Brake Services

Is it finally time for a brake repair service on your vehicle? As tough as it is to spend money on auto repair, there is one thing all customers want to keep up with – your braking system. Nobody wants to change their brake pads more often than they have to so here are the variables that go into answering the question of when it’s time for a break service:

How aggressively does the driver brake?

What is the quality of brake pads currently installed?

What is the overall health of the rotors?

How does the weather impact the braking system?

What is the make and model of the vehicle?

What is the average weight carried or pulled by the vehicle?

There are always recommended intervals by both car manufacturers and brake pad manufacturers ranging from every 25,000 miles to every 70,000 miles.

With such a wide gap, how do you know it’s really time for brake service? We believe there are two ways customers can determine when to replace the brake pads on their own vehicle: use the same mechanic for all service and repairs, and understand at a very basic level, the vehicle braking system. If you’re not confident with the latter, we recommend the former and would love for Rob’s Auto Repair to be your consistent auto shop of choice!

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN A BRAKE REPAIR SERVICE?

Let’s go through what actually happens when it’s time for your car to come in for a brake repair.

First, we will pull off the old brake pads. There are several types of brake pads:

Semi-metallic

Ceramic



Organic (rarely used anymore, they just wear too quickly).

There are pros and cons to each type. No matter which kind of pads you currently have installed, they each have friction material which is meant to wear down over time.

New brake pads to be installed

Once the brake pads are off, we will lube the calipers, slides, and pins.

Next, we will machine the rotors, when necessary.

We will finish a brake service job by installing the new pads, new shims, and new anti-rattle clips.

While we have your vehicle, we will put it through our standard inspection to look for anything else that you may want to know about before going on your way. When the car is ready to go, we’ll speak to you about any recommended future repairs and then you’re out the door!

As mentioned above, the best way to know it’s time for a brake service is to take your vehicle to the same shop for all service and repairs. Having a complete history and the opportunity to monitor your vehicle over time puts you in the driver’s seat and transforms your mechanic into your pilot, guiding you to the right services as they are needed.

This is what we do! We become your guide and advocate, helping you prioritize every service within the scope of time and finances.

Other symptoms or signs you can look for are quite obvious. We’ll itemize them below.

Grinding – that sound you hear when you apply the brakes and immediately think, “Oh, that can’t be good.” It probably isn’t. When you hear grinding it doesn’t always mean that your brakes are completely destroyed. However, it does mean that you need to get your car to a shop before you go anywhere else. You need to know what’s going on.

Squealing – typically customers associate squealing with something being wrong with the brakes, however there are actually a few other reasons your brakes will squeal or start squealing.

First, most brakes have a warning indicator that will squeal when your pads are getting low.

Another reason you’ll hear squealing when braking is that the pads you are using are on the cheaper end of the quality spectrum. Cheaper brake pads will produce larger amounts of brake dust and when this dust is introduced to the rotors, it can create a squealing sound.

If you notice your brakes starting to squeal, it’s a good idea to have your braking system looked at. You’ll have peace of mind knowing if it’s simply a byproduct of your pads or if there is an issue that needs attention.

If you ask our customers what they appreciate about our shop, they consistently mention the speed with which we operate, while still not sacrificing quality and safety.

Time is the one thing you can’t buy more of, and a vehicle down for any reason is a big sacrifice for you and your family. If you can schedule an appointment ahead of time, it will take less than two hours per axle. If you’re having all four wheels serviced, we will aim for less than four hours.

When you arrive on the day you want your brake pads replaced, whether scheduled or simply walking in, we will let you know your estimated wait time so you can make appropriate arrangements.

Bottom line, we’ll work hard to get it taken care of quickly and efficiently. If you haven’t had a conversation about your brake pads with a technician in the last 12 months, we recommend having the conversation as soon as possible. When you bring your vehicle in we will ask you to check in and make a note of anything you’d like us to look at, so make sure to mention your brakes!