Brake inspections every six months or 15,000 miles are critical to your European automobile’s safety. These milestones are general; how you drive might also affect the duration of brake checks. What makes this automotive service so important is your safety. Star Motors European works tirelessly to keep our customers free of brake trouble. Here are signs your brakes are going bad.
Changes in How Your Brake Pedal Feels
It would be rare these days for your car to have manual brakes, but if it does, your brake pedal should stop moving downward once it’s about 3 inches from the floor. Most automobiles these days are equipped with power or power-assist brakes, and the brake pedal stops sinking at about 1-to-1 1/2 inches from the floor. If your brake pedal sinks further than that or feels squishy or spongy, you either have a master cylinder that’s going bad or air or water in the braking system.
Your Brakes Sound and/or Feel Strange
One of the most common signs of brake trouble is noise. If the brake pads are worn away completely or glazed from overheating, you’ll hear grinding or squealing, respectively. Squealing can also indicate the pads have worn down to an audible wear indicator sensor. Worn brake pads can also make your vehicle wobble while you hear the pad backings scrape against the rotors. Warped rotors will make your vehicle vibrate when you stop it, as will a stuck caliper, which will also pull your vehicle to the side.
You Smell Burning Carpet When You Apply the Brakes
Let’s dig a little deeper into overheating brakes. When your brakes get too hot, the brake pads will smooth out. This phenomenon is called glazing and it not only makes the pads squeal but also releases an odor that many describe as burning carpet. You might also smell burning chemicals, which is the brake fluid reaching a boiling point. Add smoke to the mix and you’ve got serious trouble because overheating brakes will most certainly fail once they reach a certain temperature.
You might also have problems with your vehicle’s brakes if the brake fluid is leaking onto your garage floor or your brake light comes on when you don’t have the parking brake set. Bring your European automobile into Star Motors European in San Juan Capistrano, CA, at the first sign of brake trouble. Not only does this keep you safer, but it also allows us to prevent further damage to your brake system.
