Why You Should Worry About Your Brakes

Your brakes are your most important safety system. Seat belts, airbags, and a strong vehicle structure are all great for protecting you in the event of a crash, but should only be used as a last resort. Your brakes allow you to stop in front of or maneuver around a possible danger.

Brakes Are Your Most Important Safety System

Most people never consider their brakes as a safety system, seeing their brake pedal as the no-fun antithesis to their accelerator. You never really appreciate your brakes until you don’t have them anymore. While a little rare, brake failure can occur, stealing from you your ability to stop your vehicle.

I’ve had it happen. I was driving on a busy highway outside of New York City in thick traffic. I saw that cars had stopped ahead, so I instinctively pressed the brakes. I had done this countless times before; press the brake pedal, get a little resistance, and the car slows. Except this time, there was no resistance; the pedal went straight to the floor. Luckily, I was able to guide my car through stopped traffic and over to the shoulder, where I could come to a stop.

Getting regular brake inspections and maintenance at the Cox Chevy service center can help you to prevent possible disasters like this. Brake failure isn’t the only thing that can happen though. Understanding how your brakes work can make you realize exactly what can go wrong and what you can do to prevent it.

How Your Brake System Works

When you press the brake pedal, hydraulic pressure is transferred from the master cylinder, where your brake fluid is located, to the brake calipers. When hit with pressure, your brake calipers clench down on the rotors, which are special plates bolted to the wheels. This provides sufficient friction to counter your vehicles momentum and slow you down.

Calipers are made from metal, and so are the rotors. To prevent metal on metal grinding, your calipers are fastened with brake pads. Over time, though, friction causes your brake pads to wear down. The more worn they get, the less effective they are at stopping your vehicle. Eventually, the calipers will start to grind on the rotors, making for a very expensive repair.

What You Can Do to Extend the Life of Your Brakes

There are a few things you can do to extend the life of your brakes.

• Avoid “panic braking:” do you often slam the brakes? Get out of the habit. This will cause your pads to quickly become ineffective and dramatically reduce their life.
• Follow your service schedule: check your vehicle’s manual for when you need to get your brakes checked.

Don’t ignore leaks: see some fluid leaking from your car? Get it checked out right away!