Braking Good (Brake Drum Replacement)

Maybe your vehicle feels like Breaking Bad. In other words, when you brake, things are bad. You may find it takes you a longer distance to stop, you feel a vibration, or it’s pulsating when you depress the brake pedal, or perhaps your vehicle pulls to one side.

Those can be symptoms of failing brake drums. While a lot more vehicles these days have disc brakes, many vehicles still have brake drums, almost always in the rear wheels. The drum is a cast iron shallow cylinder that surrounds the other parts, including curved brake shoes that press pads against the drum to slow you down or stop the vehicle.

Any time you have things going wrong with your brakes, you should get them fixed soon. Safely operating any vehicle depends on having the brakes be able to slow and stop you dependably. It can make the difference between avoiding a collision and having one.

When you bring your vehicle in, a technician will inspect your braking system. Depending on the wear, drum brakes can be resurfaced or replaced. Sometimes it’s cheaper to replace the drum than to resurface it. It’s important for all the other brake system components to be inspected first and all worn parts replaced.

Most of the time, when you have your drums resurfaced or replaced, the brake shoes should be replaced at the same time. You have brakes at each end of your axles, and the same brake service should be done at both ends so that both sides can have consistent, even stopping power.

Your brakes can save your life. If their braking power is bad, you owe it to yourself and others on the road to let us help make them good again. Good and safe.

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

More than Pads and Rotors (Brake Caliper Replacement)

You might be familiar with brake pads and rotors, two components of your vehicle’s brakes that have to be regularly serviced. Here’s another important component of your brakes: the calipers.

Calipers are used in disc brakes, the type of brakes now found in most recently manufactured vehicles. A caliper is the part of the brakes that squeezes the brake pads against the discs, or rotors, which turn with your wheels.

There are different kinds of calipers, but the basic principle is the same. You press down the pedal, brake fluid activates a piston or pistons that squeeze the brake pads against the disc and the friction slows down your vehicle.

While modern vehicles have a warning system to let you know it’s time to get your brakes checked, your brake light usually goes on when your fluid level is low or your fluid pressure is low. But you may have to look out for signals your calipers are the problem.

If your vehicle pulls to one side when you brake, that could be a sign that one caliper isn’t working right. If you smell a burning odor coming from a wheel after a trip, there might be too much pressure from a caliper. Grinding or squealing when you brake is another signal that it may be time to bring in your vehicle so we can check your brakes.

One way to minimize brake issues is regular inspection. Have them periodically looked at when you bring in your vehicle for an oil change. The good news is brake issues are more likely to be caused by pads or rotors wearing out. Calipers last a lot longer, but even they will need replacing every so often.

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

Motor Oil?The Synthetic Advantage (Synthetic oil vs Conventional)

You’ve probably already heard that regular oil changes are extremely important for the health of your vehicle’s engine. That’s sound advice. But what you might not know is when it comes to motor oil, the real thing may not be the best thing for your engine.

There are different types of motor oil:
• Conventional oil, extracted from the ground and refined.
• Synthetic oil, manufactured from high-quality base oils and artificially-made chemical compounds.
• Synthetic oil blend, a mixture of conventional and synthetic oils.

The first thing you need to know is that most new engines require synthetic oil. If synthetic oil is recommended for your car – you MUST use it.

For the rest, there are many advantages to using synthetic oil over conventional oil.

• Synthetic oil provides better protection for your engine while helping it to perform better.
• Conventional oil breaks down over time, while synthetic oil lasts longer.
• Synthetics can stand higher temperature extremes, both heat, and cold.

Synthetic oil can be a better choice if you live in an extremely hot or cold climate or put a lot of strain on your engine by towing or carrying heavy loads. It also may be good for older engines that sometimes have a tendency to develop sludge.

Synthetic oil is a more expensive option, but you likely won’t have to have your oil changed as often. Some synthetics are recommended to last 10,000-15,000 miles/16,000-24,000 km between changes.

You might also consider a synthetic blend that gives you some of the advantages of synthetic oil at a lower cost. Have a talk with your service adviser about recommendations for what will best suit your vehicle and driving habits.

It’s interesting to note that in recent years, more than one out of two vehicle owners are opting for synthetic oil or a synthetic blend when they get their oil changed. Sounds like they’re on to something. In the long run, if you have fewer oil changes with synthetics, you’ll use less oil, a bonus for our environment.

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