Whether you bought your car second handed or new, you have to do a certain level of maintenance. If you don’t, you might face more expensive problems sooner or later.
While there are many parts of your car you should maintain, brakes are one of the most important ones. Depending on the way you drive your car, you may face problems with the brakes every now and then.
If you aren’t a car person and don’t know how to check whether or not your brake is sending warning signals, here are some signs that your car needs brake repairs.
Brake Light
The easiest sign of your brakes being in trouble is the brake light.
There is more than one brake light, and they mean different things. A common brake light in every car’s dashboard is the handbrake light. That comes on when the handbrake is on, and it goes off when the handbrake is off.
There will be a similar kind of light indicating problems with the brake. You can check out a guide on the lights on your dashboard to figure out what they mean.
Burning Smell
Another important sign to look out for is a burning smell.
If you put your windows down while driving or when you step outside the car after a drive, and you smell a burning odor, then your brakes or clutch may have overheated. Even if your car is automatic, it still has a clutch.
If you smell something, take your car down to a mechanic for auto brake repair before the problem gets worse.
Brake Fluid
Another sign of faulty brakes is leaking brake fluid.
If you’re not a car person, then you may not know the function of the brake fluid. But, in short, a leaking brake fluid means your car will have trouble braking, or it may not brake at all.
If you see some oil leaking from your car and you’re not sure what oil it is, you can take your car for a brake inspection to check. They will be able to fully examine the brakes and the brake fluid to see if there is a problem with it.
However, modern electric cars don’t always use oils. That’s why you should first check if your car even has brake oil or not.
Soft Braking Pedal
When you first got your car, try to remember whether the brakes were soft or hard. Some people like to keep the brake pedal hard and others like a softer pedal.
But if yours used to be hard, and it got soft, then it may be good to let a mechanic have a look at the brakes. It could happen if there is air in your brake line, which could cause problems when you brake.
Longer Stop Time
Another big and dangerous sign of problematic brakes is a longer stop time.
If you have been driving the same car for a while, you will know exactly how long it takes for you to brake. It will be muscle memory, imprinted on your subconscious.
So if you have trouble braking all of a sudden because the car is taking longer to stop, then you should get the brakes checked.