What Is Done During a Brake Inspection?

29 April 2019
 Categories: , Blog

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Many car owners can tell you that they have their brakes inspected on a regular basis. Unfortunately, you won't get a similar number of people telling you that they know exactly what happens during these inspections.

Considering this is something to do with your safety, it is important to have an idea of what is done during such inspections, whether they're done by a state technician or in an auto brake repair shop. If there's anything wrong with your brakes, you'll want to know about this immediately.

Brake Pad Thickness

The brake pad is one of two friction elements that are used to bring your car to a stop. The brake pads are worn with continuous usage, with certain factors contributing to faster wear. If the brake pads are extremely worn, they may not be able to generate sufficient friction to stop the car, especially at a very high speed.

You can always expect that during any brake inspection, the technician will measure the thickness of the brake pad. The thickness of the brake pad is supposed to be higher than 1/8–1/16 of an inch.

Rotor Thickness

Although many people may expect the pad thickness to be checked, they may not realize that the rotor thickness is just as important. The brake rotors wear at a much lower rate compared to the brake pads. This ensures that they can go a long way before needing to be replaced. However, a low wear rate doesn't mean that the rotors should be ignored. Given enough time, most rotors will experience sufficient wearing to warrant replacement.

During an inspection, the thickness of the rotor should also be checked just to ensure everything is safe. It's also possible that the rotors experienced an unusually high wear rate if the pads were allowed to become too thin.

Sticking Pistons

The brake pads are pushed into position by pistons that are actuated by the brake fluid. However, there are cases where these pistons get stuck. When the pistons are stuck, the brakes won't work. Sand, salt, and other debris can cause the piston to get stuck, and this must be assessed.

Performance-Related Checks

Even if your brakes are presently in good condition, it's important to know how well they perform to know what their condition will be in the near future. Performance-related checks should also be done during the inspection to look for issues such as the uneven wearing of brake pads.

Contact a business like Furgerson's Garage for more information about brake repair.