Brake Safety is of utmost importance for your continued driving safety. It is surprising how most of us do not realize its importance mostly because we do not know the warning signs well enough to identify it.
The brake safety specialists at DON VANCE CHRYSLER, DODGE, JEEP & RAM are able to advise on regular care to be taken in this regard. Here the top 3 things to do for sure:
- Get the entire braking system checked once a year
- Ensure that the following inspections are covered:
- Brake lining wear
- Brake fluid level
- Rotor thickness
- The condition of hoses and brake lines
- Brake and dash warning lines
Take the car for the test drive to detect any other brake system problems that you may need to identify and get fixed.
On a daily basis, you must be vigilant for signs such as
- The brake warning light that is illuminated, issues such as low or hard pedal feel, brake ‘grabbing’, vibration and squealing. Do not ignore these as even the lowest number of miles can affect it adversely.
- The other indicator is of course noise. Keep a special ear out for the grinding noise and when you check the wheels, check for metal flakes on the wheel. No out of ordinary sound is normal.
- The feel of the brake pedal is something that can give you a lot of information. If it feels spongy, get it checked immediately. Chances are there is air in the brake system or the fluid is low.
- Most obvious signs are of course if the car pulls to a side when braking or if the front end shakes during the same. These are due to excessive wear.
Often simply replacing the brake fluid and pumping the brake pedal to let it flow through the wheel works wonders in terms of ensuring safety.
In case your car is a newer model and has the ABS – Automatic Braking System, it initiates a rapid pumping sequence to the brakes to keep it straight during sudden or hard braking. In case the light illuminated on the panel, it is possible that the wheel sensors have detected a build-up of metal particles. At this point in most cars, the system shuts down. This simply means that the ABS shuts down and is an indicator for a check required, not that you cannot stop the car. Do not ignore this.
For the best, it is essential to replace brakes after every 12,000-18,000 miles and at the maximum of 24,000-32,000 miles.