The brakes are one of the most important features of your car: not only do they stop you when you need to, but they can also save your life, so it’s worth looking after them properly. One top way of doing this is to inspect your brakes regularly. You should do this either once a year or after every 12,000 miles you drive. This will help you determine whether your brake pads need changing; you should change them if they have worn down to less than 1/8” thick.
As your brakes are so vital, you should also make sure to get them serviced by a professional every time you take your car into the shop for a check up. If possible, you should try and use an auto service shop that specializes in brake maintenance as they’ll really know what to look for. It can be a good idea to get references from them as well as quotations from a couple of different service shops to make sure they’re good at what they do.
Paying close attention to your brakes when you’re driving is also really important in maintaining their quality. The easiest way to do this is through the sound they make when you use the brakes. You need to get them checked out if the sound changes at all. You can also tell when you need to get your brakes serviced if it suddenly starts taking extra effort to stop your car or if your car starts pulling over to one side every time you apply the brakes.
If you are looking for ways to maintain your current brakes and make them last longer, then you should also be careful to use them properly. You can do this through limiting the stress you place on the brake pads, which can be done by using the brakes as gently as possible and using them only when you need to, as this will avoid undue wear and tear. Also reduce the chances of having to slam on the brakes when you’re driving by sticking to all the speed limits and maintaining a safe distance behind the car in front of you.
One last thing to be aware of when looking after your car’s brakes is the brake fluid. If this isn’t changed every year or at least once every two years, then the brakes can become damaged and won’t work as well. This can be dangerous as you may not realize what the problem is until the brakes actually fail, so you need to regularly check the brake fluid. This is because it can often reduce its boiling temperature and suffer from air bubbles if the water content goes above 3%.