You want to be safe. You want your family to be safe. Your car manufacturer, the engineers who design the cars, and even the mechanics who work on your car, they all want you and your family to be safe. This is often taken for granted, but there are a lot of hands going into making this safety a reality.
And for good reason. Lots of things can go wrong with braking systems. Because of this, you cannot wait until your brakes are having issues before you get them checked. It is best to know the most common symptoms of braking issues and get them checked as soon as they present themselves. The top 3 are:
- Squeaking When Braking
This is the most obvious and the most frequent thing you will notice with your brakes. This can make it seem like it is not a big problem. In particular, if you have been driving used cars your whole life, you might just think this is how brakes sound. But this innocuous sound hides the potential for serious complications.
Squeaking when you brake is an indication that while your brakes are not going to give out at any given moment, they are prone to stress. This means slamming on the brakes might cause them to give out. Anything that might result in them suddenly failing is a problem, so get this check out fast.
- Shaking on Braking
This is an interesting one because it is actually a problem some models of cars have right out of the factory. That’s right: You can buy a brand new car and run into this problem. That is because it is not a problem with the brakes themselves, but how the brakes work with the rest of the car.
Still, it is something your mechanic can rectify easily. It will usually not result in a failure of the brakes, but it is a brake-related issue that can lead to other problems, like a brief lessening of control when braking.
- Rubber Odor
This is a sign of things becoming worn out in a car. This can actually have a few different sources, and it will usually only happen in older cars. But when it happens, it might mean the brakes are getting old.
As such, if you are worried about your brakes or have been having other problems with your brakes, then it is likely time to take your car in to have your brakes looked at.
These are just a few of the ways brakes can signal to you that they are having issues. This is to say nothing of your brake light itself. If that turns on, take your car in immediately, no questions asked.
Collins Auto Care in Houston TX can check these things out for you if you are worried. And really, you should get them checked no matter how small your inkling might be that there is something wrong. You can delay oil changes and tire rotations for a period, but you cannot procrastinate getting your brakes checked.