Brake Team – Brakes Portland The Northwest's Brake Repair Specialist

Brake Team Recommends When to Replace Brake Pads

Worn brake pads can adversely impact your ability to bring your car to a halt. This can be especially dangerous in an emergency situation when adequately working brakes are a must to help you stop your car promptly. There are some telltale signs of pending brake problems; do you know what they are? Awareness of a problem is the key to avoiding potential harmful consequences; let's examine some well-known warning signs.

Signs of pending brake trouble include the following:

Squealing brakes
Pulling of the car from one side to the other
Wheel grabs
Brake pedal pumping
Sudden and hard brake pedal
Spongy brake pedals
Grinding of the brakes

While some of these problems may necessitate you replacing other brake components, a free inspection by Brake Team of your brake pads should reveal that they are worn and are in need of immediate replacement.

Ask Brake Team for a complete diagnosis of your brake system and an estimate on what parts and repairs will cost you. A good garage will give you a print out showing a fairly close estimate of what your costs will be.

Brake Team’s Guide To Using Car Brakes Correctly

Anyone who has had to perform an emergency stop whilst driving a modern car knows that modern brakes can be extremely effective. However, in day to day driving situations a good driver will use the brakes as little as possible. This is because a good driver has the ability to anticipate when they will have to slow down and can do so gradually and smoothly.

To use your brakes effectively the first thing you need to know is whether or not your car has ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System). ABS works differently from standard brakes and when used in an emergency requires a different operating technique.

Most modern cars are fitted with ABS. ABS prevents the wheels from locking-up and skidding when under heavy braking. This means that you can continue to steer the car, something that would be impossible if the wheels locked-up. ABS works by applying the brake on and off several times a second and only kicks in under heavy braking.

In a emergency stop if your car has ABS or even if it doesn't you should keep both hands on the steering wheel. Press the brake pedal as hard as you can and keep your foot pressed down on it until you come to a stop. You may hear a noise or pulsating sensation coming through the brake pedal. This is a normal feature with ABS.

If your car does not have ABS, hold the wheel with both hands and press the brake pedal firmly but not so hard that the wheels lock up. If you sense that the wheels are locking up then gently remove your foot from the brake pedal. This will allow the wheels rotate again. Once you sense the wheels rotating apply the brakes again but less harshly. Repeat as necessary.

In every day driving situations, whether your car has ABS or not whenever you need to apply the brakes you should do so gently at first, then progressively increasing the pressure. Aggressive breaking is bad practice and, even with ABS, can be dangerous. If you aggressively brake on your driving test this will not impress your driving test examiner.

You should try to brake only when driving in a straight line. Tires only have so much grip. When driving round a corner, especially when at speed, this grip is already being tested. If you add braking to the mix then the grip may fail and you could find yourself skidding out of control.

When brakes are overused they can overheat and lose efficiency. This is known simply as brake wear. This can happen when driving down a steep hill, when the car is heavily loaded or towing or if the brakes are have been used for more than 24,000 miles. If your brakes lose efficiency then pull over somewhere safe and allow the brakes to cool before driving off. It is recommended that you then get your brakes assessed by a professional mechanic at Brake Team.

Braking Methods

Modern brakes were invented in the late 19th century, around the same time as the tire. Up until then, vehicles had wooden wheels that were stopped by large wooden blocks, lowered into position by the driver using a simple lever system. When tires were invented, the wooden block system wasn’t good enough to stop them at the higher speeds they could achieve, which meant that a new braking system had to be invented.

To see the basic principles of modern braking, it is easiest to look at a bicycle. Basically, when you put pressure on the brakes, the pressure is transferred through cables to pull small pads onto the side of the tires, and the force of the friction against the tires causes them to stop.

In fact, cars originally used this very same cable system, but it was found not to work so well at high speeds. Instead, the cables were replaced with hydraulic fluid, which works to transfer the pressure the driver puts on the pedal to the brakes. This works because the fluid cannot get much smaller when pressure is put on it, meaning that pressure at one end is transferred to the other – much like water flowing through a pipe. However, if this brake fluid leaks even a little, then the brakes may not work properly any more, which is why it’s very important to check your brake fluid regularly. Brake Team checks the brake fluid during our free inspections and can fully flush the system and fill it with clean fluid if necessary.

Experienced Brake Failure?

One of the things that everyone tries to avoid while traveling in a car is an accident. One common cause for car accidents is brake failure. With the population ever climbing there are more cars than ever on the road, which means there is a higher likelihood of someone's brakes giving out. Although it is called brake failure, it is uncommon for the brakes to entirely give out so much that you are unable to stop the car at all, but in many cases brake failure leads to car accidents.

