How To Know If You Need New Brakes

Your vehicle’s brakes usually aren’t something you think about often…until they start having problems. However, you don’t want to risk your safety by waiting to replace your brake pads, replenish brake fluid, or replace your rotors.

If you keep up with regular car maintenance at Boggs Automotive or Boggs Pit Stop, our mechanics will make sure you know when it’s time to replace brake pads or conduct more thorough maintenance on your vehicle’s brake system.

We conduct a complete brake inspection every time we perform an oil change!

5 Signs Your Brakes Need Service

If you haven’t been as diligent with your car maintenance, that’s ok! We understand life gets busy and sometimes car maintenance falls lower on your to-do list. 

Consider using our Boggs Driver feature – we’ll pick up your car, perform the service it needs, then return it once it’s complete. You can schedule service online, it doesn’t get any easier!

If you’ve noticed any of the following red flags while driving, bring your car in for service with us right away. Ignoring the signs of brake failure or damage is dangerous and can cause more serious problems with your car.

A Squealing Noise

If you hear a high-pitched squealing noise when you step on your brake pedal, it’s actually a safety feature in most brake pads. Most modern brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make that screeching noise.

Think of it as a warning sign that your brake pads are almost at the end of their usefulness and need to be replaced.

Grinding

Feeling your brakes grind when you engage them is much more serious than hearing them squeal. If your brake pads are allowed to continue to wear, they will completely deteriorate making the metal caliper scrape and grind against the rotor disc.

This is a sign to immediately get your brakes serviced. Allowing the grinding to continue will seriously damage the rotor, causing it to need to be replaced in addition to your brake pads.

Spongy Feeling

It’s hard to explain what a “spongy” brake pedal feels like, but if you experience it, you know! When your brakes are working properly, you should feel firm, even pressure when you step on the brake pedal.

If you have to press down harder to get the brakes to engage or have a mushy/spongy feeling it could indicate a problem with the brake system’s hydraulics. Your brake lines could have a leak or the master cylinder could need more brake fluid.

No matter the cause, if your brakes feel spongy, bring your vehicle in for service immediately!

Loss Of Responsiveness

If you notice that it’s taking your car or truck longer to stop, it could be a sign that your brakes need to be serviced. Winding roads and hills can take a toll on your brake system as you need to engage your brakes for longer periods of time than you do on straight, flat roadways.

Brake Pedal Vibration

If your brake pedal vibrates when you engage your Antilock Braking System (ABS), that’s normal. However, if you notice your brake pedal vibrating when you use it normally, that’s a sign that something needs to be fixed.

Brake pedal vibration could be a sign your wheels are out of alignment, your tires need to be balanced, or your brake system’s rotors are warped.

We’re Here To Help!

We’re proud to be your local full-service car repair and maintenance shop with two convenient locations in Warsaw. We also have free pick-up available with our Boggs Driver service for oil changes and preventative maintenance.

No appointment is necessary for oil changes at Boggs Pit Stop, but if you’d like to schedule an oil change or any other car repair or maintenance services at Boggs Automotive, click below to give us a call.