There’s a lot to keep in mind in terms of taking care of your car. As a car owner, following your car’s preventive maintenance schedule (PMS) is the best way of keeping your car in tip-top shape. Preventive maintenance doesn’t simply mean changing oil which is a misconception of some car owners.
Car maintenance doesn’t just simply involve changing your oil. This also includes your car’s belts, HVAC, transmission, parts, and one of the most important components, the brakes. Your brakes are always exposed to tear and wear since it works hard everytime you go for a drive. So how does preventive maintenance help your car’s brakes? Find out below.
The Braking System
There are two types of braking systems present in modern cars. Depending on what type you have, they’ll have a different assembly compared to the other.
Drum Brakes
Drum brakes are the traditional braking systems for most cars. They are cheaper than disc brakes and are more complicated to maintain. When pressing on the brake pedal, the wheel cylinder expands, pushing the brake shoes to the drums to create friction for stopping power.
Disc Brakes
Disc brakes are the upgraded version of drum brakes. While they may be more expensive, they are certainly safer and simpler to maintain. When pressing on the brake pedal, the caliper pushes the brake pads to the disc brake rotor causing friction for stopping power.
Choose a Mechanic Over DIY
Unless you’re a mechanic yourself, then we suggest you go over to the nearest car repair Rancho Cordova and get help. Your car’s brakes are one of the most important components and the most important safety feature. And while DIY would surely cost you less, would you risk your safety?
Simply replacing your brake pads simply just doesn’t stop the preventive maintenance there. You’d have to take into account the other parts of the braking system. One wrong move like unfitted pads, or damaging the caliper may certainly get you more trouble than just replacing your brake pads.
Brake Fluid Flushing
Flushing your brake fluid is the process of draining our old and contaminated brake fluid and replacing it with new and fresh brake fluid. Like changing your car oil, this helps your car’s braking system be healthy and effective.
In addition, you can also check your car’s brake fluid level in its reservoir which is on top of the master cylinder. This is usually located at the back corner of the car’s engine compartment.
Brake Bleeding
You might have heard of the phrase “bleed your brakes”, but what does it really mean? Basically, bleeding your brakes means to remove air bubbles from your brake’s hydraulic system. Brake bleeding involves creating a pathway for the air inside the brake lines to escape by applying pressure.
How does air come in?
There are a lot of ways that air can come into the hydraulic brake system. Basically, when there’s an opening, air automatically comes in. A common way of how air comes in is through the reservoir. Even checking your brake fluid level by opening the cap, air still comes in, though it’s not much of a concern if your car is still at the correct level.
What happens if there’s air in the braking lines?
Brake fluid does not compress in your system, therefore, whenever you step on the pedal, the pressure is transferred to the calipers or the wheel cylinders. On the other hand, air easily compresses. So when you press on the pedal, the air also compresses instead of giving pressure to the calipers or wheel cylinders.
Brake Upgrades
With preventive maintenance, you can ask your mechanic for tips on how to prolong your car’s brake system life. One thing mechanics would suggest is to upgrade your brake’s parts and components. There are a lot of brake upgrades out there. Some of which include better pads, heat-resistant brake discs, or maybe convert your drum brakes to disc brakes.
When to Seek a Mechanic’s Help
Does your brake pedal feel spongy? Is your braking distance increasing? Do you hear unusual noises whenever you’re pressing the brake pedal? These are just some of the symptoms of a faulty brake system. If ever you’re in doubt, you can always search for a brake repair Sacramento and ask for a mechanic’s help.
Problems with your car’s braking system should always be tended to and not be taken for granted. Searching for a trustworthy mechanic near me can be difficult, but in finding one, they’ll certainly get the job done for you and will also guide you through taking care of your car. Always make sure your car is in tip-top shape.
