Your brakes are the most important safety feature on your car. They stop you from having accidents and keep everyone safe. But brakes wear out over time, and when they start to fail, they give you warning signs.

Knowing these warning signs can save your life. It can also save you money by catching problems early. Let’s look at what to watch out for.

Strange Noises When You Brake

Squealing sounds are usually the first sign your brake pads are wearing out. Most brake pads have small metal tabs that scrape against the brake disc when the pad gets thin. This makes a high-pitched squeal.

Don’t ignore this noise. It’s your car telling you the brake pads need changing soon. If you keep driving, the pads will wear down completely.

Grinding noises are much more serious. This means your brake pads are completely worn out. Now metal is grinding against metal. This damages your brake discs and costs much more to fix.

Clicking or rattling when you brake can mean parts are loose or worn. This needs checking straight away.

How Your Car Feels When Braking

Pulling to one side when you brake is a clear warning sign. Your car should stop in a straight line. If it pulls left or right, you might have uneven brake wear or a problem with your brake system.

Vibration through the brake pedal often means your brake discs are warped. You’ll feel the pedal shake under your foot when you brake. This makes stopping less effective and needs fixing.

Soft or spongy brake pedal is dangerous. Your pedal should feel firm when you press it. If it feels soft or goes down too far, you might have air in your brake lines or a fluid leak.

Hard brake pedal that needs lots of force to work properly can mean your brake booster isn’t working. This makes it much harder to stop your car.

Warning Lights on Your Dashboard

Brake warning light is obvious but important. If this red light comes on, stop driving and get help. It usually means low brake fluid or a serious brake problem.

ABS warning light tells you there’s a problem with your anti-lock braking system. Your brakes will still work, but you won’t have ABS help in an emergency.

Don’t ignore dashboard warning lights. They’re there to keep you safe.

Changes in Stopping Distance

If your car takes longer to stop than usual, something’s wrong. You know how your car normally feels when you brake. Trust your instincts if something seems different.

Longer stopping distances can mean worn brake pads, low brake fluid, or other brake problems. Get this checked quickly.

Grabbing brakes that stop too suddenly can be just as dangerous as brakes that don’t work well enough.

Visual Signs You Can Check

Thin brake pads are easy to spot if you know where to look. You can see your brake pads through the spokes of your wheels. If the pad looks very thin (less than 3mm), it needs changing.

Grooved or damaged brake discs look rough or have deep scratches. Smooth, shiny discs are normal. Rough, grooved, or rusty discs need attention.

Brake fluid leaks show up as dark puddles under your car where you park. Brake fluid is usually clear or slightly yellow when new, but turns dark brown when old.

Worn tyres on one side can show brake problems. If one front tyre is much more worn than the other, you might have uneven braking.

Smells That Mean Trouble

Burning smell after hard braking is normal, but if you smell burning during normal driving, your brakes might be sticking. This is dangerous and wastes fuel.

Chemical smells can mean overheated brake fluid. This happens when brakes get too hot and stop working properly.

Any unusual smell when braking needs checking.

Age and Mileage Matter

Brake pads typically last 25,000 to 70,000 miles, depending on how you drive. City driving with lots of stops wears them out faster than motorway driving.

Brake fluid should be changed every two years. Old brake fluid absorbs water and becomes less effective.

Brake discs last longer than pads but still wear out. They might need replacing every 50,000 to 100,000 miles.

If you don’t know when your brakes were last serviced, get them checked.

How Your Driving Affects Your Brakes

Heavy braking wears out your brakes faster. Try to brake gently and give yourself more time to stop.

Riding the brakes by keeping your foot on the pedal while driving makes them overheat and wear out quickly.

Mountain driving with lots of downhill sections is hard on brakes. Use engine braking when possible.

Towing heavy loads makes your brakes work harder and wear out faster.

When to Get Help Immediately

Some brake problems need immediate attention:

• Brake warning light comes on
• Grinding noises when you brake
• Car pulls hard to one side when braking
• Brake pedal goes to the floor
• Strong burning smell from your wheels
• No brakes or very little braking power

Don’t drive if you have any of these problems. Get help straight away.

Regular Brake Checks

You should have your brakes checked at least once a year. Many garages include brake checks in regular services.

At First Auto Centre, we check your brakes thoroughly. We look at your brake pads, discs, fluid, and all the other parts. We explain what we find in simple terms.

We’ll tell you what needs doing now and what can wait. We never recommend work you don’t need.

Simple Checks You Can Do

Look at your wheels when they’re dirty. If you see lots of dark dust, your brake pads might be wearing out. Brake dust is normal, but too much can mean problems.

Check your brake fluid level if you can find the reservoir under your bonnet. The fluid should be between the minimum and maximum marks.

Test your brakes gently in a safe place. They should work smoothly without pulling or grabbing.

Listen for unusual noises every time you brake. Get anything unusual checked out.

Don’t Wait for Problems

Brake problems get worse quickly and become more expensive to fix. A £50 brake pad replacement can become a £300 repair if you wait too long.

More importantly, faulty brakes are dangerous. They put you, your passengers, and other road users at risk.

Get Professional Help

If you notice any warning signs, get your brakes checked by professionals. At First Auto Centre, we have the tools and knowledge to diagnose brake problems quickly.

We’ll test your brakes properly and show you any problems we find. We explain everything clearly so you understand what needs doing and why.

Your safety is too important to guess about brake problems. Trust the experts and keep your brakes in good condition.

Remember, good brakes don’t just stop your car – they stop accidents before they happen.