Your Nissan’s brakes are very responsive and can stop your vehicle almost instantly when needed. This is important, as good brakes can be the difference between a near miss and a front-end collision. In time, the brake components wear out, and your brakes become less responsive until repaired. As your Nissan dealer in Bowie, MD, we’d like you to know some signs you need to visit us for a brake inspection.
Signs You Need a Brake Inspection at Your Nissan Dealer
Glazed Brake Pads
Brake pads have a rough material covering and fit into the calipers using clips or pins. When you hit the brakes, the calipers close on the wheel rotors, and the brake pads generate friction against the rotors, bringing them to a stop. Once you take your foot off the brake, the calipers are withdrawn until the next time. Glazing occurs if a pad is kept against the rotor for too long.
This can happen with older pads if you must brake frequently over a short period or if its caliper doesn’t fully retract as it should. Constant contact with the rotor turns a pad’s surface smooth and glass-like. A glazed pad can’t produce friction and could cause your Nissan to veer to one side when you brake. We can replace a glazed pad in minutes to fix this problem.
Low Brake Fluid
Brake fluid provides the hydraulic power that forces the calipers against the rotors. It’s highly pressurized, and you can feel this by the resistance generated when you push down on the brake pedal. The combination of heat and pressure in the braking system can cause damage to the brake hoses or brake lines over time, and brake fluid can leak.
You’ll feel a lack of fluid as your pedal needs to be pushed harder for your brakes to engage, as the pedal provides little resistance. A brake fluid leak is serious, as a lack of fluid can cause your brakes to fail. We’ll trace and repair the leak, then refill your brake fluid.
Grinding Noises
The two main causes of grinding noises are badly worn brake pads or something lodged in a brake caliper. A stone or other rough object could lodge in a brake caliper, damaging it further each time you brake or damaging the rotor, depending on the object’s location. We’ll check the calipers and remove the object.
Severely worn brake pads have lost their material covering. Each time you brake, the metal brake pad grinds against the rotor. This can cause serious damage to the rotor if it continues. We’ll replace the pads and repair or replace the rotors.
If you have a brake problem, contact our service department ASAP at Nissan of Bowie in Bowie, MD.
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