If You’re in Mechanic School, Look for These Signs in a Vehicle When Considering a Brake Replacement

One of the most important components on a vehicle is its braking system, the crucial mechanism that drivers depend upon for the sharp stopping response needed to prevent collisions and to keep everyone in the vehicle safe. Yet many car owners fail to recognize the early signs of wear and tear that indicate there may be a more serious braking issue, often waiting until a stage where their safety may be placed at risk or the vehicle requires more costly repairs. 
To understand more about the key indicators that a vehicle’s brakes need attention, let’s take a closer look!

Don’t Ignore Those High-Pitched Squeaking Sounds

When a driver hits the brakes and hears an awful screeching sound, it can be rather alarming—and with good reason. That jarring high-pitched noise is often the result of a built-in piece of metal in the brake pads designed to send out a literal “alarm” sound when the pads are low. If that squeaking sound is ignored and the pads aren’t changed in time, it may evolve into a much more serious metallic grinding and scraping sound, which can indicate the pads have been worn down to the metal—requiring more involved professional attention. 
It’s important for automotive mechanic career pros to recommend any squeaking brake noises be checked out, as these sounds can also have much more benign causes. As an example, the brakes may have just accumulated a lot of dirt and need a cleaning. Squeaking can also be heard after a car has been sitting in wet conditions—a noise which usually disappears as soon as the rotors of the brakes have dried off.

Keep a Watch for That Spongey Feeling

If the driver tries to stop the vehicle and notices reduced braking response along with the odd sensation that a sponge has been shoved between the brake pedal and the car floor, this is often a sign of a leak in one of the braking system components. 
A car owner can look for signs of braking fluid leaks at home, such as a tell-tale puddle under the car. From there, a person with mechanic school training will know how to look for the source of the leak, which can occur in the brake lines or calipers, or in the cylinders. Braking response reduction can also be caused by an air leak in the brake hose.  

How Students of Automotive College Should Check for Wear and Tear

One of the best ways to assess whether a car needs new brake pads is to perform an inspection! The pads are easy to spot behind the outer body of the wheel. Pads that are very thin in appearance—less than ¼ inch thick—probably need to be swapped out sooner than later. Worn down grooves in the rotor, as well as blue marks or a dark ring spotted on the rotor surface, are other sure indicators the pads need to be changed.
Additional common braking problems have their own typical signals. A shaking steering wheel with brake application, as an example, may be caused by warped rotors that will need to be replaced. Finally, a car that pulls to one side when braking can sometimes mean uneven wear on brake linings—a problem that can be solved with a quick adjustment.