Are Your Brakes About to Fail? Don’t Delay – Find Out Now
There are loads of features of your car that you really don’t want to fail. But I’m sure you know which feature failure is definitely the least desired. That’s right: I’m talking about the failure of your brakes.
Many drivers have nightmares about this sort of thing. Really, what road scenario could be scarier than finding your brakes have suddenly stopped working? They’re the most important element of your car’s control mechanism. Being able to stop a car is much more important that being able to get it going in the first place.
So it’s crucial that you’re able to identify the warning signs that are alerting you to brake failure. Because if you go on unawares, then you could be putting yourself in serious danger. Maybe this will be the most important blog post you’ll ever read. (Not to toot my own horn, of course…)
Using your ears
There shouldn’t be much in the way of sound when it comes to pressing on your brakes. But what if you hear odd noises when you brake? You may hear a grinding noise, or a squeaking noise, or even something that sounds eerily like a squeal. If your brakes are making an odd noise, it’s time to get them checked out.
A strange feeling
You should know the sensation of braking in your car. So you should also be able to tell if something changes. If the brake pedal begins to feel different when you press on it, that’s usually a sign that there’s a problem. Whether it’s too soft or too hard, you should get it looked into. It’s a sign that something is weakening in the brake system. It may break at any moment.
Stopping time
When you’ve been driving your car for a while, you get to know how long it takes for your car to stop once you’ve pressed the brake. You may not be able to say the precise number of seconds off the top of your car, but you come to know it intuitively. So if you get the feeling that it’s starting to take longer than usual to stop? Well, ignore that feeling at your peril! Consider visiting an auto repair shop.
Drifting
So when you brake, your car should simply stop. Right? But what if your car starts moving ever so slightly to one side or the other when your press on the brake? That’s a sign that something is wrong. Your brake system is made up of two sides that create equal stoppage. If your car veers in one direction when you brake, then one of those sides aren’t working properly.
The obvious warning
And then, of course, we have the brake warning light. The problem here is that a lot of people assume the light has come on erroneously if they don’t feel that there’s anything wrong with the brake. That, or they’ll assume that the problem isn’t that bad. But if that warning light comes on, then don’t shrug it off. You need to get it looked into as soon as humanly possible.