Your Brakes send you messages
1.Spongey Brake Pedal
If you feel like you are squeezing a sponge with your foot instead of pushing a firm brake pedal, then your brakes are telling you they need attention. Soft brakes can be as simple as a brake pad replacement. Something more difficult and urgent to repair could be a leaking brake line.
It is important that when anyone is checking your brakes and replacing brake pads is that you know what pads are going on your car. If you feel you have got a bargain and are having your brake pads replaced cheaply then you might need to be concerned.
There are brake pads and brake pads, and you need to know what is going on your car. At East Coast Mobile Safety Certificates we use and recommend Bendix pads. Bendix is a market leader in the supply of quality brake pads around the world and are fully warranted for your piece of mind.
If any of these signs exist with your vehicle, you should call East Coast and we will send one of our friendly Mobile Mechanics to diagnose and quickly repair to get you back on the road hassle free.
Whilst a spongey brake pedal is comfortable to push, if left too long it can result in total brake failure and result in a serious accident.
2. Brakes Grabbing/Seizing
Where a spongey brake pedal is comfortable but dangerous to press with your foot, having a hard pedal that grabs at the slightest touch is just as dangerous. This issue is usually caused by unevenly worn rotors or old, dirty or contaminated brake fluid. Like a cheaper bottle of wine brake fluid can go off over time and does need scheduled replacements as part of your logbook service. However, if you are experiencing this or a similar issue, one of our mobile mechanics can come out, confirm the diagnoses, flush and replace your brake fluid and returning your braking system back to its correct operation.
3.Two Foot Braking is Not Normal
If you see someone in the car beside you seemingly standing up gripping the steering wheel and screaming “stop please stop”! This is not normal, and it is very dangerous. If you need two feet to compress the brake pedal, you have a real and serious issue that needs urgent attention from one of our mobile mechanics.
In most instances this issue means that there is a blockage or obstruction in the brake lines and cannot be left whilst you jump up and down on your brake pedal to get it to stop.
4.Brake Pedal Vibration
It is normal that under emergency stopping conditions the your ABS braking system will kick in. The ABS will quickly grip the rotors and let go multiple times to slow the vehicle down without locking the wheels and skidding out of control. This system allows you to brake whilst still being in control and steer the vehicle to safety.
If you’ve ever had to execute an emergency stop in a car with ABS (Anti lock Braking System) , then you would have experienced the rapid pulsating of the brake pedal as the computer makes quick grabs at the front rotors in an effort to slow the car down without locking up the wheels resulting in your car skidding out of control. The pulsating pedal should not happen under normal braking application. If it does it normally means the brake rotors are warped giving you that feedback through the brake pedal.
Extreme heat is what normally warps rotors when used under stress such as constant breaking when going downhill or Towing heavy trailers and having to brake constantly. The other reason is having poor quality rotors put onto your vehicle. It pays to make sure your mechanic or parts provider supplies parts that meet the manufactures standards and are backed with a minimum 12 months manufactures replacement warranty. We use and recommend Bendix Brakes.
When in doubt please contact an East Coast Mobile Safety Certificates team member and they will assist to get your vehicle safe and back on the road.
5. Does your car want to steer off the road when breaking
You should not have to wrestle your car back onto the road every time you apply the brakes. Braking should be a smooth motion even in an emergency. If your car darts to the right or left when applying the brake pedal, then you could possibly have a stuck calliper.
Because such a scenario would cause friction on one wheel and not the others, your car can pull to the side where the calliper is stuck.
Other scenarios that could cause a car to pull would be a collapsed brake hose that would cause your callipers to move unevenly when applying the brakes. Uneven brake pads can also apply different amounts of pressure to different wheels.
Brakes are not the only reason a car may pull to either side of the road when driving. The cause could also come from unevenly inflated or worn tyres, poor alignment or a problem with your vehicle’s suspension. Therefore, if your car begins to pull, you need to contact East Coast Mobile Safety Certificates and book one of our experienced mobile Mechanics to come out inspect and rectify the issue.
6. Your Brakes Scream at You
If your brakes make a high pitch squeal when applying the pedal. This occurs when your brake pads have worn low, literally screaming at you to be changed.
Silence is bliss when it comes to most things especially your brakes. If you allow the screaming to continue it will not go away, it will only change pitch and get worse. By worse I mean it will change to a grinding metal on metal sound that will vibrate through the car. It will be as annoying as fingernails down a chalk board. The grinding sound means the material on the brake pads used to grip the rotors is gone and all that remains is metal on metal. When the metal to metal occurs, the worn-out pads start to scar the rotors. The longer this goes on, the less affective your brakes will become. Your rotors being damaged will require machining or most likely replacing. Our Mobile Mechanics are skilled to quickly change pads and rotors and get you on your way.
To avoid all this, we suggest regular servicing and brake checks, where our mobile mechanics can quickly check your brakes and sort out any issues you might have with little fuss.
7. Look After your Brakes before it starts Yelling at you.
Disc Brakes are the main braking system used in modern vehicles. The brakes are the main components used when you need to stop to pick up your family and loved ones as well as in emergencies.
If your body makes noises that are not usual, you stop, think and investigate. 9 times out of 10 you change your diet, get regular exercise or see the doctor and all is fixed, and the noise or symptoms go away with little expense and anxiety.
When it comes to your vehicle, East Coast Mobile Safety Certificates can remind you of service interval times and treat your vehicle with the attention and care to provide you hassle free motoring all conducted at a time and place convenient to you.
