car brakes

 

Check the car brakes to help ensure your vehicle is safe to drive. Your car’s braking system comprises of life saving components. Like all material, braking components can suffer from significant wear over time. Having a failing or dysfunctional braking system, means that you cannot put yourself away from harms risk at the sight of danger. This is why, you must focus on measures that make can help your car’s brakes last longer.

Braking systems main purpose is to take all the kinetic energy of the car that is moving forward, and turn it into heat energy so that the car can stop. The modern braking systems compose of excellent material that allows drivers to use their car over 100 thousand miles without a brake pad replacement.

Even though the braking systems of today require very little maintenance, you can still extend their lives even further by taking a few small steps. Braking systems required cleaning and oiling or else they would get noisy and rusty.

Clean the Drum Brakes

Every wheel consists of the drum brake, which is at the core of all the wheels. You want to make sure that is nice and clean, but before you can clean it, you have to remove it. To do that, you have to jack the car, remove the wheel and pull out the drum. One you remove it, you are likely to notice dust and debris inside the drum brakes. You want to get rid of all that and clean it with brake cleaner.

If you notice surface rust on the outside, do not worry. All that matters is that the inside of the drum is clean. The brake pads will touch this part and any dirt on these parts will make disrupt the braking process. Moreover, you can also benefit from applying the brake cleaner on the front discs.

Driving Changes

Other changes involve your driving habits. Your brake pads wear out faster when you put them under extra heat and pressure. You can do this by driving carelessly, such as holding on to the brakes for too long while accelerating.

Another mistake drivers make is they drive their car without putting out the emergency brakes. This can also be detrimental to the braking system because of the added heat and stress on the brake pads.

Brake Fluid

Many people do not realize, but checking the braking fluid and making sure that it is at optimum level is essential for the health of your braking system. In some cases, you may also have to replace your brake fluid to a new one. The best way to check whether you need a brake fluid replacement is to take your car to the technician. Your braking system needs your careful attention and vigilance so that it can last long. You have to therefore, do your best in order to ensure your own safety while driving. Measures like cleaning the brake drums and filling brake fluid are small but can make a world of difference.