Brake repairs
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At Wessex we know how important the regular inspection and maintenance of your brakes can be to ensure your brakes continue to work effectively.
Today’s vehicle braking systems involve many different components working together to help you to stop and manoeuvre your vehicle in a controlled manner. The key components of your vehicle braking system include a master cylinder, servo, brake callipers, brake fluid and cylinders, disks, drums, pads and shoes. All the components are linked by a series of brake hoses and brake pipes containing brake fluid, so when you press your brake pedal the vehicle slows down and stops. The rate at which your brakes reduce the vehicle speed is determined by the amount and duration of foot pressure is applied to your brake pedal, and of course the overall condition of your braking system.
Brakes are in use more often when driving around town than on a motorway journey, not forgetting that you may need to use your brakes to stop your vehicle quickly in an emergency. So maintaining an effective vehicle braking system is a top priority for every motorist.
BRAKES SPECIAL OFFER
Discs or drums?
Braking creates a lot of heat which has to be dispelled fast. The more open design of disc brakes makes them much less susceptible to overheating.
It’s normal to see discs at the front – providing most of the braking effort – and cheaper drum brakes on the rear to provide the parking brake function. Larger or more powerful cars tend to have disc brakes on all four corners.
Parking brake
Some cars with ‘discs all round’ will have been fitted with a small drum brake in the centre of the rear hubs for the parking brake, though most now work by applying pads directly to the main discs
Electrically operated parking brakes may take a while to get used to. The handbook will show a special release procedure to use if the car battery is flat.
Wear
- Front discs wear and eventually become too thin.
- Vehicle manufacturers specify a minimum thickness, and when they reach this point the discs must be replaced (always in pairs).
- Pads must be renewed at the same time.
Corrosion
- Cast iron is an ideal material for brake components, but it rusts easily.
- On the front, surface rust is quickly cleaned off by the action of the pads on the discs, but this may not be the case on the rear, especially on a small, light vehicle or one only used infrequently and for local trips.
- Corrosion isn’t normally a problem with rear drum brakes.
- Initial, light corrosion can be cleaned off under reasonably heavy braking, but if left, this light corrosion gets worse and can lead to surface pitting.
- Pitting used to be a reason for MOT test failure, but now discs should only fail the test if they’ve become ‘seriously weakened’.
- Surface corrosion or pitting of discs isn’t a ‘fitness for purpose’ or warranty repair issue, as it mainly depends on how the vehicle is used and stored.
Distortion
- Uneven heating and cooling can change the shape of the disc.
- Distortion can be felt as a juddering back through the pedal.
- Thinner/worn discs are more likely to warp.
- Try to avoid holding the car back with the brakes on long downhill stretches as this puts a lot of heat into the discs. Use a lower gear and engine braking instead.
Run-out
If the hub isn’t cleaned properly before a brake disc’s fitted, you can end up with a disc not fitted flat against the hub. This results in ‘run-out’ – as the wheel goes round, the edge of the disc moves in and out slightly, producing similar symptoms to brake distortion.
Pad wear
- There’s huge variation and no hard-and-fast rules.
- Some drivers can get 70,000 miles from a set of pads while others only 25,000 miles.
- The type of vehicle, type of use and your driving style all have an effect.
- Heavy braking from high speed causes most wear, with motorway slip roads being one of the main culprits.
- Brake discs seem to need changing more often, too. Asbestos was banned in brake friction materials from 1999 and replacement materials are harder.
Squeal
- Normally caused by a build-up of brake dust but not as common as it used to be, thanks to improved design.
- Anti-squeal shims fitted behind the pads can wear.
- Squeal can be reduced by applying a special grease (compatible with the rubber dust seals used in the caliper) to the back of the pads.
Scoring
- If your brake pads aren’t renewed in time then the metal backing material of the pad will run on the disc, causing scoring and seriously affecting brake performance.
- The first clue is often a distressing metallic noise when you hit the brake pedal.
- This is most likely to be simply because of a lack of care/servicing but can be caused by a sticking piston in a caliper – the part which pushes the pad against the disc.
- Discs are likely to need replacing too, particularly if early symptoms are ignored.
Brake Fluid
- Brake fluid absorbs water from the atmosphere and should be replaced every two years, regardless of mileage.
- If your brakes get hot they can heat up the brake fluid and in extreme cases, cause any water in the fluid to boil and vaporise.
- Though you can’t compress a liquid, you can compress a vapour and if this occurs, the brake feel will become ‘spongy’ and full braking performance will be lost.
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