Vehicle Brakes, Dorking, Surrey

Brakes

With the braking system being the most important safety feature on any vehicle, its crucial to have regular checks, regardless of what mileage the vehicle is doing. Having new brakes against having worn brakes could make the difference between stopping safely and in good time, or potentially causing damage to your vehicle, or even worse, causing harm to yourself, your passengers, other road users, pedestrians and cyclists. It’s just not worth the risk.

How do my brakes work?

When you apply the brake pedal, it pushes against something called a brake master cylinder. As a result of this pressure, the master cylinder pushes hydraulic brake fluid around a network of pressurised pipes and hoses. This fluid eventually reaches the brake calipers, which squeeze each brake pad against each brake disc, in turn, slowing the vehicle down. So every time the brake pedal is pressed, a huge amount of friction is created between the brake pads and discs, causing them to wear.

How can i tell if my brake pads need replacing?

It will always be recommended to have the brakes on your vehicle regularly checked. There are many signs of what to look and listen for when inspecting brakes, here are a few:

  • Squealing noise when applying brakes
  • Brake wear sensor warning light illuminated on dashboard
  • Car pulling/veering to one side when braking
  • Heavy vibration through steering wheel and brake pedal when braking

If checking your brakes isn’t something you feel confident in, that’s not a problem. Our team is always ready to help. Whether you want to pop by, or give us a call to arrange a convenient time for one of our fully trained, experienced technicians check for you.

How often should i replace my brakes?

Generally, there is no set time or mileage interval for brake replacement. On average, brake pads can last anywhere between 18,000 miles, all the way up to 35,000 miles. Brake discs tend to be slightly more resilient, due to the material they are made from. With good care, brake discs could last for up to around 40,000 miles. There are many factors that can alter how quickly brakes wear, here are some good examples examples:

  • Quality of part
  • Driving style
  • Type of journey
  • Speed
  • Harshness of braking
  • Weight of car

It’s never recommended to let brakes wear down too low. When worn, it can cause a huge drop in both braking efficiency and safe stopping distance. This is caused by the brakes having to work harder to due to the fact there is not as much safe material left to create friction.

How much does it cost to replace my brakes?

With there being many different variations of brake in relation to the car, the brake pad and disc size and quality of material, it’s hard to know if you are paying the best price possible. At Tutts, we price each brake replacement individually and fairly. We take in to account the vehicle, the time it takes, but one thing we will never do, is compromise on quality. We will always recommend using the highest quality materials and can always 100% guarantee that our work will be completed to the highest standard. As we take great pride in our work, we have a duty of care to ensure our customers vehicles are not only safe, but in good condition and well maintained. Ensuring the safety of you, your friends and family, other road users, pedestrians and cyclists.

Give us a call today, or email us, with your vehicle registration and we will be ready to help!

Contact Tutts of Dorking Today