Stop Winter Stopping Problems

OK, so the seasons are going to change.  We can’t stop that.  However, it’s not a bad idea to do something about your brakes so you can’t count on stopping during winter.  

Before we even talk about the brakes themselves, let’s make sure the brake fluid is at the proper levels.  Your brake fluid is the stuff that is actually moving the pistons around to apply pressure and make your brakes work.  Fluids will move slowly in the winter, and if the levels are off, that can add up to a number of problems.  The brakes themselves may be fine, but if the brake fluid is leaking, low, or just not there… you will definitely have some challenges. 

Another consideration are the shoes.  No… not the brake shoes, but your shoes.  Believe it or not, many accidents occur each year because people have on wet, slippery shoes.  Their feet slide off the edge, and there just isn’t time to recover.  So… dry your shoes. 

And, of course, know what type of brakes you have.  If they are standard brakes, you’ll need to pump them slightly on slippery roads.  If you have an anti-lock brakes (ABS), the brakes will do the pumping for you.  Just apply as normal, and always keep eye contact with the road. 

Yes, your brakes are important… but the other things around the brakes are just as vital.  Stay safe!

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.

Are Your Brakes Crying for Help?

Your brakes know how to talk to you, but are your listening?

Maybe someday we’ll get to the point where our cars are regularly talking to us and giving us advice but, unless your name is David Hasselhoff, that is still years away.  In the meantime, turn down the tunes and listen to your brakes.

"Michael, my brakes need to be replaced!"

There’s a nifty little “warning strip” in your disc brakes that lets out a cry when trouble may be near.  If your brakes are squealing, the best thing you can do is have them checked right away.  The truth is, the story only gets worse the longer you wait.

Once the warning strip gets worn down, the squealing will stop.  That doesn’t mean the problem went away because the next thing that you’ll both hear and feel is grinding.  That grinding means you are about to do damage to the rotors and the brake drums.  After that, the trouble only gets worse and the car starts to pull from one side to the other.  When that starts happening, the bill starts going up.

So, the next time your brakes start to cry, you can either take care of it now and save money… or wait until you’ve got big problems and a big bill.

Who will be crying then?