You might have noticed uneven wear on your brake pads. There are lots of reasons that can happen, and Young Automotive can help you to understand the big ones. The more that you know about how your car and the various systems within your car function, the easier it is to spot when something isn’t working right.
Your Rotors Have Variations in Them
Most items that are manufactured meet certain specifications, but they’re not perfect. That means that your rotors might look as if they’re one thickness all the way around, but there are minor differences. Your brake pads can end up showing that variation on their end because they’re trying to connect with the rotors as solidly as possible.
Rotors Get Dirty and Rusty Over Time
Your car’s wheels get dirty and they also get doused when it rains and when you drive through puddles. That causes the metal rotors to oxidize, which is also called rusting. They don’t tend to rust over completely unless your car is sitting for years. But what does happen is that the brake pads come in contact with that rust and scrape it off. That doesn’t always happen in an even fashion.
Brake Pads Aren’t Always Properly Aligned
Sometimes, even from the manufacturer, brake pads aren’t always properly aligned. That means that they’re addressing the rotor at an angle that is just slightly wrong. If the misalignment is really bad, it will probably be obvious when you try to stop your car. You might find that the brakes never seem to catch or that you have a tougher time stopping when you should.
The Calipers Might Be Malfunctioning
There’s more to this system than just your rotors and your brake pads, and these parts can definitely affect the wear on your brake pads. If the calibers have some sort of issue, possibly because they’re not compressing the pads properly, that means that the brake pads aren’t able to do their job, either. Sometimes the issue with calipers is mechanical, as in the calipers simply don’t open and close the way they’re supposed to, or there’s an issue with brake fluid.
Need help sorting out what’s going on with your brake pads? Young Automotive in Sturgeon Bay, WI can help. Give us a call and we can set up a time to take a closer look at what’s happening with your brakes. No matter what the problem is, we can get it fixed properly.
