Before your car’s brake pads start to completely wear off, your car will tend to warn you about it. If you are unable to identify all of these warning signs, you can put your life and the passenger’s life in incredible danger. The good thing is that your car’s braking pads tend to wear out gradually and not suddenly. Moreover, before they become alarmingly threatening, your car protrudes signs that warn you over a braking pad replacement.
Warning Signs
A visual inspection is dire in the face of a failing braking system. This will require you to get down to your wheels and inspect the thickness of the brake pads. The brake pads are visible through the gaps between the wheels.
If you observe the braking assembly and the components, you will be able to see how the brake pads press against the rotor. As you use the brake pad, they get thinner and thinner over time. The optimum thickness of a brake pad is a quarter of an inch, and if you see less than that, then it’s time you replace your brake pad.
Listen for Screeching Noise
Inside of your braking assembly, you can find a small piece of metal. When your brakes begin to thin, this metal starts to get closer to the rotor inside the wheels. As they surpass a certain level of thinness, this piece of metal comes into contact with the rotor in the instance of braking.
This results in a screeching sound as you hit the brake, and this metal becomes a sole indicator that you need a brake pad replacement. Hence, just by listening to the sound coming from this indicator, you can decide whether you need new brake pads.
You have to Press the Brakes Harder
When driving, you notice that you have to press the brake pads significantly harder than usual for the car to stop; this is another sign that you need new brake pads. When components in your car wear out, they do not perform at the same level that you initially got them in.
This also applies to brake pedals and is the reason why you will feel a drastic improvement in your car’s braking as you get a braking pad replacement. Other things can disrupt the braking capacity of a car as well, but if you also find other signs along with this decline, then chances are that you should look towards a new braking system.
The Car Pulling to One Side or the Other
If you notice your car siding to one side when you apply the brakes and not stopping evenly, then this also indicates a braking pad malfunction. The reason why it may be doing this is that the braking pad of one side is wearing out and not the other, causing uneven braking. The braking system is essential to any automotive. The flawless mechanism and function of the modern car’s braking system have saved the lives of millions around the world. However, if you do not take care of your car’s brake, the cost can be much more than damage to the pocket.