When Should I Change My Brakes?

When Should I Change My Brakes?

Your brakes are some of your car's most important safety features, so it's important to keep them in good working order. This means knowing how often to change your brakes and being aware of the signs that they're going bad.

How Often Should I Change My Brakes?

As a baseline, the experts recommend changing brake pads every 25,000-50,000 miles and changing rotors every 50,000 to 70,000 miles.

The exact timing of when you change your brakes depends on several factors that boil down to one important principle: The more you use your brakes, the more often you will need to replace them. So, if you do a lot of stop-and-go driving or travel in hilly areas, which require harder-than-normal braking going downhill, you’ll probably have to get new brakes more often. It’s the same story if you drive a heavier truck or SUV, where your brakes have to stop a heavier load, or if you enjoy more enthusiastic, performance-style driving, where hard braking is part of the action.

How Can I Tell if My Brakes Are Going Bad?

Brakes will usually let you know loud and clear when they’re nearing the end of their useful lives. It will usually start with squeaking or squealing noises as less and less brake pad material remains. If you continue to wait without changing your brakes, the brake pads will become so worn that their metal backing will rub against the rotors. This creates a distinctive grinding sound of its own. Keep going and the brake pedal also may start vibrating when you press it as a result of warped rotors. 

Other obvious clues that your brakes may be failing are:

• You have to press the brakes with more effort to stop your car.

• It takes a longer distance than normal for your car to stop once you start braking.

• The brake warning light on your dashboard turns on, which can also signal a problem with the brake fluid or elsewhere in the braking system.

If you notice any of these issues, you should have your brakes checked by a qualified mechanic as soon as possible. Not only can that help save money, by preventing small issues from growing into big ones, but it can also save your life. 

Ways to Make Your Brakes Last Longer

We already mentioned some of the driving situations that can cause your brakes to wear down and need replacing quicker than expected, and we’ve got some tips on helping brakes last longer, too. 

First off, try to drive smoothly and anticipate stopping situations in advance so you can avoid hard-braking incidents. Headed down a steep incline? Shift into a lower gear to let your engine and transmission help slow your vehicle instead of the brakes. Keeping up with routine vehicle maintenance is important as well, especially as that gives an opportunity to have the brakes inspected on a regular basis.

Now that you know more about when to change your brakes, you can start shopping here, start selling here, and enjoy the whole HMSMC site from wherever you have an Internet connection.