How Do I Know If My Brake System Requires Repair or Service?

The brake system on your car is vital to your safety, this type of repair or service is not something you can just put it off until a later date. Knowing the right warning signs and where to go to when you need brake service or repair can save you considerable amount of time and money. If you have a relatively new or late model vehicle, you maybe informed about your brake pad's thickness every time you bring it in for regular service through your local dealership. Although this information is helpful, but it doesn't offer you the whole picture when it comes to the brake system's condition. Today's brake pads will typically last about 40,000 km of driving, but many dealership service advisors will ask you to replace them at much earlier intervals. The reasons behind this practice are quite simple, since brake pads, shoes, and rotors are safety related items; it is hard to argue when it comes to repairs and service. Another reason is the brake system is simple to repair or service, but it pays the technician at least 2 hours of labor. This type of service or repair is the biggest "money maker" for the dealership, that's why it is recommended every time you visit. Think about this scenario from the service technician's point of view. You may have to spend the entire day diagnosing an electrical problem that only pays you 1 hour of labor, or you can change all the brake pads and machine the rotors in 1 hour while it pays you 2, which job would you prefer?

The next time your dealership recommends you to replace brake pads or machine your brake rotors, simply decline and pass on this job to your local trusted small repair shop. The cost difference can be from as little as 0 for the job to as much as 00, while there is virtually no difference in vehicle's performance. Unknown to many drivers today, there are plenty of warning signs before your brake system fails, here are the top 3 tell tale signs you can look for the next time you drive your car.

How To Replace Brake Pads

1. Does your brake system squeak? - Sound is one of the best indicators for potential brake problems, modern day brake pads are built with warning system in place. When your brake pads are getting low, there will be squeaking, scratching or metal to metal noises when you apply the brake pedal. This sound will get louder as your brake pads are getting lower in thickness, if you are not sure this is happening to your car, simple drive through a tunnel with your windows open and apply your brake pedal. The sound generated from the brake system will echo and amplified by walls from both sides of your vehicle.

How Do I Know If My Brake System Requires Repair or Service?

2. Does your brake pedal vibrate or shake when applied? - Vibration is another early warning sign for potential brake system failure, since the brake rotors will heat up and cool down many times a day. It can be warped and create uneven braking surface for the brake pads, this will result in vibration when braking. This symptom can be resolved by replacing or machine your rotors to ensure the braking surface are as flat as possible.

3. Are you losing brake fluid or pressure? - When applying your brake pedal, how far does the pedal travel? If your brake pedal is almost to the floor of the vehicle, you maybe leaking brake fluid or pressure from the system. This type of failure is particularly dangerous since your brake system requires considerable amount of pressure for safe operation. If you suspect there maybe a problem, don't delay! Get your brake system checked out right away.

So the next time you visit your local dealership, don't be fooled into spending unnecessary repairs on your brake system, get a second opinion if you don't experience any of the above symptoms.

How Do I Know If My Brake System Requires Repair or Service?
How to Inspect and Replace Car Brake Rotors : What is Rotor Failure? How to Inspect Car Brake Rotors Tube. Duration : 2.72 Mins.

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My RC Car Does Not Move

On a RC car that has a 2 speed gear box, the larger gear wheel will have a one way bearing in the middle which assists the gearbox and spins in one direction by sitting on the gearbox but will not spin in the opposite direction.

If the air or area is cold and or dirty then you may find that the one way bearing could fail due to the great becoming cold or dirty so looses its liquidity meaning the bearing to slip. If this is the case then attempt to warm up the car and gearbox for 5 to 10 minutes by means of a small heater, hairdryer and you should find the problem goes away.

How To Replace Brake Pads

If the problem reoccurs then the first gear wheel will need to be removed and wd40 or similar applied to the bearing and shaft. Using the wd40 make sure the shaft and the centre of the one way bearing remove all grease. You can then apply fresh grease but making sure it is one way bearing grease. You will find that remove the RC cars gearbox is pretty easy but will take a little while.

My RC Car Does Not Move

To remote the gearbox, find the 4 screws underneath the chassis and remote them and then remote the screws which hold the top chassis on. The servo cable will be attached so you will not be able to remove the upper chassis but it can be moved out the way enough. You can then access the gearbox and put back in ok with enough clearway. To put the drive shafts back into the drive cups can be tedious but find some tools such as pliers to keep them out the way. Once you have cleaned the bearing, if it slips still then you may need to replace it.

Some other reasons why your rc car might not move such as -

If the brake pads are touching or to tight can cause It not to move. Also if the car has been through water and the brakes are wet they could of expanded which stops the breaks from disengaging. You will A grub screw could of come loose which is normally connected to the drive cups, this allows the drive cup to go round so stopping the drift shaft from turning and moving the car.

A part or parts inside the differentials could of snapped or not tight enough. This area means you will need to open up the differentials and give a visual inspection to see if anything looks wrong. Have a look at the cogs, maybe they are slipping or worn out. If they are worn then they should be replaced instead of trying to fix them up and move them together more. For more information on Petrol RC Cars then see or website.

My RC Car Does Not Move
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Preventive Maintenance System

The Preventive Maintenance System is a series of service and repair

procedures performed at regularly scheduled intervals, to prolong the

life of your vehicle, and to minimize the chances of unexpected

breakdowns.

Why is the Preventive Maintenance System so important?

1. Ignoring the regular maintenance schedule will void the vehicle

manufacturer's warranty.

2. Maintenance doesn't cost a lot of money, unexpected repairs do!

3. It doesn't take a lot of time or inconvenience to do regular maintenance.

4. Many service facilities will do an oil change and fluids check while

you wait.

