The Mystery of Problem Brakes Solved (Photos)

1. Check brake fluid levels

It's practically shameful how often car owners overlook brakes in favor of engines and tires when it comes to regular maintenance of their vehicles. In particular, braking fluid should be given the same level of priority as engine fluid. If your brakes are unresponsive or behaving erratically, it may be due to a leakage or shortage of braking fluid. Check the brake fluid by opening the top of the reservoir and looking at the gauge. A proper fluid amount will be between the marks indicating "too much" and "too low." Although a shortage of brake fluid can lead to major accidents, it's important not to be zealous or premature with topping up the fluid. If it's filled up too much, the fluid may overflow when new brake pads are installed.

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2. Use the parking brake properly

The parking brake is a feature that doesn't get used as much as it should. When your car is parked without the parking brake in check, the onus is on your regular brakes to keep things steady. This can accelerate wear, especially if you're parking on an incline. Although use of the parking brake won't help much if you're already experiencing brake problems, keeping it in mind can help explain your current predicament, and hopefully deter it from happening again.

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3. Listen to your brakes

Keep your ears open for troubling sounds while braking. The type and severity of sound can say a lot about what your brakes' issue may be. Scraping noise from brakes alludes to a metal-on-metal contact; this is often due to worn out disc brake pads, which should be replaced immediately. Brake squealing on the other hand is the result of vibrations between the disc brake pads and the brake calipers or the rotor. "Chattering" brakes may be caused by worn out or defective rotors. Replacing the defective components should solve brake issues once the sounds have pinpointed the source. If the noise itself is the issue and you want it quieter, you may want to look into getting noise dampening shims.

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4. Ensure your tires are the right tires

The best brakes in the world won't account for much stability if your tires are garbage. At the end of the day, your brakes are there to give you control over speed and handling. Sometimes issues with traction and handling don't stem from the brakes but are rather the result of another problematic area. Tires should be checked and maintained regularly. It's also important to make sure the type of tires you're using match up with the weather and terrain you're expecting. Improper tires on a bad terrain can make working brakes a moot point.

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5. Exercise ageism when it comes to your brakes

Even the hardiest brakes will go to brake heaven eventually. The job of brakes is literally to create friction. Needless to say, this job can't be done forever, and brakes will begin to lose their efficacy after a given amount of use. The longevity of brakes obviously depends on the quality of the material, but more often than not brakes are cut short before their time due to rough and negligent use. If you haven't had your brake pads replaced in a while, you should consider getting them changed up. Minor brake issues now may be harbingers for worse problems to come, so make sure to address the matter as soon as it comes to your attention.

>>Join the discussion about brake problems and solving brake problems right here in the forum.

For help with your do-it-yourself maintenance or repair project, please visit our how-to section in the forum.