Braking Point: What Can Go Wrong With Your Car’s Brakes

Learner driver or motorway veteran, we all know immediately that a problem with the brakes usually spells disaster. They are one of those few vehicle components that might not merely result in a call to the AA, but something much more serious instead. Unfortunately, not everybody knows when to sense danger and when their braking system could actually be putting them in danger. That’s the exact reason behind this guest contribution – as we take a look at five areas in which brakes are most likely to fail in.

Greasy Brakes

A lot of drivers actually know very little about how their car functions, but many are at least well aware that friction is the main reason how brakes work. Therefore, if any grease has lapsed onto the brakes, this can minimise the friction and subsequently make them less effective.

Brake Fluid Leak

Brakes are able to function because of brake fluid applying hydraulic pressure on the pads, with this fluid able to multiply the pressure that is generated from the driver simply pressing the pedal. If your vehicle has experienced a leak in brake fluid, not as much pressure can be applied and this will affect how efficiently the vehicle is able to slow down. In extreme cases, where all of the fluid has been drained away, the brakes will be rendered useless as it will not be possible for the pressure to be applied.

Worn Brake Caliper

This is probably one of the rarest problems as calipers don’t tend to wear out too frequently. Nevertheless, it can happen and you’ll be able to diagnose this problem very quickly. If you’ve ever experienced your car seemingly swaying to one side, it’s probably due to a worn caliper on one side of the vehicle. Some of the time the caliper will need to be lubricated, but in other cases you may also have to source a completely new part. Fortunately, there are several suppliers of Wabco brake calipers online, with this regarded as one of the most well-known brands in the caliper industry.

Overheating

This is another problem that is normally attributed to the calipers and if you happen to have a damaged one, the brakes tend to overheat. Such overheating prompts hot spots in the brake pads, with this reducing the friction and subsequently making the whole braking system much less effective.

Damaged Brake Pads

Finally, your brakes might just cease to work because of worn brake pads. This is the component that places pressure on the rotors and if your set of pads have deteriorated significantly you will again reduce the amount of friction that slows the vehicle down. This is probably one of the most common reasons, with brake pads having a tendency to gradually wear away until they no longer function correctly. This is a problem that can be diagnosed by most drivers, with a distinct squealing sound being the normal symptom.