Brake Repairs

The Braking system is one of the most important safety systems in a Car and has to be kept in perfect condition.

 

The Basic Braking System
When you press the Brake pedal this causes the brake fluid in the Master cylinder to get pressurized. This pressure is transferred to the Pistons in the wheel cylinders or Callipers, which transfers the pressure to the brake pads or brake Shoes. This produces friction which stops the car.
The main areas where problems occur are

• Brake fluid naturally attracts water from the air (Hydroscopic) which accumulates over time. This "rots" seals and can cause boiling of the fluid. Please see Replacing Brake fluid for further explanation.

• The fluid leaks out onto the Brake Pad or Shoe and act like a lubricant reducing the friction and thus the ability of the Brake to stop the car.

• The Friction pads or shoes wear out.

• The areas where the friction pads rub on( discs or drums) to stop the car get uneven or wear out.

What we can do

Friction Pad or Shoe Replacement This is just normal wear and tear. They will need replacing every 50 000 to 100 000km. Most disk pads have a small piece of metal known as a wear tab on them. When the pad is almost worn out it touches the disc which causes a high pitched squeal designed to tell you the pads need changing. If this is ignored or there is no wear tab you will hear a grinding noise when the pad is gone. Damage to the metal parts happens very quickly once this happens and braking becomes very poor. Part of your WOF is to check these where they are visible. Your car will fail a WOF if the pads or shoes are nearly worn out.   The Pad on the left is partly worn and the pad on the right has gone through to the metal backing. This Right had pad also damaged the brake disc badly.

 

This photo shows a badly scored brake disc which would have to be machined flat or replaced before new pads could be fitted

 
Brake component Machining
Machine Brake rotors and Drums to recondition the surfaces back to new condition, provided they are thick enough (not worn out).
Brake Drum Machining - Read More and see photos
Brake Disc Machining - Read More and see photos
 
At Gleniti Auto we have the equipment need for all brake repairs.

Brake Lathe   The Brake Roller testing machine used to ensure that they are working correctly after repair