problems repaired before they become serious enough to pose a safety issue, you must have the brakes periodically inspected. Ideally, you should have your brakes inspected and tested every couple of oil changes or whenever you notice a change in the performance of the brakes. Take advantage of free brake inspection when it is offered.

Be Mindful Of Your Stopping Distance

A gradual increase in stopping distance can be an indication that the brakes are starting to fail or experience problems. While an increased stopping distance may seem like it will be easy for a drive to notice, it will often develop gradually enough to be difficult to notice for those that are not monitoring it. To help you monitor this potential problem, you should pay close attention to a stop that you will need to make whenever leaving your house. If you notice that you must start braking earlier, you may want to have your brakes serviced so that their performance is restored.

Monitor The Brake Fluid Levels

Your brakes will rely on a fluid to help slow your vehicle without requiring much pressure to be applied to the brake pedal. A brake system that has developed a leak will gradually lose this fluid, and this can result in you needing to apply an increasing amount of pressure to the pedal to slow the vehicle. Checking your brake fluid on a regular basis is always advisable, but you may also want to check under the car whenever it has been parked for extended periods of time. When you have recently changed your brake fluid, you should look for a clear liquid to be leaking under the vehicle. If you have not recently changed your brake fluid, it may appear amber or dark brown. Luckily, a professional mechanic will be able to pressurize the brake system so that these leaks can be found and repaired.

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