Your brakes are undoubtedly one of the most important components of your vehicle. Designed to keep you safe, the brakes can sometimes make annoying and even frightening squeaking or grinding sounds. Aside from being unpleasant, if your brakes are making unusual noises, it’s a sign of a serious safety issue. Read on to learn more about these noises, what they mean, and what you can do to stop them.
Grinding Sounds
Brakes that produce a grinding sound need immediate repair. In most cases, that grinding noise means that your brake pads or shoes are worn out. The grinding noise is a result of metal rubbing together which is not only dangerous but could also lead to extremely costly repairs later down the line. If you hear a grinding noise coming from your brakes, the pads and shoes are usually rubbing against the backing plate that makes contact with the rotor or drum. Another cause could be a sticking caliper that makes the brake pads rub against the rotor or wheel cylinder.
So how do you get rid of this awful grinding sound? For most cars, the brake pads or shoes will need to be replaced. The mechanic should also perform a visual inspection of the rotors or drums to look for any serious signs of wear. These signs can include cracking, heat spots, or scoring. They should also check the current thickness level of your rotors or drums to determine whether they can be restored or if they need to be replaced. If the problem is a sticking caliper, lubrication may be all that’s needed. If not, the caliper will need to be replaced.
Squealing
Those high-pitched squealing sounds might mean you have cheap brake pads, but they could also be a sign of a more serious issue. Overheating brakes will create a light squealing noise but heavier sounds mean you could have too much friction in the pads or shoes. Replace your brake pads with new, high-quality ones to help stop this issue. Ceramic brakes are an excellent choice and they make very little noise. Another cause could be that debris has gotten caught between the pad or rotor, causing a squealing sound. Remove the debris and check the brakes to see if this eliminates the problem.
If you hear any type of noise coming from your brakes, you should have it checked out immediately. Don’t let the problem go on for too long or you could end up with a much more expensive repair bill and a potential accident.
For all your vehicle maintenance and repair needs, call University Auto Repair in Flagstaff today!
