Do you know what can happen to you when you don’t change your key brake components at the right time? It’s horrible just thinking about it. The brakes on your car need regular maintenance and there’s just no way around that fact. In today’s blog, we want to look at the important parts of brake replacement, especially looking at what’s involved and typically how long it takes to get the job done. We especially want our focus to center on the changing of brake pads.
What is a Brake Pad Replacement?
Brake pad replacement refers to the procedure whereby your existing brake pads have become too worn down and thin to continue working safely, and so they are removed and replaced with fresh brake pads. The brake pad is the primary provider of safe friction that helps your brakes to work. They press up against the brake rotors to create the braking force that cars need to stop at any speed.
Besides Brake Pads What Other Components Need Replacing?
Other components in your brakes that might need replacing include the brake rotors and the brake fluid. The brake rotors are metal disks that bear the pressure of the brake pad, and the brake fluid is what provides the hydraulic pressure needed via the master cylinder to make all the moving parts move with enough force to make brakes effective in the first place.
The brake rotors can become warped over time, especially if the brake pads are not replaced in time and they experience metal-to-metal contact. Rotor surfaces have to be completely balanced, smooth and even to work properly. If they become even a little warped, they either need resurfacing or replacing.
Brake fluid becomes contaminated over time, especially by the presence of any outside moisture. It doesn’t pick up dirt and contaminants at the same rate as engine oil or transmission fluid, but it does become unusable after a few years. In environments where excess moisture can’t contaminate the brake fluid, it could last up to 5 years.
Why Do Brake Pads Need to Be Replaced?
Your car’s brakes take a lot of punishment in the course of their everyday use. From the hydraulics and the brake fluid to the brake rotors and pads, every time a driver depresses the brake pedal, the system is getting a little more worn and a step closer to needing replacements. The brake system includes the brake pads, which ensure perhaps the most raw friction of any single component in your car.
While your engine components undergo a lot of friction, they at least have the benefit of engine oil to act as a lubricant. The brake pads need changing before they reach the minimum safe thickness of ⅛ of an inch (3.2mm). Any thinner than that and their safe use can’t be guaranteed, nor can the structural integrity of your brake rotors.
Signs That Your Brake Pads Need Replacement
Sign 1: Squeaking or Squealing Noises
These are actually there by design. When your brakes are starting to squeak, it means your brake pads are getting low and it’s as though the car is warning you that you need to change the brake pads soon before the rotors get damaged.
Sign 2: Brake Pedal Either Soft/Spongy or Hard/Resistant
When your brake pedal starts to behave strangely, you need to consider that it might be something wrong with the brake pads, but it also could be the brake fluid or the rotors.
Sign 3: You Get a Brake Warning Light
The brake warning light should illuminate normally just when you’re stationary with the parking brake engaged. If you see it while you’re moving, or at least while the parking brake is not engaged, then your brake pads may be getting too thin.
Sign 4: You See the Tread Is too Thin
Finally, since on most cars with modern alloy rims, you can see the brake pads directly. Take a look and see if you can see how thick the pads are currently. If they look less than ⅛ of an inch (3.2mm) thick, then it’s already close to being too late!
Do you Need to Replace All Brake Pads At the Same Time
It is recommended by professionals that you do indeed get all 4 brake pads replaced at the same time regardless of condition. Technically speaking, there’d be no reason that if a car had its front 2 brake pads replaced along with new rotors, then the rear wheels could wait if they were still in good condition.
However, what’s technically possible is not typically what is deemed safest by mechanics or OEMs. The recommendation remains that when it comes time to change one brake pad, you should complete the whole set.
How Long Does Brake Pad Replacement Take?
It’s not unusual for a professional mechanic to be done with a brake pad replacement job in up to an hour, but other factors can lengthen or shorten that time. If they are a brake specialist who works on brakes all day every day — especially on the same brand of car — then they could get it done faster. The job can be done fast when it’s simply a matter of replacing brake pads, but other factors are important, too.
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Condition of Rotors
If the rotors are warped or otherwise not in good enough condition to simply replace the brake pads, then adding a change in rotors will make it take longer. It means the professional will almost certainly take much closer to an hour to get the job done, as opposed to 30-60 minutes.
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Thoroughness of Job
Real quality mechanics know that there can be a lot of steps required to make the brake pad replacement more successful. For instance, they might want to extract the callipers for cleaning, lubricating and then restoring. A straightforward brake pad swap will always be faster than one where additional repair, lubrication, disassembly or other procedures are required.
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DIY Job
If you have an inclination to do the job yourself, then it could take some time longer depending on what equipment you have, your current level knowledge and technical expertise, and any prior experience that you have (or don’t) when it comes to changing brake pads. No OEM would ever recommend that brake pads be changed by anyone other than a trained and certified mechanic.
An experienced amateur mechanic with some experience might take between 1-2 hours to get the job done. An amateur trying their hand for the first time might struggle to finish inside of 3 hours or beyond, and even then it might be done wrong.
What is the Cost of a Brake Pad Replacement Job?
Of course it depends on the type of vehicle you drive, but you should expect the cost to fall somewhere between $150 and $300 per axle for new brake pads. If you have to get rotors as well, that could go up to $500 per axle. Fortunately, if you usually change the brake pads in good time, there’s a chance the rotors have not become warped or damaged enough to need replacing and could take another set of brake pads.
Tips to Help Your Brake Pads Last Longer
- Avoid the Need for Hard, Sharp Braking – Sudden and harsh braking will bring lots of additional wear and tear. Keep a safe following distance from others, drive under the speed limit, and be aware of your surroundings to avoid any need for such braking.
- Don’t Overload the Vehicle – The heavier your car, the more braking force is required to make it stop, and that braking force is essentially what calculates the life of your brake pads.
- Don’t Ride the Brakes Downhill – If you travel down steep hills, slow down gently and sufficiently before you reach the hill, which will allow you to brake more gently on the hill, thus saving unnecessary strain.
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