Ever since hydraulic brakes were introduced in the 1930′s, vehicles have primarily used a variation of that design to provide stopping power.
Basically, when you press the brake pedal fluid is forced through the brake lines that run to each wheel. The pressure of the fluid forces brake pads against a brake rotor, causing friction that slows the wheel and, consequently, the vehicle. On 
vehicles with rear drum brakes, the fluid forces the shoes against a drum, but the effect is the same – friction slows the turning of the wheel. Al Ford of Wallingford Jeep service explains, “If your car was built after 1977 or so, it likely has front disc brakes while the rear brakes may be either disc or drum. Because friction is created whenever you step on the brake pedal, the parts involved with creating that stopping power wear over time. Ensuring your vehicle has adequate friction components is essential to safe breaking performance.”
There are a number of brake repair trouble signs to According to Perry Guttman, service manager at a Hartford Honda Auto Repair dealership “Maintaining and replacing worn brake parts as needed cannot be ignored, because the longer you drive with worn or inadequate brakes, the worse the performance will get – and it’s likely it will be more expensive when you finally take action.”
Why is it more expensive to repair your brakes when a problem develops? “It’s not always more expensive,” says Howard Brod of Hartford Mazda service adding,” but as the pads wear beyond their usable life, they can dig into the disc rotors or drums, damaging them enough to cause the need for these parts to be replaced, in addition to the shoes or pads.” New Haven Honda service manager Todd Dibiasi explains “Severely worn brake pads can require more work to remove them form the calipers and may require the calipers to also be replaced.” With regular inspections, you may only have to make periodic pad or shoe replacements, which is typically much less expensive than replacing the pads, rotors and calipers’ said Julie Engfer of Connecticut Fiat Service.
For your FREE brake inspection visit the Executive Auto Group auto repair center near you at Liberty Mazda or Liberty Honda in Hartford, Executive Honda, Executive KIA, Executive Dodge JEEP RAM or the all new Fiat by Executive in Walling ford and Acura by Executive, Executive JEEP or Executive Nissan in North Haven.
