No matter what you drive, how you drive and how you take care of it; there are a few particulars of every vehicle that needs to be maintained and replaced timely. One of such essential are the brake pads of an automobile. No matter how good quality of brake pads you have installed to your ride, they surely need replacement after a specific period time.
So, how to know that brake pads need a replacement?
The most primary way is that, many cars have built-in wear sensors that scrape against a brake disc when the linings needed replacing. The driver will hear an annoying screeching sound when they apply the brakes (or when the brakes are released on some vehicles). Those sensors aren’t on every vehicle, so drivers should listen for squeaks, squeals, grinding (often a sign that brake pads are entirely gone) and other noises that indicate wear. Some minor noises can be eliminated by cleaning the brakes, but persistent, prominent noises usually mean parts are worn. Other signs are pulsations through the brake pedal, longer stopping distances, or when you apply the brakes & your foot goes down further, closer to the floor.
Because brake linings wear gradually, you may not notice the demise in performance, so that’s where the experienced eye of a mechanic can help.
Also, most of the cars are equipped with a brake warning light that would lit up in an condition of any sort of leaks in the brake fluid or jamming of the brake rotors or any other brake system related malfunction. Note that this is not the same warning light that comes on when you apply the hand- or foot-operated parking brake.
With the passing time, manufacturers have found new ways of saving money during the production process such making very thin rotors that might not be resurfaced over the lathe after done once or maybe twice earlier. So, next time you hop into workshop for brake pads replacement don’t be surprised, if the mechanic asks you to change the rotors too.
But, it is not that frequent as it appears to be. All you need to do is keep your maintenance schedule for your car up to date and always keep an eye over any kind of malfunctioning of any system in car.