There are primary reasons why car brakes stop working. Brake Team has noted the most common reason is that there is a leak in the brake line, master cylinder, or wheel cylinders. All of these things can cause the brake fluid to run out of the automobile. The brake fluid escapes the car when the driver presses down on the brake pedal. When the driver brakes they are actually pushing a plunger into the master cylinder, which in turn pushes brake fluid through tubes and hoses to brake all of the moving units in the car. When there is a leak or hole in the brake line, fluid escapes and with no brake fluid it is impossible to stop the car. It is very unlikely that all of the brake fluid will escape before you realize that something is going on. Regularly having your vehicle inspected at Brake Team prevents these leaks from becoming so bad that you could lose all the fluid. At Brake Team we can also change your oil for less than many other shops and we recommend having your brakes checked during each oil change.

There are many misconceptions about what you are supposed to do when your brakes fail. We at Brake Team would like to provide some tips to help you. The first and most important thing that a driver can do when the brakes fail is to remain calm, many people tense up when they are nervous and make drastic moves that can often lead to accidents. The second thing you should do is assess the traffic around you, take a quick look around and see where other vehicles, trees, hills, or pedestrians may be. After sizing up the situation look for a place where you can steer your car to safety. The next and one of the most important things you can do is build up the brake pressure within your car. You can do this by pumping the brake pedal fast and hard, in many cases it has been found that if pumping your brakes doesn’t work, the emergency brake or parking break can be used to safely stop the car.

Brakes Should Be Number One Car Maintenance Issue

Just in case you haven't noticed, your brakes are the part of your car that stops it from crashing into things. Brakes slow down the speed of a moving car or prevent it from moving when stopped or parked. Any type of braking system works on the principle of friction. When you press the brake pedal, it transfers the energy generated by the force applied by your foot to the tires through the use of friction. With power brakes the force of your foot pushing on the brake pedal is enhanced by the power system making it easier to apply sufficient breaking force.

A typical car braking system can be either the disc brake type or drum brake type. If it's a disc brake system, a disc or rotor made of cast iron or other special metal is installed on the wheel axle. When the brake pedal is depressed, a series tubes filled with brake fluid transfer the braking force to the calipers which then press special brake pads against the disc to stop it from rotating. The pads pressing on the disc causes the disc to slow, and ultimately slow the car itself.

Drum brakes on the other hand consist of a brake drum attached to each wheel. When the brake pedal is pressed special brake shoes are pressed against the inner surface of the drum and the resulting friction causes the wheel to slow down or stop.

Today most cars are fitted with disc brakes because they are more efficient and last longer between adjustments and repair. Often, however, a car's hand brake will use a special drum brake attached to the rear wheels. It has been found that disc brakes do not do a very good job of keeping a stationary car from moving.

No matter what kind of braking system your car is fitted with, if proper care is not taken, it will not only increase your maintenance costs but will also jeopardize your life in case of an emergency. Brake Team provides some simple rules you can follow that will definitely keep you and your family safe, and your stopping ability intact.

Speed is the biggest enemy of your braking system. Your vehicle weighs more than a ton, and to stop it from speeds of 40 or 50 miles per hour requires a tremendous amount of friction. Imagine what the brake pads must be going through each time when you press the brake pedal. Slowing down will also save precious fuel.

Have you ever noticed that the brake lights of some cars are always glowing? In all probability it is because the driver is unconsciously using his left leg to push down the brake pedal. If you have a similar habit, it would be wise to reform and make sure that you are using only your right leg for braking purposes. “Riding” the brakes, in this fashion, reduces gas mileage and increases how often you will need brake repair.

Most of us use our cars to drive on familiar roads which makes driving a routine and pleasant task. If you are driving on roads familiar to you, then recognizing and keeping in mind certain spots, like a school crossing, or a tight turn, will make it easy to anticipate where to slow down. Slowing your car before you reach these spots will reduce pressure on your brakes significantly.

Even if you are traveling on roads unfamiliar to you, you can lookout for telltale signs and save your brakes. If cars ahead are slowing down, or if you spot a signal or a turn from a distance, you can reduce the speed to avoid unnecessary braking.

Brake systems are dependent on fluids or oils which run through tubes. Changing these fluids every so often makes your braking system last longer. It is a good idea to have them checked when you take your car into Brake Team for routine oil changes.

All these measures will reduce the wear and tear on your car's braking system, but you can never fully avoid it. So no matter if you drive an imported luxury vehicle, or a modest domestic car, getting your brakes checked regularly should be the number one point on your car maintenance list.