5. It's not a good feeling to know that your vehicle is not reliable. Regular maintenance makes the vehicle more dependable.

The preventive maintenance schedule is different for every vehicle. Some

vehicles are driven short distances, and not every day. Most vehicles are

driven in "stop and go" traffic for hours. Vehicle's manufacturers call this

"severe" service, and maintenance intervals for this type of driving are

much more frequent.

This website will give you basic guidelines for following your vehicle's

preventive maintenance schedule. You can't go wrong following these

simple recommendations, and adjusting the maintenance schedule

intervals in accordance with your type of driving.

The best source for the manufacturer's recommended maintenance

schedule for your particular vehicle, is the "Owner's Manual".

Contemporary cars and trucks should serve reliably for at least 200,000

miles. The key is the Preventive Maintenance System!

Let's take a look into the Preventive Maintenance System structure.

This system consist from:

1) routine inspections

2) regularly scheduled maintenance

3) scheduled replacements: brakes, timing belt, etc.

The Routine Inspections

The Inspections are a very important part of the Preventive Maintenance System.

There are two types of inspections to be done on your vehicle.

The first type -

is an inspection that you are probably doing right now and don't even realize it -

the visual inspection that you give youe vehicle every time you drive it...

You see your vehicle every day, and if you train your eye, you can spot the first

signs of trouble. You can save yourself a lot of money if you learn a few simple

inspection routines. Even if you know absolutely nothing about cars (how could

this be?), a simple inspection routine is very easy to learn.

First, let's examine the things that you can spot without any extra effort, such as

worn tires or fluid leaks. Bad tires are pretty obvious, and easy to spot - look

for the sag and bulge at the bottom of the tire that indicates dangerously low

air pressure. An under-inflated tire can cause loss of control of the vehicle!

Replacing a worn set of tires can save your life!

Fluid leaks are also easy to spot. After your vehicle is parked overnight, look

under the engine compartment, first thing in the morning. If you see a green

puddle, you've got a problem...

Look under the hood of your vehicle and see if there is a leaking radiator or

heater hose. If this is a case, don't start the engine - call for a tow truck. It may

cost you a little up front but you are saving the engine, and a lot of money!

Other checks are also easy to accomplish, you just have to make a little time

for them. About once a week - or each time you fill up the gas tank, if you put

a lot of miles on your vehicle - check the fluid levels. The most important check

you can perform is to keep an eye on your engine's oil level. A low oil level can

damage your engine! Keeping the oil at the proper level can save your engine

and save you a lot of money!

A low level of antifreeze can cause your engine to overheat - a surefire way to

destroy the engine! Also, the low level of antifreeze can indicate a more serious

problem - this is a reason to see a professional mechanic, to detect a potential

leak.

As you can see, you are the very first "line of defense" for your vehicle!

If you know how to replace a tire, you can inspect the front disc brakes yourself.

Remove the tire and look at the brake pads. Immediately next to the round brake

rotor, you will see a brake pad supported by a metal plate. There are two pads,

one on each side of the rotor. The thickness of a new pad is 3/8" (10mm).

If the brake pad thickness is less than 1/8" (3mm), it's time for a brake job.

Other important things to look for are excessive wear of the rear brake shoes

(if so equipped) and any evidence of leaking brake fluid.

While driving, keep an eye on your light and gauges. Know your light! If the "oil"

light comes on, pull over very carefully and shut the engine off immediately!

After waiting for a few minutes, check the engine's oil level, and add oil if needed,

before driving again, even if this means waiting until additional oil can be brought

to you!

If, while on the road, the temperature gauge needle jumps to the red zone - pull over

carefully and shut the engine off! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT try to remove the

radiator car right away! A very serious burn can be the result! Look at the

transparent reservoir for the antifreeze level ( the label on the reservoir's cap

typically says: Engine coolant only!) Remove the capfrom the reservoir if necessary,

and check if coolant is present inside. Add antifreeze or water if needed.

It's very tempting to drive the vehicle that last mile to a gas station by yourself,

to save the towing charge, but it makes no sense to destroy a $1500 engine (plus

labor cost and time without the car) to avoid a $75 tow charge!

The "oil" light and the temperature gauge are designed to be a warning for you -

to save your engine from destruction, and save yourself a lot of money!

The second type of inspection -

is the type done by professional mechanics.

At every oil change, ask the mechanic to look over the bottom of your vehicle

for leaks, broken axle and power steering boots. and to check the condition

of belts and tires. It's not going to cost a lot of additional money, but it can provide

you with very important information about your car's condition, every 3,000 miles.

All four tires should be balanced and rotated every 5,000 miles.

Balancing means that tires should be removed from the vehicle, and put on a

special computer controlled machine, that spins each tire to a speed of approximately

65 miles per hour, and then shows the technician the precise position to attach

special weights, to eliminate vibration.

Rotation means that tires that were in the front of your vehicle will be moved to the

rear, and vice versa.

This is also a good time to inspect your brakes or by yourself, or ask the technician

to do so. If the technician detects a problem, this is a good reason for a visit to a

repair shop.

You will then know condition of your brakes, every 5,000 miles.

1) The quick inspections done by yourself:

a) Leaks (oil, antifreeze - every day)

b) Once a week, under the hood (belts, hoses)

2) At every oil change (check for leaks under the car, tire condition and air pressure)

3) At every balancing and rotation of tires, the inspection of the tires and brakes will

give you a pretty good idea about their condition.

In short, if you are driving about 1000 miles per month, inspecting for leaks under the

vehicle will be done every 3rd month, and checking the condition of tires and brakes

will be done every 5th month. And you have to look your vehicle over for flat or under

inflated tires and visible leaks under the vehicle, every day or every other day.

That's all it takes!