Brake Repair Essentials for Safety and Performance
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late, Keep Up With Your Brake Repair!
In most cases, your brakes will let you know as soon as something starts going wrong. Braking is such an essential function to running your vehicle that any problems will become evident very quickly. At Sherman’s Auto in Tucker, Georgia, our technicians like to let our customers know the signs of brake repair so that they can bring it in for a fix. We put together a list of the most common signs here:
Brand new brake pads should be very rough because their function is to create friction when pressed against the brake rotor. Over time, brake pads wear down and become smooth. This reduces the friction, and it takes longer to slow your wheels. What you will notice is that your vehicle has a longer stopping time and you have to start depressing your brakes earlier and earlier to stop in time. Your brakes will feel sluggish and ineffective. While you’re driving, this will feel like a shuddering or skidding sensation while you press the brake. This is caused by the brake pad skipping while it tries to gain traction.
As we mentioned, worn brake pads will take longer to slow your vehicle, which means you will be engaging the brakes for a longer period of time to stop effectively. Your brakes will get hotter and hotter the longer it takes to stop your vehicle. You may encounter a burning smell in your vehicle as this symptom gets worse.
If the signs of brake failure haven’t sent you to a repair shop yet, if you experience any smoke from your vehicle, you can’t keep ignoring it! Smoke appears when those worn brakes are ineffective at distributing heat, that the materials superheat and begin to smoke. If this happens, brake lightly to a stop as soon as possible and let your vehicle cool down. Factory-trained technicians like our team at Sherman’s Auto Repair can inspect the various parts of your braking system to pinpoint exactly what repairs are necessary.