Brakes
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There are many telltale signs of issues with the braking system, which you should get inspected as soon as possible to avoid brake failure.
Grinding when braking.
Grinding sounds under braking is usually a sign of low brake pad friction material and they have naturally reached the end of their usable life.
Prolonged periods of grinding brake pads can lead to damage to the brake discs, hot metal filings are damaging paint of the wheels.
Also the grinding pad can become too thin to stay in the brake carrier, sliding out. This would cause total hydraulic failure of the brake caliper and loss of the brake pedal making it impossible to stop.
Old vs new brake pad.
Hot filings burning wheel.
Worn to the metal - No friction material left on brake pad.
Squeaking when braking.
Squeaking sounds when braking can be signs of the brake pad friction material being less than 3mm thick and a metal scraping wear indicator built into the brake pad is touching the disc.
Squeaking when not braking.
The cause could be a sticking Brake caliper slider or seized caliper not allowing the brake pad to move back away from the turning disc when the brake pedal is released.
Pad scraper.
Rusty siezed slider pin.
Caliper piston seized.
Pulling steering when braking.
If the vehicle pulls to the left or the right when braking it's often a sign of a sticking brake caliper slider, a seized brake caliper piston or a failed brake hose on one side of the vehicles steered axle.
Pulsating brake pedal.
A pulsating brake pedal is a sign of warped brake discs by high temperature or corrosion on the braking surface.
Warping is sometimes visible on the disc itself as a dark patch.
If the front discs are at fault you would usually also feel the same pulsation the through the steering wheel as the brake pedal.
If the rear discs are at fault you would also feel the same pulsation through the base of your seat as the brake pedal.
Hot patch on warped disc.
Corroded Braking surface.
Good, clean braking surface.
Spongy or soft brake pedal.
A spongy or soft brake pedal are signs of a brake fluid leak that needs repairing, old contaminated brake fluid that requires changing or if brake components were previously replaced and the system not bled of air completely.
A leaking brake system will eventually run out of fluid and lose the brake pedal making it impossible to stop the vehicle.
Castrol oils and lubricants recommend brake fluid is changed every 2 - 3 years or 30,000 miles.
Leaking brake caliper hose.
Old contaminated brake fluid.
Fresh new brake fluid.
Air bubbles in brake fluid.
Brake Dashboard Light illuminated.
The various brake warning lights on the dash are to warn of low brake fluid level, worn brake pads and sticking handbrake components.
High parking lever travel.
High parking brake lever travel is a sign that either the rear pads are low, rear drum and shoes require cleaning and adjusting or the handbrake cables have stretched.
high parking lever travel is an MOT failure.
The park brake lever should rise around 4 - 7 clicks.
Example of poorly maintained drum brakes.
