The Risks of Ignoring Brake Issues: A Guide for Aurora Drivers

Besides the financial implications, neglecting your vehicle’s brakes can:

• Cause Reduced Braking Efficiency: Brakes are wear-and-tear items, and as the components wear down, braking efficiency decreases. This can make it difficult to come to fast stops, and if it gets bad enough, it will increase normal stopping distances.
• Increase Your Stopping Time: Some brake issues can cause delayed response times when you step on the brake pedal.
• Cause You to Lose Control: Brake problems such as unevenly worn brake pads or a sticking caliper cause the vehicle to pull to one side when braking. If you have to brake hard enough, the pulling could cause you to lose control of your vehicle.
• Cause Brake Fade: When the brakes overheat because of heavy or prolonged use, they tend to “fade.” They don’t have as much braking power. If you notice this, don’t ignore it. Pull over and let the brakes cool completely. Fading usually happens on long downhill roads where you have to brake consistently. Going slower down the hill and not using your brakes as much helps to avoid fading. Always have a brake technician check the brakes if they fade on you – part of the problem may be that the pads and / or rotors are thin.
• Create Noise and Vibration: Squeaking when you step on the brakes usually means the brake pads are low and the tab is rubbing the rotors. Grinding is a bad day – the pad has worn off, and the metal backing plate is destroying the rotor.
• Increase Repair Costs by Damaging Other Components: If minor brake problems are ignored, they only get worse and start affecting other components. Worn pads eventually wear down to the backing plate, which then destroys the rotor. You also have a higher risk of overextending a caliper and collapsing a brake hose because there’s nothing left of the brake pads.
• Compromise Your Safety: Not only do worn brakes increase the risk of you suffering injuries in a wreck, but they also put others’ lives at risk. If you can’t stop fast enough or at all, you could rear-end someone or T-bone someone in an intersection.
• Increase Insurance Premiums: If you wreck because of worn or malfunctioning brakes, your insurance premiums will increase significantly, which means more money out of your pocket over time. Insurance is already expensive – no need to give the insurance company another reason to get more money from you. Instead, have Accurate Automotive regularly inspect your vehicle’s brakes and make repairs as soon as you realize something is wrong.
• Emergency Repairs: Instead of being able to arrange for your vehicle to be in the shop and planning for a ride or a day off, you may be stuck on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. If you didn’t wreck, you’d still be stuck in one place until we can get your brakes fixed, whether at the shop, at home or at work. It’s better to take care of the brakes as soon as you realize something is wrong so you are not as inconvenienced.