Serving the Gainesville and Hawthorne Florida Area
Disc brakes: replace pads : from $80 per axle
Drum Brakes: From $100-$125 per axle
(Prices good for most domestic or import cars and light trucks)
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Brakes, brake repair on Autos, Cars, Trucks
Brake Problems and repairs
Brakes are important. Bad brakes can scare you, even kill you! When you have a brake problem, it pays to fix it quickly.
Signs and Symptoms of bad brakes
brake warning lights
On any recently manufactured car a brake failure is usually accompanied by a light on the dash Sometimes there is more than one light that warns you of brake problems. The severity of these lights, as with ALL "idiot lights" is "red: stop! Amber: Caution!"
conditions that will trigger a brake warning light
Many things can turn on a brake warning light. Some are:
Emergency brake left on (red light)
Brake fluid low (red light)
Brake hydraulic failure (red light)
ABS problem (Amber light)
Brake pad wear (Amber light)
bad brake symptoms you'll for sure notice!
Soft or Hard Pedal
Some signs of bad brakes don't need a light to tell you something's wrong. A brake pedal can "feel different", either too hard, or too soft. A pedal that goes all the way to the floor is one of the scariest things that can happen when you're driving!
Brakes that Lock Up
Almost as bad are brakes that "lock up". They can be too sensitive, or just one wheel can lock up. Sometimes a car "won't move" or is hard to get moving.
Brakes that Make noise
Some brake noises are "normal" Some are not. A occasional squeal, especially with disc brakes, is normal. At least not dangerous. Any metallic grinding noise is NOT normal, and need to be fixed IMMEDIATELY!
Brake Repairs
Brake pad or shoe replacement
Commonly known as a "brake job", this is a common maintenance item on all vehicles. Just like tires, brakes will eventually wear out if you stop enough ties. How long they last depends on what kind of driving you do. Average is 50,000 to 100,000 miles for front pads, and maybe longer for rear.
How to determine if you need a brake job
Brakes that need replacement badly will make noise. A squealing, grinding noise. On a GM vehicle, they have a clever device: their disc brake pads have a piece of tin attached to them that hits the brake rotor when the pad is worn out: BEFORE the pad goes metal to metal and trashes the brake rotor. Sometimes you can see or feel the front brake pads without taking off the wheels. Ideally, either you or your mechanic check your pads regularly so they can be changed before they go metal to metal and trash your rotors.
Other common brake repairs
Brake Hydraulic Problems
Most all vehicles have hydraulic brakes. A special fluid, brake fluid, is compressed by a master cylinder which is linked to the brake pedal. Fluids don't compress like air does, so all the force of the pedal is delivered via brake lines to slave cylinders at each wheel. The "slave cylinder" for disc brakes is called a caliper. ABS, or Antilock Brake Systems have accumulators, pumps, computers, and valves controlling the fluid flow from the master cylinder to the wheels. Failure of any of these components can cause brake fluid loss and/or soft pedal. A red light will most likely come on.
Auto, Car, and Truck Article List
A
ABS: Anti-Lock Brake Systems
ADVANCE: Car ignition timing
ALTERNATORS and Car Battery
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS
B
BAD CAR DESIGNS
Bad Drivers: How NOT to drive
BATTERIES: Auto, Car or Truck
BELTS AND HOSES
BEARINGS
BODY AND BUMPER REPAIRS
BRAKE REPAIRS: Car or Truck
C
Car Washing and Care
CARBURETORS:Car & Truck
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT
CLEANING: Engine Cleaning
CLUTCH REPAIRS: Car & Truck
COIL (IGNITION)
COMPRESSION: Car Engine
COMPUTER CAR CONTROLS
CV JOINT OR CV AXLES
D
DISTRIBUTORS (IGNITION)
E
ELECTRIC WIRING REPAIR
ENGINES: Car & Truck
ENGINE CLEANING
EXPANSION PLUGS
F
FILTERS: OIL, AIR, ETC.
FREEZE PLUGS
FUEL AIR MIXTURE
FUEL INJECTION: Car & Truck
FUEL PUMPS: Car & Truck
G
GAGES AND "IDIOT LIGHTS"
GASKETS AND SEALS
GLASS: WINDOWS AND WINDSHIELDS
H
HEADS & HEAD GASKET
HOSES AND BELTS
I
"IDIOT LIGHTS" AND GAGES
IGNITION COIL
IGNITION TIMING: Car & Truck
J
AUTO JACKS: lifting cars safely
K
L
LEAN "Car runs lean"
LIGHTS: WARNING OR "IDIOT LIGHTS"
Limp Home Mode
M
MIL Light
MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS
N
NO START: Car Won't Start
O
OIL CHANGES
OIL: What's right for your car?
OIL LIGHT ON OR GAGE LOW
P
PCV Valve
Q
R
RADIATORS: Car and Truck
RICH: Car runs rich
S
SEALS AND GASKETS
SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT
SPARK PLUGS
STARTERS: Auto, Truck
T
THERMOSTATS
TIMING: IGNITION TIMING
TIMING BELT & TIMING CHAIN
TIRE REPAIR
TRANSMISSIONS: AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSIONS: MANUAL
U
V
VACUUM ADVANCE
WARNING LIGHTS OR "IDIOT LIGHTS"
Car Washing and Care
W
WATER PUMP REPAIR
WINDOWS AND WINDSHIELDS
WIRING REPAIR
X
Y
Z
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