The safety of your car is even more important than the motor performance. The brakes on your car are paramount to your control and safety of your car. The following are some tell tale signs that your brakes could be letting you down.
Checking the Brake Fluid is the first place to start. Check the brake fluid under the bonnet of the car in the brake fluid reservoir. Check there is enough in the reservoir and that it's clean. If the fluid needs refilling every now and again then don’t worry. If it needs refilling regularly there could be a leak. If the brake fluid is dirty it may need changing as the fluid eventually spoils from dust from braking and general dirt gets mixed in.
Applying pressure to the Pedal will also give you an insight. Whilst driving push the pedal and see how springy it is. If it feels soft with some presses and hard with others it could just be that the brakes need to be bled to remove excess air. If when you step on the pedal the pad sinks too soon the vehicle may need a new brake master cylinder fitted. This could also tell you there is a leak in the brake fluid system or there isn’t enough brake fluid in the system.
Try testing the brakes at a Higher Speed. If the car swerves to one side even slightly this could mean there isn’t enough pressure from the brake fluid on that side of the car. If you feel the car shaking when you are braking at higher speeds your brakes will be warped. There are a few solutions; either refinish the rotors or replace them altogether. The only drawback with refinishing the rotor is that rotor becomes thinner so you will have to replace them sooner.
The Sound your brakes make when you apply pressure can tell you a lot. If you think there is a problem test the brakes and listen out for a squeaking sound. A squeaking sound means the brake pads are wearing thin and need to be changed. If you can hear metal grinding this is a bad sign as it means the brake pads have worn out. If you don’t replace the brake pads the rotor will become warped. If this is the case you’ll need to replace the brakes pads and the rotor.