Extending the Life of Your Brakes
It is important to always have a high-quality braking system on any vehicle that you drive, and unless you want to have to replace your brakes all the time, it is important that you try and give them a bit of TLC. Out of everything on your car, your brakes are the most likely feature to save your life, so make sure your brakes are ready if you ever need them by considering the following brake maintenance tips.
Don?t ride the brakes
The worst thing you can do for the life of your brakes is to ride them, which means maintaining constant pressure on your brakes while going down a hill. This will cause your brakes to heat up and lead to rapid deterioration of your brake pads. You?re better off applying short spurts of pressure on your brakes and gradually slowing down your car; being mindful enough of your speed to take your foot of the accelerator earlier can add months to the life span of your brakes.
Don?t speed
The less you speed, the less chance there will be that you?re going to need to slam on the brakes, so slow down a little if you hope to make your brakes last. There really is no advantage at all to speeding, as apart from putting your safety in jeopardy and increasing wear on your brakes, you?ll also be risking hundreds or thousands of dollars in fines.
Regular brake inspection
Having your brakes inspected regularly will make it easier to notice if you are having some sort of issue start to develop. Your brakes can tell you a lot about the rest of your car, such as the state of your wheel alignment, so make sure you get your mechanic to have a look at your brakes on a regular basis.
Flush the brake fluid
Brake fluid is an alcohol-based fluid that helps to keep your brake systems lubricated and working smoothly and effectively. Being alcohol based, brake fluid absorbs materials and contaminants from the air, and as the metal components erode, it absorbs them too, which can be rough on your brakes. Flushing out your brake fluid regularly can help prevent your brake system components from suffering premature wear, helping to extend the overall life of your brakes. Talk to your mechanic about flushing out your brakes next time you get your car service done.
A good car can last you almost forever, but helping your car stay in great shape requires care, especially when it comes to your brakes. The real highlight of your car should be its comfort and reliability, not how fast it goes, so keep your vehicle?s speed under control if you want your brakes to last. Doing burnouts and hooning around in your car can greatly reduce the overall lifespan of your car, and especially the brakes, so look out for your car rather than your ego, and you?ll get twice as much out of your car maintenance budget.
