Picture this: It’s raining. You’re driving down Kent Kangley and the car in front of you decides at the last minute to turn into the Starbucks (you know the one, right there on East Hill, next to Kent Meridian High School) and your life flashes before your eyes; you realize just how important your brakes are. If you’ve ever had your brakes go out while you’re driving down Highway 18 into Auburn, you know just how terrifying it can be! We want to make sure you and your family stay safe, so we’ve put together this handy guide to help you understand when you have a brake problem and how to make informed decisions about the repairs.
Often times, the first indication that something is wrong with the brakes is an unusual sound like a squeal, chatter, or grinding noise. If the sound is coming from your brakes, it’s possible that your brake rotors and/or the calipers may be damaged; this may be especially true if you drive a Ford that does not have wear indicators on their pads.
Most cars’ brake pads are embedded with a little piece of metal that will make an annoying squealing sound once the brake pads have been worn down to the point that they need to be replaced. Once you hear that sound, it’s time to have your brakes inspected right away at Central Avenue Automotive; brakes are one item on the car the longer you wait the worse it gets.
Some sounds are more urgent than others. A chattering sound usually indicates that something is loose, like the brake hardware. It could be a defective brake pad or a defective brake caliper. If one of those parts fails, you could have some serious trouble stopping the vehicle.
A grinding noise is typically is an indication that the brake pad is completely worn away and the metal back of the brake pad is now rubbing directly on the brake rotor. That means the rotor is being damaged and will most likely need to be replaced. Other warning signs that your brakes may be having issues are if the pedal feels soft and spongy; this is an indication that you are having hydraulics issues, or something is leaking. Or, it may feel very hard to push the pedal down, which is an indication that your power assist is starting to fail. Either one could mean trouble. And of course, if you are driving a newer vehicle like a Chevy Silverado or a Range Rover, you may get a dashboard brake warning light.
When it comes time for your technician at Central Ave Auto to replace the brake pads on your vehicle, you can choose which type of replacement pads you’d like to get. If you choose the same pads that came standard on your vehicle, you can expect the same performance and durability as with the pads that came on the car from the factory. In a lot of cases, many of these standard products don’t last as long as you’d think or fall under the warranty parameters that you’d expect; this tends to be the case with models like Ford E 250, Dodge Caravans or many Chrysler products. We’ve worked on a lot of 1-year-old vehicles with less than 20,000 miles and the brakes are worn out.
Some of our customers insist on more economical, lower-cost pads. No problem! At Central Avenue Automotive we’re happy to help our customers within their budget, which is why we offer a Good, Better, and Best Brake Pad Service. Each service is equal to or better than the original parts that came on the car. Despite this, there are some brake pads that we don’t offer. Lower grade pads are usually noisier, so you’ll have to live with more noise when you apply the brakes; your friends and neighbors will always know when you are close by – so if you are trying to sneak up to the soccer game that you’re late to at Tahoma High School, good luck! They also tend to generate a lot more of that nasty black brake dust that accumulates on your wheels and typically won’t last as long. In our opinion, that’s a lot of compromise for just a few dollars in savings.
Our Premium Brake Pads perform at higher specifications than the factory pads; if you choose to purchase, you’ll find you’ll get quieter operation, less brake dust, and better stopping power.
If you have any of these warning signs we’ve mentioned, don’t wait to have Central Avenue Automotive in Kent perform your free brake inspection today! Coming in soon for oil service? We’ll inspect your brakes at the same time, as well as perform a complete vehicle inspection and tire rotation. Our friendly and knowledgeable service advisors are always happy to help you make the repair decision that’s right for you.
Central Avenue Automotive
1514 Central Avenue South Ste. A
Kent, WA 98032
253.854.6762
