You might not pay much attention to the brake pads on your car. When you step on the brakes, though, you need them. Because of this, you should learn how to check the brake pads for damage. This is for your safety and the safety of your guests.
How to Check Brake Pads
Checking the brake pads is not a hard thing to do. That is why you can do it yourself. Make sure you have all the tools you need to do this job.
Before you do anything else, make sure the brake pads are cool. Even a 20-minute drive can heat them up. Also, keep in mind that many car problems can be caused by brake fluid that is too low or dirty. So, once you’re done checking the pads, check the brake fluid and either change it or add more of the good dot 3 or dot 4 fluid, or the fluid that comes with your car.
Checking the Wheels
To keep the brake rotor’s surface clean, brake pads help move brake dust around. This is why brake dust normally builds up on wheels. On top of that, it could mean that the pads are still in good shape. So, the fact that there is no dust in the wheel could mean that the pads are worn down. At this point, it might be best to take your car to a professional mechanic so that they can figure out what’s wrong.
You can try it out right now. It only takes a minute to learn how to check brake pads with the wheels on. But if you’re not sure if this way is enough, you might want to try some other ones.
Checking The Brake Pads Without Removing The Wheels
You can see the pads through the holes in the wheel of most cars. Use a touch light to look through the holes and see how thick the pad is. A brand-new pad is about ½ inch thick. It’s okay if it wears down to ¼ inch after some use. Anything less than ¼, on the other hand, means your pad needs to be changed.
One of the edges of some brake pads has a hole that shows how worn they are. It’s possible that your pads are long gone if the slot is almost invisible.
Checking Brake Pads By Removing The Wheels
If you can’t see the brake pads through the holes in the wheels, you can also take the wheels off to look at them. You will need a jack, a wrench, or a tug to check the brake pads.
- Make sure your car is on a leveled surface
- Place the jack under the car’s frame close to the wheel you want to remove
- Lift your car from the ground
- Remove the wheel nuts with the wrench
- Remove the wheels.
You can get a good look at the pad after taking the wheel off. Check to see how thick it is with a Vernier measure. You might need to get new ones if they’re less than ¼ inch thick. Check the brake lines, brake calipers, and brake wheels as well. They are important parts of the stop that work with the pad. You can change any or all of them if you need to.
Other methods
There are other ways to check the condition of your brake pads besides the ones above. For some cars, worn-out pads will cause a warning light to show up on the panel. Also, keep an eye out for strange sounds coming from your wheel. A loud screeching, growling, or grinding sound could mean that the pad is broken.
Again, if you feel vibrations in the steering wheel or when you press on the brake button, it could mean that your pads are worn. Even though bad brake pads might not be the only cause of these problems, you should still test the brake pads.
Conclusion
You should learn how to check your own brake pads. It saves money and helps you find small problems before they get worse. When it comes to brakes, the brake pad is an important part that should always be in good shape.
It’s dangerous to have brake pads that are worn down. It puts you, your guests, and other people on the road in danger if you use it. How to tell if your brake disc needs to be changed is pretty simple. Pay attention to those noises and vibrations that bother you while you’re moving. Check to see if your car shakes when you brake as well. Finally, make sure you do a full check of the pads to be sure they are the problem with your car.
