Brake pad replacement

Brake Pad Replacement

A properly functioning braking system ensures comfort and safety on the road. Irresponsible attitudes toward malfunctions can lead to accidents or other breakdowns. Therefore, brake pad replacement is a crucial part of your car’s maintenance.

When is Brake Pad Replacement Needed?

You should immediately contact a mechanic if you notice the following issues with your braking system:

• Brake pedals start to sink.
• Pedals pulsate during braking.
• Strange noises occur during braking; the car knocks and makes noise.
• Wheels lock up at high speeds when the brake pedal is pressed.
• Black residue or metallic dust appears on the wheel discs.
• The braking distance becomes very long.
• The car veers to the side when the brake pedal is pressed.

For complete confidence in the quality of your braking system, it’s recommended to replace front brake pads simultaneously with the rear ones.

Why Do Brake Pads Wear Out Quickly?

The braking system can wear out for various reasons, such as poor operating conditions, aggressive driving, or untimely technical maintenance.

You can visually determine the degree of wear on components by these signs:

• There are delaminations or cracks.
• Wear is uneven.
• There is a protruding ridge along the edge of the brake disc.
• The lining thickness is small (less than 0.5 cm).

Reasons for Uneven Brake Pad Wear

• If the rubber seal is damaged, the malfunction is fixed by disassembling the piston and replacing consumables.
• Uneven wear also develops due to rust, hindering the movement of the caliper guides, which need to be cleaned and lubricated.
• An airlock can form in the brake fluid, which can be removed by bleeding the fluid under high pressure.
• If the brake hose is faulty, it must be replaced.
• One common reason is the deformation of the discs and their contact with the brake pads. In this case, they need to be replaced with new ones.

The speed of wear depends on:

• Material quality.
• Condition of other parts.
• Driving style and road conditions.
• Regional climate characteristics.
• Natural wear during braking.

Worn pads leave noticeable circular marks on the disc. Deep, large scratches, formed due to ignoring the wear signal, may indicate disc damage.

What is the Braking System?

The braking system is one of the main parts of a car. Brakes ensure safe control, correct deceleration, holding the car in place, and smooth speed reduction. They must always be in good working order and regularly undergo professional diagnostics — this is the primary rule for road safety.

What is a Brake Pad?

A brake pad is a working element of the braking system, consisting of a housing part and a replaceable lining. The friction lining, together with the disc, ensures proper braking of the car, but at this moment, it is subjected to high loads, which mechanically damage and wear it over time.

A vehicle requires constant care, maintenance, prompt troubleshooting, and competent repair. Some car enthusiasts do not trust auto service workers with the process of brake pad replacement, system restoration, and mechanism repairs, either to save money or due to distrust, and they make a fatal mistake! A lack of experience, knowledge, and proper tools often leads to injuries, complications, and financial losses.

To make brake pad replacement less frequent, you need to:

• Timely visit a service station for technical inspection and diagnosis of the braking system.
• Visually inspect the system every time you change tires seasonally.
• Monitor the condition of drums and brake discs.
• Pads should be replaced either on the entire axle or on the entire vehicle. You cannot replace them only on one side, even if it seems more economical. Such an approach will lead to rapid failure of the braking system, and newly installed parts will be worn out after just 200 kilometers.

Consequences of Untimely Brake Pad Replacement

If brake pads are not replaced in a timely manner, it will gradually lead to the destruction of the entire braking mechanism, resulting in expensive repairs. But this is not the worst outcome, as brake failure can be very dangerous for the lives of the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and other road users. Be extremely careful!

Brake pad replacement is a procedure that must be performed flawlessly.

At VAG Master service station, this service is provided by specially trained and highly qualified specialists. The procedure may seem simple and quick to perform, but even the slightest deviation from standard execution can jeopardize the car’s safety.