Replacing your Brake Pads - Shoes

On disk brakes on a vehicle, the pads rub against the brake rotors. A brake pad consists of a friction material area about a half inch thick.  The friction material and the backing plate are permanently bonded together to forma brake pad. Two brake pads are used per wheel. The friction material is made of a softer material that rubs against the hard metal rotor create the friction that stops the car.  Most brake pads manufactured today contain a small amount of tiny metal particles within the friction material and ultimately last longer.  Every time the brake pads are used a small amount of the friction material is warn off.  The more you use your brakes, the more your pads will wear down and eventually wear out. 

Replacing your Pads & Shoes
Since brake pads are designed to wear out, they are designed to be replaced relatively easy.  During the time you own your car, you will most likely have to replace either your brake pads or shoes as some point.  The best time to replace the pads is just before all the friction material is worn off. If pads are left on the vehicle until there is no friction material left, the metal backing plate will grind into the rotar and quickly destroy it. This will add a significant amount on your repair bill so you do NOT want to wait!

We get asked all of the time, how do you know when to replace your brake pads.  The only true answer is you need to check their condition periodically as everyone drives differently.  Some use their brakes more than others so there is no exact mileage rule of thumb to go off of. 

Anytime the tires are off the car or whenever you hear or feel anything when you brake, your brakes should be checked out at a local auto repair shop.  The best time is when you are having your tires rotated or when you get your oil changed.

Many cars and trucks have a built-in warning system that alerts you about worn brake pads - a device called a warning sensor. The appropriate slang term is a squealer. This squealer makes a high-pitch squeak when the brake pads are about 85 to 90 percent worn down. The warning sensor is a small metal finger that gets closer and closer to the rotor as the brake pads wear thinner.  When your brake pads wear down, the finger scraps the rotor and makes a sound similar to nails scraping across a chalkboard.

Another indication that you may need new brake pads is if your brake fluid is lower. The master cylinder, located under your hood has a reservoir that stores more than enough brake fluid under normal use. When pads wear out, the fluid in the master cylinder will go down.