brake service is one of the most common repairs our technicians perform daily. While brake service or replacement is inevitable, there are many ways to maintain your brakes and prolong a trip to the mechanic. Proper brake maintenance is easy–if you know what to look and listen for.

Let’s take a look at how to make your brakes last longer.

How Do Disc Brakes Work?

Before we get into proper brake maintenance, it’s important to understand the different parts we’ll be talking about. Most drivers are only familiar with the part they interact with when braking: the pedal.Within a braking system, we have the pedal, master cylinder, wheel cylinders, pistons, pads, rotors, metal tubes, and flexible hoses that move essential liquids. Many modern cars also have sensors that alert drivers of worn brakes or work with ABS systems.

When you press the pedal, you should immediately feel the brakes engage. As you press down, hydraulic fluid in the brake lines pressurizes, which engages the pistons and pushes the pads onto the rotor. Pressing the brake pedal harder creates more pressure within the brake lines and causes the pistons to push the pads against the rotor more firmly. As you remove your foot from the pedal, the hydraulic fluid depressurizes, and the pads retract a few millimetres into the callipers.

Disc Brake Care

Understandably, most drivers don’t feel comfortable performing brake repairs or replacements themselves. At Master Mechanic, we don’t advise you try to do this work yourself unless you have the experience. Many modern cars have sensors that need to be recalibrated by a mechanic to ensure they continue to work properly after service. That said, there are many things you can do to prolong the life of your brakes and save money on maintenance.

Don’t Slam on the Brakes!

Brakes are there to help you drive safely. This includes avoiding a sudden collision, and sometimes, sudden braking is unavoidable. Whenever possible, you should brake lightly and come to a rolling stop. If you continuously brake suddenly, you may risk warping your brake discs. Not only does this increase the wear on other parts, it also lowers the driving performance and comfort of your car.

The Importance of Brake Fluid

As we explained above, your brake fluid plays a BIG part in bringing your car to a halt. Brake fluid doesn’t last forever and does need to be replaced. As you drive, fluid can absorb water from the air, and gunk can build up. Some car manufacturers include this service in your scheduled maintenance, while others specify the specific mileage. It’s important to check your owner’s manual, but every other year is a good rule of thumb.

When dealing with an essential safety system like your brakes, you may be tempted to reach for premium brake fluid to make them perform better. For most drivers, keeping clean fluid is far more important than opting for a more premium variety. Specialty brake fluids are designed for more severe conditions or track driving and generally won’t benefit an ordinary driver much

Listen to Your Brakes

When your brakes aren’t happy (and need service), they’ll typically tell you. Depending on the issue, you may notice a hissing or squealing when you press the brake pedal. A sharp hiss when braking usually means you’re running low on brake fluid. Be sure to monitor the response time of your brakes and drive very carefully until you have your brake fluid replaced. We advise doing this ASAP!

The infamous brake squealing is something almost every driver is familiar with. We know your brake pads are responsible for stopping your vehicle by making contact with the rotor.This is also when you’ll begin to hear the familiar squealing, which is simply a ‘warning sound’ designed to tell you it’s time for a replacement. As your pads wear, a metal tab is exposed and begins to rub slightly against the rotor to alert drivers.

Bach To Blog.