Brake Pads and Shoes in Wayne, MI

Brake pads are the parts that press against your rotors. The friction is used in order to bring your car to a precise stop. As the brakes are applied repeatedly over thousands of miles, the brake pads gradually wear down, reducing their ability to stop the car.

Some current vehicles have a wear indicator in which a small piece of metal attached to the brake pad that contacts the rotor when the pad material has been worn down to a certain level. When the wear indicator grinds against the rotor, it makes a squealing noise as you apply the brakes. This noise is a signal which tells you it's time to have your brakes examined. If the brake pad is severely worn down, it can leave deep, circular-shaped marks and grooves in the brake rotor. Those marks, called scores, look a lot like the grooves on a record and are a sign that the brake pads need to be replaced. If the scoring on the rotor is particularly deep -- from lack of timely maintenance -- the rotor itself may need to be swapped out with a new one.

Your brake pads should last tens of thousands of miles, but that depends on the specific vehicle you drive and your own driving habits. The more you use your brakes, the shorter the lifespan of your brake pads.

If you would like us to have a look at your braking needs or have any questions, come into Tire Stop or give us a call. We guarantee all of our work for the life of the product.