Your brakes are one of the most important safety systems on your car – allowing you to control the speed of your car and bring it to a stop safely. Unfortunately, many drivers don’t consider brake maintenance a priority until something goes wrong.
Brakes need to be regularly maintained and inspected to make sure they’re working correctly and effectively to keep you and other road users safe. Your brake pads are checked during your routine Warrant of Fitness (WoF) check, but it’s important to recognise the signs that your brake pads need to be replaced.
What are brake pads and how do they work?
A typical vehicle braking system has a pair of brake pads, a brake disc and a brake calliper for each wheel. The brake pads are fitted in the calliper with their friction-creating material almost touching the sides of the brake disc.
When the brake pedal is pressed, hydraulic fluid in the calliper is released, which pushes each brake pad against the sides of the rotating brake disc. This causes friction, which slows and eventually stops your vehicle.
Because of how brakes work, they eventually wear down over time. If your brake pads get too thin, your brakes won’t work as effectively, or they may even fail.
5 signs you need new brake pads
1. You hear squealing noises
This is usually the first sign you need to replace your brake pads. Most modern cars are manufactured with built-in wear indicators, so when the brake pads wear down significantly, the indicators scrape, causing a high-pitched screeching noise. Squeaky brakes can happen during certain weather conditions too, such as rain, but if the sound is persistent, you should get them checked.
2. Your car doesn’t brake as effectively as it used to
This could be because your brake pads and discs are old and worn, the brake fluid could be old and has absorbed moisture, or the hydraulic system could be losing fluid and pressure.
3. Your car pulls to the left or right
Your car should remain travelling in a straight direction when you brake. If it doesn’t, this can clearly be dangerous. Brake pads don’t generally wear out at the same rate so, if your brakes are worn more on one side than the other, pulling to one side may happen. Additionally, there are other reasons why your car may be pulling left or right, such as uneven tyre pressure, a faulty wheel bearing, or a malfunctioning brake calliper. Either way, you should get your car checked by your mechanic so they can get to the bottom of the pulling problem.
4. Vibrations when you step on the brake pedal
If your brake pedal vibrates when you push your foot down on it, this is a sign you might need to replace your brake pads. This is because brake pads are usually held together with a binding resin. As each of the brake pads wears down, this binding gets hot and spreads across the brake disc.
Ideally, it will form a layer that’s spread evenly across the disc’s surface. But, if a brake pad overheats, the resin doesn’t distribute evenly. This is known as ‘glazing’, where the pad material hardens to form a glassy, smooth surface. Uneven glazing can cause your brake pads to vibrate. To avoid any further damage to your car, or a potential accident, get your car checked right away.
5. Stopping your car takes more effort
Pressing on your brakes without bringing your vehicle to a full stop can take a toll on your braking mechanism over time. Forcing the brake pads to make contact with the discs for a long, uninterrupted time will cause both parts to heat up. Over time, their ability to generate the needed friction against each other will reduce and you’ll find your car won’t come to a stop as easily and as quickly as it once did. This is called ‘brake fade’.