Braking Assembley Illustration

It’s easy to forget that the most crucial component of any car or vehicle is your brakes. If you’re travelling on a motorway at 100km (or roughly 60 miles per hour) it can take the full width of Croke Park’s football pitch (around 90 metres) to come to a full stop – and that’s if your brakes are properly maintained.

As such it’s essential that your car brakes are both well maintained and checked regularly. There may well be some obvious signs that your brakes may need attention, such as warning lights on your dashboard, a grinding or squealing noise when braking, or the feeling that your car isn’t slowing as quickly as it used to. However, other indicators may not be as obvious.

OTHER INDICATORS OF BRAKING PROBLEMS

Brake and suspension tester Coby Autos www.cobyautos.ie

Does you car feel like it pulls to the left or right when braking? This could be a brake related issue if one of your calipers is sticking – thereby applying the brake to one side of the car but not the other or unevenly to the cars’ wheels. This could also be caused by a damaged brake hose or uneven brake pads.

Pulling can also be caused by non-brake related factors such as uneven tyres but if your car is pulling at all it absolutely should be checked out by qualified professionals without delay.

A vibrating brake pedal, or one that is ‘mushy’ underfoot or has to travel almost to the floor before engaging the brakes – or indeed brakes that appear to clamp on with only the slightest pressure are other signs that something is amiss.

It’s probably fair to say that your brakes are the things on which your safety on the road most depends. Faulty brakes therefore pose a serious threat to you, your car occupants and other drivers on the road.

TESTING BRAKES AND SUSPENSION - DIAGNOSTICS

Coby Autos: Braking & Suspension Testing Equipment