Why are my brakes squealing?

When you apply brakes, a squealing noise is heard which indicates the lining of your brake pads or shoes to worn away to the point where the metal is contacting the rotors and they need to be replaced. This squealing noise should be checked immediately which might cause damage to your braking assembly.

Is parking brake required?

Yes, this is the secondary braking system used t o hold a parked car in position. They are applied independently of the service brakes. The parking brake lever is provided with a ratchet lock mechanism to maintain the lever at the position to which it was set; some parking levers have an adjusting screw near the brake lever so the amount of brake lever travel can be easily adjusted, whether you have rear discs or drum discs.

What is the difference between Disc Brakes and Drum Brakes?
Disc brakes consist of a rotor, caliper and brake pads. The brake pads in the caliper squeeze the disk slowing the vehicle down. Most of the today's vehicles are equipped with the disc brakes. Where as, the drum brakes are more complex than disc brakes. It consists of large drum which has more components in the system. When pressure is applied to the brake pedal, hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder is applied to wheel cylinder. The piston moves outward against c-shaped brake shoes lined with friction material, to contact the rotation of the drum which brings the drum, wheel and the tire to stop.

Drum brakes usually do not provide enough stopping power to stop, and internal drums also cannot take nearly as much heat as would be required to let them be used safely on heavy vehicles. So, most of high performance cars use these disk brakes.

How do I properly diagnose brake noises?
When brake pedal is depressed, braking noise will indicate problems such as lining wear and the noises such as grinds, squeaks and squeals need a replacement of hardware and proper rotor finishing. The noises such as motor, pump cycling are normal in the operation of ABS.

Why are my brakes grabbing when I apply the brake pedal?
Grease, oil or other engine fluid that have contaminated your pads or shoes may cause grabbing. Other causes include problems with your hydraulic control valves, loose wheel cylinders or incorrectly sized brake drums.

What is causing my brake warning light to come on?
When you notice you brake warning light coming on, you should have your braking system inspected immediately to decrease the possibility of any dangerous problems. Possible causes include low brake fluid, problems with your parking brake, a hydraulic leak or an electrical fault.

When I am braking there's a terrible vibration. What could be the problem?
When the brakes are applied, steering wheel or entire vehicle vibrates or shakes. It is caused by disc brake rotor or uneven wear between brake pads and rotors, which need to be replaced and other problems may include loose components and faulty steering mechanism which causes vibration.

What causes a spongy pedal after the brake system has been bled several times?
The air in brake system results in spongy pedal. In order to compress this air in the brake systems follow proper bleeding procedures and sequences. The hydraulic components are lightly tapped with plastic mallet to free air bubbles from inner walls of calipers and wheel cylinders.

Brake pedal is very hard to press, what's the problem?
This is generally a symptom of power brake failure which causes due to failure of your vehicle's power booster. Check them immediately.

My brake pedal goes right to the floor, after I pump the brake a few times, the pedal goes back up again. Is my car safe to drive?
This is probably due to a leak in your brake system. The air is sucked into the brake lines in the hydraulic system, which causes a spongy brake pedal. After you pump the brakes a few times; you compress the air in the system and bring the pedal back to normal.

The vehicle pulls to one side when braking, why?
The worn, defective, damaged pads causes excessive brake wear which might cause the vehicle to pull to one side and other causes include problems with improper functioning caliper, alignment, suspension components and tire pressure.