No one wants to spend tons of money repairing or maintaining their vehicle and we understand this. But when you bought a car, you also received the responsibility to care for your vehicle and make sure it was safe to drive and would not put others’ lives in danger. When it comes to your car’s safety, your brakes are at the very top of the list of systems that need routine monitoring and routine maintenance. Many people, though, are simply unaware of the signs that tell that a car’s brakes need maintenance or repair and if you can bring them to a trusted auto repair shop early enough, you will save time, money and even a life.
As you can see in one of our recent videos, a man had been driving on brakes that were extremely dangerous and in rough shape. As you can see, the passenger side brakes still had the rotor and calibers in place, but the driver’s side brakes were much worse. We received the call for brake service because the man had been hearing some odd noises. In no way should these brakes have gotten this bad with proper maintenance and monitoring. The driver’s side brakes were literally falling apart as the video explains. The rotor had ground itself away, became detached and now the inside half of the rotor is just flopping around. It was an incredibly dangerous condition and at the first sign of an issue with your brakes, we encourage you to find a reputable auto repair shop to fix or monitor the issue.
A broken stereo or door handle isn’t going to put others in danger the way brake problems will. Anytime you feel or hear something unusual, you need to have them checked – really for obvious reasons. Being able to stop (and stop quick enough) is important when you’re driving. Improperly working brakes could mean the difference between life or death in some cases. If your brakes start making loud metal-on-metal noises, if the brake pedal suddenly gets very hard or very soft, or if the “Brake” warning light on your dashboard comes on, get your vehicle to a trusted mechanic immediately. Our Tempe auto repair shop recommends having a brake system check at least once a year and this thorough inspection should include the brake lining wear, brake fluid level, rotor thickness, condition of hoses and brake lines, brake and dash warning lights, as well as taking the car for a test drive to detect other potential brake system problems. Come see us at the first sign of a brake problem!
