Some problems require immediate attention. If they are sorted out, in time, they could be lifesaving. For instance, if your girlfriend says she is hungry, it requires instant attention. Similarly, if your car is showing you signs of its brakes weakening, you need to take notice of those as well. Because, if you failed to stop by your friend’s favorite food place, you cannot blame the failing brakes. The brakes showed you the red flags. Hence, Repair car brakes and do not wait further!
That is the key advice. Even if you do not have a girlfriend, your car brakes still need your attention because your life quite literally depends on them.
Many times, we see car accidents occurring due to failed brakes. It is not like brakes fail to function all of a sudden. They show significant signs and symptoms of being out of order and the necessity to repair breaks.
Symptoms of Brakes not working to their Potential
There are numerous indications and red flags that brakes show, before completely disappointing the driver and the riders, in the cars. Sudden failure of breaks can prove fatal. Thus, it is important to provide social care to brake systems and work on making them function finely, once you notice something out of the routine.
Here are a few brakes problems that are symptoms of your car’s decreasing health.
Loose Brake Pedal
Did you ever hit someone’s car from behind, because your car’s brake pedal sank too deep to the floor or felt really loose? Well, it is called a spongy brake pedal. If you have escaped narrowly from such a situation, it might be Providence giving you another chance. Therefore, you need to utilize this chance and do something about it.
If the brake pedal has become really soft, then it means that the master cylinder is leaking. The leak might be internal or external. The master cylinder is an important aspect of the brake system. It spreads out a fluid that exerts pressure against a rotor helping the car to halt at a given position or time.
What can you do about it? It varies from car to car. Our advice would be that you check your car is manual to understand the problem first. Your brake cylinder might be leaking from inside or bleeding out externally.
It is better to let a professional person do it for you. Do not drive your car with soft pedals. You may check for a fact to learn whether the master cylinder is leaking from the outside. If you look below the mat, under your dash, and find it greased, it means that the master brake system is leaking externally.
Other causes of soft or spongy brake pedals are:
- Air in the brake lines
- Damaged/leaking brake system
- A malfunction in the hydraulic ABS modulator.
Invite a trusted mechanic to look over your car, if you are experiencing even a slight symptom of your brake working very close to the floor of the car.
Noise Making Brakes
If your car’s brakes make screeching and squealing noises, just as you apply them, you are probably hurting them and they are shouting their grief out.
Either the brake pads that you are using have outlived their life expectancy and can no longer cooperate, or because they are not lubricated well enough.
Here you can simply fix it yourself by applying lubricants to the brakes’ pads and other components of brakes including the rotors, caliper bolts, and pistons. In case, your performance did not work well, call the first aid; mechanic. He/she would sort it out.
Reasons for brakes making these high-pitched noises are that they have become thinner with the extensive usage of them, and are completely worn out. However, if it is the new brakes making unwanted noises, the car needs to be inspected.
The Steering Wheel Not Helping the Car Move as Directed
An almost failing brake system may give out the last cry for help by not heeding to the steering wheel. A frozen caliper can cause brakes to work on their own accord.
There is a dust boot on top of the calipers. The boots help in keeping away the debris from reaching them. However, I would be torn; the dust and other particles penetrate causing the piston of the caliper to be stuck in the bore. Metals are quite susceptible to such happenings, and thus the calipers freeze due to the immovable piston. The pressure, no matter how much you put, is insufficient to press the piston into its bore. Consequently, the brake pads, on which you are exerting pressure, are unable to distribute it evenly. So, the car pulls to one side more despite you trying to park or drive it in a disciplined manner.
Moreover, collapsed brake hose, and slide pin issues in the brake system might be inferred in the routine brake working.
However, if your car’s brakes are fine, then the issue may lie with
- Tyre Air Pressure
- Wheel Alignment
- Suspension or a part of the steering
The Burning Smell When You Apply Brakes
Do you start to sense a burning odor after having applied breaks a bit too harshly? Too consistently?
Probably, the brakes become overheated. Pill your car offside the road. There might have been a brake caliper malfunction. Your car tires would be exuding smoke and burning fumes. If you are away from some human settlement, then you may let the car cool on its own, and drive to the nearest mechanic as soon as possible.
Stiff Brake Pedal
Unlike the soft brake pedal, the stiff brake pedal is the situation where despite trying to push the brakes, they just want to go down and stay where they were.
All this obstinacy is because of the brake booster! What actually happens is that the brake booster is helped by a vacuum hose to enable smooth transfer of pressure on to the pedals, which could then go down applying the brakes. However, when the vacuum hose is detached or broken from the booster, the brakes become stiff.
This happens due to negligence or the absent-mindedness of the driver. Such ignorance can lead to the crashing of the car and massive accidents. Therefore, it is important to get your car brakes checked and inspected occasionally.
Repair Services
Many problems can cause your car brakes to go out of order. Therefore, routine maintenance and services are important. These days’ ma repair services are present at your help if you suffer any such situations. Be it the clogged pistons, or the squeaky noises of the brakes. In every street, there is a mechanic with a garage of their own. However, you must choose the ones that are best suited, and fill your proficiency. Choosing a good caretaker for a car is like choosing the best doctor for yourself, who could diagnose and treat you rightly from day one, charging you justly.
On the other hand, if you choose to ignore these repairs and just get the brakes replaced from the cheapest place you could find, then you are definitely putting your life at risk with such a decision, as it is extremely important for your car brakes to work on time as intended. It can save you and your loved ones from a disaster. This is something to look into if you had neglected it before.
Conclusion
Remember that bad brakes can be the cars careen down a slippery and steep road. One person’s negligence can result in the misery of many. Luck can give you a slight edge sometimes but one cannot keep on surviving on strokes of luck only. There have been many instances where bad brakes have led to huge collisions. Even if one does not cause a huge accident, a failed brake system would put you at being the facilitator of a potent accident. Keeping in mind these things, one should consider taking professional help when such problems occur. Go to a good shop, and get the brakes inspected. Even if you find no signals of them being damaged, a regular check-up helps in reducing the chances of any potential harm or harmful condition for the brakes. Early detection helps in controlling the problems and managing them on time. This would save one money, in the long run. Above all, it will save his life or lives.
Hence, it is quite important to take appointments for your car at service stations and avail of all these services. You do not have to experience some sort of accident, incident, or even life-threatening situation in your car to find out what value the good pair of brakes hold. It can definitely save your life in such situations where every second counts!
So make sure to keep a check on your brakes and should you encounter any problem, then try to resolve it as a first priority rather than delaying it for some other time. Practicing this habit will not only prolong your car’s overall usability but save your precious lives as well.
