You're traveling down the highway minding your own business; you apply your brakes and you hear terrible squealing noises! Noises like fingernails on a chalkboard or even more frightening, clunking sounds, or worse! These noises can be the first sign that's something's wrong, and you fear that brake pads or a brake rotors replacement will be necessary for fairly quickly!

When something like this happens, the first thing to do is to find out where the noise is coming from and what is causing it. Keep in mind that in most cases, a persistent noise, even after the brakes have warmed up, indicates that a repair is in order.

To help determine whether the squealing noise is simply a nuisance or a sign of a needed brake rotors replacement, brake pad repair, or just a service, here's a quick study on brakes:

Brake Pedal Action:

The pedal pressurizes a hydraulic system that pushes the caliper pistons out of the calipers, contacting the brake pads and pressing them against the spinning rotors. The contact of the pad's friction material on the rotors converts energy into heat and slows the vehicle. First, eliminate the possibility of any serious system problems. Brakes do not simply fail—they deteriorate. One element of the system wears and, over time, takes the rest of the system with it.

Normal Wear and Tear:

The most common example is badly worn brake pads, a simple and inexpensive fix. The next component in line for wear are the rotors. A brake pad, worn down to its backing plate, will eat grooves into the rotor. The pads may need to be replaced if badly worn. You will also need brake rotors replacement if they are too thin and badly worn as they cannot be machined properly.

Keeping Things Quiet:

Even if your auto mechanic has determined that your brakes are in tip-top shape, the squeal-- no matter how much effort has been expended to totally eliminate it--sometimes continues. Your mechanic may have a few options to quiet the noise once it has been determined that nothing is abnormal or needs to be replaced. There's no guarantee that the noise can be totally eliminated, but you can be assured the squeal will at least be reduced to a much less-irritating level.

Maintaining your braking system is serious business. If you need brake pads or brake rotors replacement, the professionals at Gary’s Quality Automotive are happy to help you. Contact our ASE-Certified Technicians by calling (308) 381-2295 or go online at https://www.garysautoinc.com/ for more information. Our auto shop proudly serves vehicle owners in Grand Island, NEWood River, NE, and Doniphan, NE.

If you need brake pads replacement, Contact our ASE Certified Technicians at Gary’s Quality Automotive for more information about brake replacement.

You're traveling down the highway minding your own business; you apply your brakes and you hear terrible squealing noises! Noises like fingernails on a chalkboard or even more frightening, clunking sounds, or worse! These noises can be the first sign that's something's wrong, and you fear that brake pads or a brake rotors replacement will be necessary for fairly quickly!

When something like this happens, the first thing to do is to find out where the noise is coming from and what is causing it. Keep in mind that in most cases, a persistent noise, even after the brakes have warmed up, indicates that a repair is in order.

To help determine whether the squealing noise is simply a nuisance or a sign of a needed brake rotors replacement, brake pad repair, or just a service, here's a quick study on brakes:

Brake Pedal Action:

The pedal pressurizes a hydraulic system that pushes the caliper pistons out of the calipers, contacting the brake pads and pressing them against the spinning rotors. The contact of the pad's friction material on the rotors converts energy into heat and slows the vehicle. First, eliminate the possibility of any serious system problems. Brakes do not simply fail—they deteriorate. One element of the system wears and, over time, takes the rest of the system with it.

Normal Wear and Tear:

The most common example is badly worn brake pads, a simple and inexpensive fix. The next component in line for wear are the rotors. A brake pad, worn down to its backing plate, will eat grooves into the rotor. The pads may need to be replaced if badly worn. You will also need brake rotors replacement if they are too thin and badly worn as they cannot be machined properly.

Keeping Things Quiet:

Even if your auto mechanic has determined that your brakes are in tip-top shape, the squeal-- no matter how much effort has been expended to totally eliminate it--sometimes continues. Your mechanic may have a few options to quiet the noise once it has been determined that nothing is abnormal or needs to be replaced. There's no guarantee that the noise can be totally eliminated, but you can be assured the squeal will at least be reduced to a much less-irritating level.

Maintaining your braking system is serious business. If you need brake pads or brake rotors replacement, the professionals at Gary’s Quality Automotive are happy to help you. Contact our ASE-Certified Technicians by calling (308) 381-2295 or go online at https://www.garysautoinc.com/ for more information. Our auto shop proudly serves vehicle owners in Grand Island, NEWood River, NE, and Doniphan, NE.

Gary Starkey