Brake Problems for You are Problems for All

Getting a car to go is half of the equation of driving.  The other half is getting it to stop.  We recommend very strongly that you have the “stop” part in place well before you ever try the “go” part.

 

The problems with brake problems is they almost never suddenly happen.  Brakes are always getting progressively worse, and they’re never quite as good as they were on day one.

Little by little your brakes begin to wear down.  Stopping takes longer and longer, and next thing you know you’re sitting in the middle of the intersection.

Your brakes are equipped with a funny little feature:  an alarm that goes off when the brakes are wearing down.  It’s that squeal you hear, and it’s trying to tell you something.   We don’t recommend you wait for that alarm, however.  A good mechanic will make it a point to really check your brakes whenever you are getting an oil change. 

Finally, consider this odd occurrence recently out west.  A car going down a hill in California actually started a brush fire when a small piece of metal flaked off of its brakes and landed in the dry grass.  Firefighters say this is not all that unusual.  So, keep in mind that bad brakes cause bad problems for you, people around you, and Smokey Bear.