4 Symptoms of Defective Brake Pads and Brake Discs
The brake pads and brake discs in your car are important for slowing down or stopping your car when you place your foot on the brake pedal. Every time you press the brake pedal, the brake pads are forced against the rotating brake disc, slowing down your vehicle.
All this friction causes the brake pads and rotors to wear out over time. So, sooner or later, you will notice certain symptoms. If you notice such symptoms, replace your brake pads and/or rotors as soon as possible.
Symptoms of defective brake pads (or brake discs)
1) Noisy braking
Noisy braking is the first symptom you’ll notice when your brake pads or brake discs are defective. The first symptom is a squeaking noise when you apply the brakes. However, if you don’t fix the problem right away, you’ll experience a scratching noise.
You probably won’t be able to tell if this is due to defective pads or rotors until you have your braking system inspected by a mechanic.
2) Your car vibrates when you apply the brakes
If you feel a vibration when you press the brake pedal, it’s due to worn or warped brake discs. These are often irregular vibrations felt through the brake pedal itself.
You should also check your rotors for grooves or unusual marks, which are also a sign that they need replacing.
3) Vibrating brake pedal
Similar to the above, bad brake pads will cause a pulsating sound when you put your foot on the brake pedal. This is similar to the vibration symptoms of a bad brake rotor, but the pulsation under your foot will tell the difference.
4) Shorter braking distances
However, if you’re still not sure if your brake pads are bad, you’ll notice that your brakes don’t respond quickly enough when you put your foot on the brake pedal.
If your brake pads are badly worn and simply made of insufficient material, they will have a harder time slowing down the rotating brake disc when they press against it.
This means that your vehicle will have a harder time slowing down when you want to. So, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to brake suddenly to avoid an accident, bad brake pads may prevent you from doing so.
This puts you and other road users at risk. So, if you have even the slightest problem with your car’s brakes, you should replace your brake pads immediately.
Why you need to replace your brake pads and rotors
The best brake pads and rotors
The components of your car’s brakes must always be in working order, otherwise you will be putting your own life and the lives of other road users at risk. Replacing these components together can be quite costly, so many people ignore them.
But at some point, you have no choice, as worn brake pads and rotors make it difficult to stop your car when you need to. This can cause an accident resulting in injury or death to you and other road users.