Category: Brakes

Full Stop (Brake Master Cylinder Replacement)

When you step on your brake pedal, you want to feel confident that your vehicle’s going to stop. If your brakes aren’t working right, it’s a risk to your safety and the safety of others on the road. After all, you’re driving a machine that weighs thousands of pounds, and you have to be able to stop that big machine quickly and with control, especially with some of the speeds you travel on the highways.

The heart of your vehicle’s brake system is the master cylinder. When you apply the brakes, the master cylinder has pistons, springs, and brake fluid. That fluid amplifies and distributes the force of your foot through brake lines to calipers at all your wheels. Those calipers squeeze down on rotors or discs, which is what slows down and stops your vehicle.

For safety, a master cylinder has two cylinders, one for two wheels, and the other for the remaining two wheels. That way, if there is a failure in one, you’ll still have braking power at half your wheels.

The master cylinder doesn’t last forever, of course, and here are some signs it may have problems. When you press on the brake pedal, it feels soft and spongy. You may see the brake light on your instrument panel go on. You may notice brake fluid leaking, or it may be discolored.

All of those are signs of brakes that need attention, and among the possible culprits is a master cylinder that has failed. When you bring it in for a technician to look at, they’ll check not only the master cylinder but also the rest of the components, such as pads, discs, shoes, brake lines, and hoses. If your master cylinder needs replacing, we’ll make sure all the other parts meet the manufacturer’s specs as well.

Brakes are important. Really important. Full stop.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Them’s the Brakes (Brake Rotor Resurfacing)

Your vehicle’s brakes wear out. It’s inevitable. You’ll notice it when you step on the brake pedal and feel it harder to stop, or there’s vibration when you are braking.

Most modern vehicles have disc brakes that each use a brake pad that press on a disc (disc brakes!) called a rotor. The friction between them enables you to stop, and each time you do a little bit of the pad and the rotor wears down.

The original brakes on vehicles used a rotor that was thick enough to last through at least two replacements of the pads. But vehicle manufacturers who want to save costs and weight now make them thinner, and sometimes the rotors have to be replaced after the first pad replacement. But not always.

Vehicle manufacturers specify a minimum thickness to provide safe braking. Sometimes rather than having to have your rotors replaced, they can be put on a lathe and resurfaced. In other words, the surfaces of the disc can be slightly shaved off so the surface is flat and doesn’t wobble.

Whenever you bring your vehicle in to have the brakes checked, the technician will measure the thickness of the rotors to see if they can be resurfaced without leaving them too thin for safe braking. If they can, with the right tools and skill, the rotors can be resurfaced. If not, the rotors should be replaced.

Discuss the options with your service advisor. Our service center can recommend replacements that are designed to help stop your vehicle as well as or better than the vehicle’s original rotors.

Either way, keep in mind that keeping your brakes in top condition can supply the margin of safety that may one day save your life or the lives of those around you.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Put the Brakes On! (Brake Caliper Replacement)

Keeping your vehicle’s brakes in top shape is one of the most important things you can do for your safety and those on the road with you. Most drivers know a little about brake pads and rotors but maybe not so much about another brake component called the calipers.

Disc brakes work by a mechanical system that presses your brake pads against discs called rotors (you can usually see these discs through your wheels). The friction stops your vehicle smoothly when everything is working the way it should. The calipers use the hydraulic pressure of the brake fluid to apply the stopping power.

After they’ve been on your vehicle for a while, the calipers can get stuck or wear out. If calipers on one side of the vehicle work correctly and not on the other, you might feel a pull in one direction. You might feel the same kind of pull if the caliper is stuck and is applying constant pressure. You might hear scraping or squealing coming from a stuck caliper and you might smell burning on that side. The friction from a caliper that’s always applying pressure may cause that wheel to heat up, so after you’ve pulled your vehicle off the road safely, the wheel with the stuck caliper will might feel hotter than the others

Because there are many different components to the brakes, it’s best to leave the diagnosis and repair to a trained technician. They will run each wheel through a series of tests and inspections that can pinpoint the problem. Sometimes it involves more components than just the caliper that may need changing at the same time.

The best way to make sure your brakes will perform well is to is to have our service center perform regular inspections and follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended service. That way your brakes will be ready, willing and able when you call on them to put a stop to things.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com