Maintenance Tips For Brakes: How You Can Make Your Brakes Last Longer

While you’re on the road, having a properly functioning braking system is a must to ensure the safety of your car and yourself of course. It requires close attention to details on a regular basis to maintain the automotive brakes.

If your brakes wear out and often you have to visit a mechanic, here are some tips you can use to keep your braking system optimised to handle any situations on the road.

• Identify the problems: Watch while you drive

You have to observe how the braking system is working whenever you are driving. If your brake pedal feels loose, it might be an indication that an oil leakage has occurred in the system.

On the other hand, if you feel that the brake pedal is vibrating, or your steering wheel is vibrating while applying brakes, then this is a sign that your brake disc may have worn out. In such cases, you have to replace them as soon as possible.

For both situations, you need to consult with a car professional and get a brake repair Northampton for your car.

• Avoid over speeding

Whenever you apply brakes at high speeds, it takes a toll on the whole braking system. A car’s motion multiplies into the total momentum. Your brakes need to endure exponentially increased amounts of friction to ensure that you and your car decelerate.

On the other hand, lesser speed means lesser momentum which your braking system has to deal with, requiring lesser friction.

Friction causes wear. If your brake resists a lower amount of friction on average, you will get better longevity out of them.

• Check brake fluid level

The dashboard brake light indicates whenever your car is running low on brake fluid. If the fluid is low on the reservoir, you must remove the wheels and inspect the brakes.

Look out for any fluid leaks (needs repair if any) and measure the thickness of the remaining brake pad. It is recommended to check brake’s fluid level every 10,000 miles.

• Brake fading

Brake fading occurs when the brakes are overused and overheated. It can cause severe damage to the braking system. You can identify the problem if you see the following signs

• The brake pedal de-presses.
• The distance which the car takes to stop after applying brake increases drastically.
• In some cases, the pedal de-presses farther to the floor without generating any braking power.
• A burning odour comes from the brakes.
• In a few cases, the brakes catch fire.

Whenever you notice these signs while driving, the best thing to do is to pull over and allow your brakes to cool. Later, visit a technician and let them help you understand if your brakes need a repair or a replacement.

• Know your brake type

Brake pads are quite complex nowadays. They may include multiple components and are designed for pre-specified performance gradients. Companies are now producing high-performance brake pads which can resist fading even on a high-temperature situation.

The shortcoming about these brakes is that often they perform poorly when it comes to lower temperatures found in standard streets.

However, visiting a professional garage like Jackson’s MOT Centre can help you choose the most suitable brake variant to match your requirements. You may also let them help you with services such as clutch repair, engine diagnostics as well as your MOT Northampton.

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