How do you know when your brake pads and rotors need replacing?

At Premium Mechanical Services we offer mobile brake repairs in Brisbane, but how do you know if your brake pads or rotors need replacing? First of all, your brake pads don’t always need replacing when they are checked and sometimes, your rotors can be machined, rather than replaced.

So if you think that you might need brake repairs, let’s take a look at when your pads and your rotors need to be replaced.

  • Grinding or screeching noises: If you hear these sounds when you use the brakes, then it is a safe bet that your pads need to be replaced.
  • Brake pedal vibrations: This is called a pulsating brake and you feel a vibration in the brake pedal when it is depressed. Your pads might not need to be replaced, and you might get away with machining, but they certainly need to be inspected.
  • Clicking noises: This is another indicator that your brake pads have worn down sufficiently that they need to be replaced, rather than machined.
  • Car pulls under braking: If this happens then you need to replace the brake pads, but if it happens when you are not braking, you could just need a wheel alignment.

That’s the brake pads dealt with and is a fairly easy fix for a mobile mechanic, now let’s look at the rotors, because these don’t always need to be replaced at the same time as the pads.

As a general rule, when we perform mobile brake repairs in Brisbane, we find that the rotors need replacing about every second or third time we replace the pads. This does depend on your driving style and the type of brake pads you have installed, for example some brake pads will wear the rotors more aggressively than others.

You will need to replace your rotors if they are too worn, grooved or warped to be machined and this is determined by a full inspection at the time your brake pads are replaced.

It is always better to be safe than sorry and since we are a mobile mechanic on Brisbane’s Southside, we can come to your home or place of work, and inspect and repair your brakes as needed.

Call us on 0422 156 277 to discuss your brake problems or book a mobile service now.