How to Tell When Your Chevy Needs a Brake Repair

As your Chevy dealer, we want to ensure that you’re always safe on the road. Good, well-serviced brakes are essential to keep you safe when you’re driving. Your brakes give you the ability to stop your car at any time. If your brakes aren’t working correctly, your car becomes dangerous to drive. These are a few of the signs that you may need a brake repair.

Brake Light

Your car has two brake lights, one for the ABS and one for the handbrake. These lights come on when you start your engine as a sign that everything is working correctly. If the lights don’t go off immediately, there is a problem with your brakes. One of the most common mistakes is a driver forgetting to release the handbrake before driving. If you drive with the handbrake on, you’ll experience resistance when you accelerate. You’ll also smell burning from the friction of the pads against the rotors.

If your ABS light stays on, this is a sign that your ABS is malfunctioning. The ABS prevents your wheels from locking when you brake. Locked wheels, especially in wet or icy conditions, can put your car into a skid. We recommend calling us right away so we can examine your ABS.

Screeching Noises

The brake pads have a friction material coating. This coating helps the pads to slow down your rotors faster. Each time you use the brakes, some of the friction material wears off. When the material has worn down to a certain point, a piece of metal in the pads is revealed. This piece of metal is built into each pad as a warning that the covering has worn off.

The next time you apply the brakes, the metal on the brake pad will strike the metal rotor. The horrible screeching sound that results from this contact means it’s time to change your pads.

Grinding Noises

If the pads that aren’t replaced when they start to screech, they will continue to wear out. Once the coating has worn off, the metal of the pads will directly push against the metal of the rotors. This metal-on-metal contact produces a grinding noise. The pads can cause serious damage to the surface of the rotors.

If you hear grinding noises when you brake, it’s important to call us right away. We can replace the pads very quickly. Our service technicians will also inspect the rotors for damage. If the rotors haven’t suffered serious damage, we may be able to repair them. Severely pitted and scarred rotors, unfortunately, are beyond repair. If necessary, our technicians can also replace the damaged rotors.

Bad brakes can turn a near-accident into a very serious accident. If you have any problems with your brakes, call our service department immediately at Jennings Chevrolet. Our family-run dealership has been a part of Glenview, IL since 1958. We provide the care, attention, and service you deserve.

Tags: car brake repair, car service in glenview
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