Millions die on the road every year and most of these accidents are due to human error. Second to that is the car’s mechanical parts malfunctioning resulting to fatal collisions.
One of the mechanical parts that I am talking about that you should take care of are your car’s braking system. Yes – rotors, calipers, brake pads, fluid and brake drums if you have one.
With the advancement of technology that today’s car have, you still can’t deny the fact that your car’s braking system is still susceptible to failure. And one major cause of its malfunction is our own way of driving and negligence of maintenance such as brake fluid flush and bleeding.
To give you some ideas why your brakes fail overtime or even sooner than you expect, here are the common reasons why car brakes may suddenly “break” apart.
Gas and Brake Pedal Junkie
Their are drivers that are completely unaware of how to drive their car’s correctly.
If you drive like your foot is always either on the gas or brake pedal, then you are a pedal junkie driver. This wrong habit of always jumping between the gas and the brake pedals with no in-between, can result to burning more brake pads (overheating) and of course, waste of fuel.
Some drivers also have the habit of stepping on the brakes while going down a slope. This also cause wear and fade on your brake parts.
To prevent wasting brake pads and fuel, you have to take advantage of coasting your car whenever you are driving downhill. Shift to a lower gear before you step on the brake pedal.
Allowing your car to coast can significantly save you fuel, less stress on your engine and you enjoy driving more.
Plus, try to slow down naturally by using the engine’s braking capability and not always relying on your brakes.
Reckless Driving
Aside from being a gas and brake pedal junkie, drivers who are always above the redline and treats the road like their own adventure sport are more likely to suffer from brake failure.
Yes, aggressive driving isn’t going to make you famous but is downright dangerous to yourself and also to other motorists and pedestrians.
Reckless drivers tends to accelerate on busy roads when in fact they really don’t need to. Maybe because of that “adrenaline rush” feeling when they hear their loud mufflers and exhaust. But after that speedy start, comes a sudden and hard stomping on the brakes.
This causes a lot of wear and tear on your brake pads and rotors, not to mention the stress it gives on your brake calipers, which will soon leak if you don’t change your driving habit.
Lack of Maintenance
There are a number of maintenance brake jobs that you should do on a regular basis to keep your brakes in tip top shape.
To make your brakes more reliable, here are some of the brake jobs that you need to check or do from time to time:
- Squealing brakes
- Fluid leakage
- Rust
- Defective hoses
- Brake pad and rotor replacement
- Brake fluid flush / bleed
First off, squealing brakes is an indication that you have a single or more issues on your brake system. Squealing may come from worn pads, worn brake hardware, or rust build up on the brake lining material. So have these metals check and replace if necessary.
Fluid leakage is another major reason why brakes fail. A leak may come from worn hoses, brake piston, and other brake components.
It is important to know that a slow leak may not be felt at the beginning. But slowly but surely, air will invade your brake master cylinder creating a low peddle and subsequently leads to brake failure.
Although your brake master cylinder is made to have a fail safe feature, it is always important to check for leaks from time to time to ensure a worry free ride.
Of course, aside from leaks and squealing brakes, you need to check your brake pads, rotors and calipers, and make sure that they are still capable of doing their jobs. Otherwise, a simple replacement for these parts will do.
For brake parts, I recommend Akebono parts as it is a reputable brand in the automotive industry and quite reliable. If you are looking for a more expensive and prestige, go for Brembo.
Driving Through Water or Mud
You probably experienced difficulties in braking after you drove your car on a low level flood or mud.
This is because water or mud are natural lubricants, which spells disaster to both your brake pads and rotor disks.
Even though gently tapping the brakes helps remove excess water and soon establish proper friction, it is always wise to stay away from flood prone areas or mud, especially if your driving a non-four wheel drive vehicle.
Overloading Your Vehicle
This is not a rocket science. Too much load can dampen your car’s braking system significantly.
Keeping those unnecessary stuff on your trunk or back seat adds to the total weight of your car. And your brakes are designed to work on a specific weight range and going beyond this range will put more stress on your car’s braking system.
This is the reason why accidents on the streets are also caused by overloading of passengers and other things.
Summary
If you notice any issues on your braking system such as the feeling of drag when accelerating, squealing, or your car grabs or pulls to one side, make sure to go for a quick check up and have it service right away.
I am going to feature brake system DIYs such as how to clean, flush or bleed your brake fluid in my coming vlog episodes. I will even make a tutorial on how you can properly paint your calipers to give your ride a fresh new and aggressive look!.
So make sure to always check out my Youtube channel, or better yet, SUBSCRIBE!
