Brake Maintenance | Car Tips

 
 
Doing your own brake maintenance is actually one of the simplest tasks you can do to ensure your car remains in good shape. Your brakes consist of five main components and you can make sure each one is doing its job by using some of the tips listed below.
 
You should check your brake fluid for cleanliness, since your power will be affected if the fluid is contaminated. Also, a faulty master cylinder will not allow your vehicle to push the fluid to the brakes, so make sure there’s not an issue there.
 
The calipers, pads and rotors all work together to stop your vehicle. The calipers will squeeze and cause the brake pads to clamp down, which stops the rotors. That’s why it is so important to get your brake pads fixed when they’re worn as your rotors can also become damaged as well. Rotor repair is much more expensive than a brake pad change, so check them every so often to ensure they aren’t wearing out.
 
It’s a good idea to replace your brake fluid every 35,000-40,000 kilometres and your brake pads every 15,000-20,000 kilometres. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check yourself occasionally to see if there’s a problem.
 
Patrick Britton – Guest Blogger