Listen up – How Your Car Tells You That You've Got Braking Issues
If you and all the passengers in your car have to cover your ears when you brake, you may wonder what's going on. This type of cacophony is not normal and you need to get to the root of the problem. What should you be worrying about at this point?
Why You Need to Take Action
Let's face it, any potential problem linked to your brakes is a cause of concern. The noise that you're hearing is part of an early warning system telling you that your brake pads are likely wearing down.
How the System Works
When you put your foot on the brake pedal, fluid in the system pushes brake pads, which are housed in a special caliper, against the discs attached to your wheels. This is a fairly complicated system, but it depends on replaceable brake pads in order to work. These brake pads are composed of material that is designed to wear ever so slightly each time it comes into contact with the metal brake disc. This is what essentially brings your car to a halt every time and as you can imagine these brake pads have to put up with a lot of wear and tear.
Why It Is Squealing
Most brake pads today have a tiny piece of metal protruding from the edge that is designed to come into contact with the brake disc when the adjacent friction material is down to a certain level. This is your early warning system and is designed to create that earsplitting noise to let you know that you need to have a look at your pads.
How to Take a Look
You will be able to conduct a cursory inspection of these pads by removing the front wheel after jacking up the car. Turn the wheel slightly and have a look inside of the caliper. You will see the brake pads and will also be able to see the thickness of the friction material adjacent to the disc. This will give you a visual impression of what's left. However, this is not a failsafe analysis, as you probably won't be able to see the pad on the other side of the disc and these pads can wear unevenly.
You can also check the pads on the back of the car as well, but remember that the ones on the front are likely to wear a lot more quickly as the whole weight of the car is transferred towards the front whenever you brake. Consequently, the front brake system has to do more work.
To be absolutely sure, it's best for you to schedule a visit to your auto mechanic, who can change the pads if needed.
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