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How to tell if your brakes need replacing

Willard is proud to have built its legacy for over 65 years to become one of South Africa’s most loved brands and the car battery supplier of choice from passenger vehicles to SUVs. With a 25-month warranty on every Willard car battery, the little black box that powers your vehicle offers peace of mind for more than 2 years.

Brake Maintenance

But what about your car brakes? Due to wear and tear, brake maintenance is one of those things that you simply can’t ignore, especially with the holidays around the corner and so many local must-see destinations to explore.

Fortunately, Willard has partnered with SupaQuick to offer some tell-tale signs about how to identify worn brakes and when they need to be checked.
Here are some common ways how:

Your brake light comes on.

When the brake indicator light on your dashboard comes on, you’re due for an inspection, or your car’s smart electronics system is alerting you to a problem.

Grinding or squealing noises.

Do you hear squealing when your wheels are turning, which stops when you apply brakes? This is an early sign of brake-pad wear as the steel of the pads makes contact with the rotor. If you hear grinding, you could have left your servicing for too long, and you are hearing metal on metal, and it’s now time to get those pads changed QUICKLY.

Leaking fluid

If your brake pedal has gone soft, you could have fluid leaking from somewhere in the braking system. If it is from the master cylinder, you can easily lose power in your brakes as your brake fluid drains.  Have a service technician check it out for you.

Soft brake pedal

If you notice that your brake pedal is becoming soft, have a technician take a look for you. Air or moisture can find its way into the braking system and can cause your brakes to fail.

A burning smell when driving

This could be caused by your brakes overheating. Stop your car as soon as it is safe to do so, and allow your brakes to cool. Not doing so could cause your brake fluid to overheat, causing your brakes to fail.

Keep an eye (and ear) out for any of these warning signs.
Be sure to have your brakes checked at your nearest Supa Quick to get December holiday ready.