Brakes

Brakes are pretty much the most important safety device on your car. If you’ve ever partially lost your brakes in the past, you’ll agree that it’s not something you want to experience again. Inspecting your brakes twice a year for wear and damage can protect you and your passengers. Additionally, it will also help save you money by catching any damage before it becomes too costly.

Brake System Components That Can Fail

The master cylinder, the heart of the vehicles braking system, holds the brake fluid when it is not being delivered to the brakes through the brake lines. If brake fluid leaks because the master cylinder is worn or brake lines are plugged or broken, the fluid cannot be delivered and the brake pads will become ruined.

The brake fluid itself can become dirty or contaminated as it draws rust-causing moisture and picks up other debris, or it can break down from excess heat. Clean brake fluid is either clear or slightly yellow, while dirty brake fluid may be brown or even black. Old and dirty brake fluid can damage ABS brake systems internally.

The brake lines connect to the master cylinder through a combination valve, which combines a metering and proportioning valve. It regulates the pressure on the front and rear wheels to make sure both sets of brakes are applied simultaneously. A malfunctioning combination valve may cause the wheels to lock up.

Brake pads and shoes can be made of ceramic, metal or organic materials, while the disc rotors and drums they press against are made of metal. Because the pads and shoes create friction to stop the car, they gradually wear down over time and may wear away completely, letting the metal of the calipers and cylinders they are attached to grind against the rotors and drums and damage them. Some pads have a metal strip attached that sounds a warning whistle when the pad becomes too worn, but this strip sounds only when the car is in motion and the brakes are not applied.

We use an on car brake lathe for best brake performance.

Would my brakes pulsate if I had the brake rotors matched? — Nope!

Here’s Why: When we match rotors to your vehicle, we are eliminating all lateral run-out (a fancy term for wobble) down to less than the thickness of a human hair.

Why is that important? Because when a brake rotor doesn’t spin true (or wobbles), it will contact the brake pads twice each revolution (when your foot isn’t even on the brake pedal!). Over time this wear will cause the brake rotor to become unevenly thick and cause unwanted pedal pulsation and affect overall performance of the braking system.

What can be done? Call us today and get Pro-Cut rotor matching technology for your next brake job.

What’s a Certified RMS Center?

We at Duncan’s Auto Care are a Certified RMS (Rotor Matching Service) Center and receive additional training, have the most modern equipment, and have fully integrated rotor matching into our brake service process in order to provide the finest brake job possible!