How to Check Brake Pads

The brakes are some of the most important parts of your car. They’re vital to coming to safe stops during your drives around Stratham, Portsmouth, or Exeter, New Hampshire.

Different components make up the braking system, including the brake pads. They endure the most wear, so they usually require more frequent replacement.

Below, we’ll tell you how to check brake pads to determine when they need to be replaced. We invite you to read through this informative guide and contact us at BMW of Stratham when you’re ready for maintenance help.

How Do Your Car’s Brakes Work?

Your vehicle’s brakes are the ultimate safety feature; they are critical in keeping you and your passengers safe. Well-maintained and responsive brakes are essential to stable drives since they work to help you slow down and come to a stop.

How do they work?

Well, when you press the brake pedal, it triggers a complex process. Brake pads, made of friction material, clamp down on the brake rotors connected to the wheel. This action creates immense friction and heat.

The heat generated during this process slows the rotation of the wheels and can then bring the vehicle to a stop.

However, the friction leads to your car’s brake pads needing frequent attention.

Why Do Brake Pads Require Maintenance?

This frictional force between the brake pads and rotors allows you to control your vehicle’s speed and come to a safe halt, making brake pads an integral part of automotive safety.

Brake pads may typically be made from a composite of semi-metallic, ceramic, and organic compounds. The exact type that your car needs will depend on the kind of model, the manufacturer, and so on. You can learn more about this in your owner’s manual or by checking in with the experts at our service center.

To ensure that the brakes on your car continue to perform, you’ll need to check up on them regularly and then replace old sets. That’s why it’s important to know how to check brake pads and closely monitor their condition.

How Do I Know If My Car’s Brake Pads Need Attention?

The good thing about brake pads is that they’re designed to provide clear signals on when they need to be replaced.

There are several ways to check the brake pads, such as…

• Listening to them: If you hear metal scraping in the wheels when the vehicle is moving, then the brake pads are starting to wear down. The noise will usually get louder the more the brakes are used. So, you’ll want to get the issue taken care of right away.
• Feeling for any vibrations: When the brake pads are wearing down, you may feel a vibration when pressing down on the brake pedal. You may feel a vibrating steering wheel, too, which could also indicate brake pad issues.
• Check the wheels: Brake dust accumulation in the wheel is a sign of normal wear. As brake pads wear down, the amount of dust tends to decrease. So, if you notice clean wheels after previous dust accumulation, then the brake pads will probably have to be replaced.
• Look at the brake pads: In many vehicles, you can see the brake pads through the wheel. So, you’ll want to look at them to determine thickness. If they look thin, like less than ¼ inch thick, then they’ll have to get replaced as soon as possible.

Along with these signs, it may take longer to stop the car when you’re driving. Or, your foot may go down further than usual when applying the brakes. In any of these cases, you’ll want to get your vehicle looked at by a professional sooner rather than later.

How Do Driving Patterns Impact My Car’s Brake Pads?

Along with physically checking on your car’s brake pads, your vehicle’s recommended maintenance schedule can also give you a good idea of when to schedule a brake inspection. In your owner’s manual, the maintenance schedule offers advice on how frequently the brakes should be given professional care, which is also impacted by your driving patterns.

For example, if you drive in urban areas, constantly stopping and starting in city traffic will wear down your car’s brake pads faster. If you use harsh braking or use your model for off-road action, your car’s brakes may need more care and replacement.

Another good rule of thumb is to have the brakes checked when you come in for appointments like tire rotations. How often the brake pads need to be changed varies, so it’s a good idea to have your car’s brakes taken care of frequently.

What Service Center Can I Have My Brake Pads Checked?

When you get your car’s brake pads checked by a professional, lean on our help.

Whether you need them checked and replaced or just want some advice, bring your car to our state-of-the-art service center. Here, you’ll find a team of highly trained and certified technicians. They have years of experience performing brake pad service on different vehicles. Due to this, they can do the work quickly and efficiently.

Lean on us for expert help with the following:

• Brake inspections, where our team will thoroughly check your car’s braking system to see if any areas need maintenance.
• Brake part replacements, where we can switch out your car’s brake pads and more.
• Affordable service help, especially when you explore different service and parts promotions we offer on a rolling basis.

If, during our inspection, we find that anything requires a replacement, we’ll do the job using genuine parts—parts designed by your car’s manufacturer for your exact model. This is to help keep the vehicle running as well as it did when you first bought it.

We’re on hand to help you schedule an appointment. Contact our team or take advantage of our easy online scheduling tool, and we’ll get you on the books for some quality brake care.

Where Can I Order Brake Pads?

You can order new brake pads from our team directly if you’re looking for new brake pads. Please take advantage of our parts center, complete with an online ordering form.

Tell us about your car and the part you want, and we’ll get it in stock. If you have questions about what brake pads suit your vehicle, contact our team for answers!

Schedule Brake Pad Service Today

Now that you know what goes into checking brake pads, you’ll want to ensure yours are in good shape. To get started, schedule a service appointment at BMW of Stratham.

We aim to help drivers in Stratham, Portsmouth, and Exeter, NH, enjoy their commute in a well-performing vehicle. We want to do the same for you, so schedule brake pad service today!