Your car's brakes are among the most important safety features on your vehicle. However, the brakes on your car will need regular care to ensure that they continue to function. Sadly, if you are like many other drivers, you may not have a very thorough understanding about this part of your car, but learning the answers to a few brake questions will help you to be better able to maintain this safety feature of your vehicle.

Why Would You Need To Have The Rotors Replaced Or Resurfaced?

The rotors are critical brake components as the brakes pads will press against them to slow the vehicle. This can cause tremendous amounts of friction and wear on the rotor. Eventually, the rotors can be almost completely worn down, which can inhibit the effectiveness of the brakes.

Depending on the severity of this wear and tear, your mechanic will need to either replace or resurface these rotors. In instances where the rotors are wearing unevenly, resurfacing can help to restore the effectiveness of the rotors by ensuring the brake pads have a suitable surface to rub against.

How Can You Tell If Your Brake Pads Need To Be Replaced?

Replacing the brake pads is one of the more routine tasks that you will need to do for your brakes. When the brake pads become worn, you may notice that your car makes a loud grinding or squealing sound whenever the brakes are applied.

Additionally, you may find that the car is taking noticeably longer to stop, which can pose a serious safety concern. If you notice these issues with your car's brakes, you will want to have them inspected by a trained professional to determine whether or not the brake pads are in need of replacing.

Why Do You Need To Have The Brake Fluid Changed?

In order to allow you to easily slow or stop the vehicle without having to apply much pressure, the brakes use braking fluid to provide hydraulic pressure. Unfortunately, this fluid can suffer wear, which may compromise its performance as well as contribute to excessive wear and tear on the brake system. This can occur because the brake fluid may absorb moisture from the air, which can lead to both a decrease in brake performance and corrosion of the interior components of the brake system.

The exact frequency with which you will need to have your brake fluid changed will depend on a number of factors, such as braking habits and the design of the car. To help ensure that you avoid driving your car with compromised brake fluid, you should have this fluid tested each time you get an oil change. While this brake service may add a small fee and additional time to your oil change, the advantages of ensuring that your car has high-quality brake fluid can be more than worth the added expense and inconvenience of having the brake fluid tested.