How Often Do Brake Pads Need To Be Replaced?
Your car is probably the most expensive thing you drive (unless you’ve got a motorhome but that’s a whole other blog). And while your engine gets you down the road, there’s something even more important. What helps you stop. Your brakes. Brakes and their components wear out over time. But how do you know when they need to be checked or changed?
BRAKING COMPONENTS
Your brake caliper, brake pads and brake rotors make up your vehicle’s braking system. And they don’t all wear out at the same time. But they all do wear out and how soon is determined by more than a few items like: How you drive. Did you know that the stop and go driving in the city is much harder on your braking system then cruising for miles down the highway?
Think about it like this – freeway and highway driving doesn’t involve a lot of brake tapping – except maybe in rush hour traffic. Braking in the city is constant, at every light, many intersections and every parking lot. If you ride the brakes then they are going to wear out quicker.
Brake pad hardness. Did you know that there are different types of hardness for brake pads? These are made up from hard and soft compounds that determine how the brakes work. Hard compounds last longer and work better but they also take longer to warm up. Soft brake pads are better at low speeds but can melt in extreme driving conditions. There are also ceramic and metal brake pads. Check with your mechanic to see what type of brake pad best fits your needs to stem off brake repair.
REPLACEMENT INTERVALS
Brake pads need to be replaced when they are worn or at a predetermined interval based on the mileage. The most common interval is 50,000 miles. However, some brake pads will need to be replaced at 25,000. You can check your specific rating based on your vehicle’s specification. However, whenever they are thin, they need to be replaced, regardless of how many miles they have been on the vehicle for.
CONTACT COLLINSVILLE AUTO REPAIR FOR YOUR NEXT BRAKES SERVICE!
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