Brake maintenance is one of the most important things you can do to help your car avoid being involved in an accident. However, there are many people that fail to appreciate the importance of this task, and this can cause them to make a couple of critical errors when it comes to their brakes. Luckily, you do not have to be extremely well-informed about this topic to avoid making some of these mistakes. In particular, the following two tips can help keep you safe from some common issues that brakes can encounter.
Use Proper Braking Technique
You may not realize that there is a proper technique to braking, but improper braking can cause substantial wear and tear on your brakes. If you make the mistake of riding your brakes, you can damage them due to overheating. When your brakes overheat, they are more likely to become warped, which can prevent them from effectively slowing the vehicle down.
When braking, you should use gentle to moderate force in short bursts. By applying the brakes and releasing them, you will give the heat generated a chance to dissipate, and this will significantly reduce the threat of warping.
Keep Your Wheels Clean
Many people are under the impression that cleaning their car's tires is strictly for cosmetic purposes. However, this is not actually the case because the dirt and grime that accumulates on the wheel and tire can gradually work its way into the braking system. When this problem develops, you will notice a significant reduction in the performance of your brakes.
To clean the tires, you should make it a point to only use cleaning solutions that are specially formulated for use on automotive wheels. Unfortunately, there are some people that may attempt to use dish soap or other household cleaning agents, but these can damage the brake pad. In particular, these substances can make the pads become brittle, which will cause them to suffer extreme wear and tear very rapidly.
There are few parts of the car that will play a more important role in keeping you safe than your brakes. However, this is one part of car ownership that many people are ill-informed about. By strengthening your knowledge about the importance of using proper braking technique and why you should keep the wheels clean, you should be able to reduce the chances that these two issues create major safety problems for your vehicle. For information on auto upkeep for a Volkswagen vehicle, contact a Volkswagen service.
Share13 June 2015
Hello. My name’s Samuel Jacobs. I retired from my job as an auto mechanic last year. During my years as a mechanic, I had the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Some have remained friends to this day. When I was working, there is one thing that I came across at least weekly. That is how uneducated people are when it comes to their vehicle’s tires. Properly cared for tires are crucial to the safety of your vehicle. Without them, your car isn’t going anywhere. If they give out on you while you are driving, there is the potential for serious injury. I’m going to share some tire safety information here. Things like the importance of correct inflation, how to check the tread, when to replace tires, tire rotation, and what to do in case of a blow-out. I hope you find this information to be helpful.