All About Your Brakes!
The blog this week is about your brake discs and pads on your Volvo or Toyota. When did you last check them? Do you just leave it for your annual service or MOT? Everyone is trying to save money at the moment, interest rates are rising, fuel bills are rising, food costs are soaring etc so when it comes to owning a car, we need all the help we can get to keep costs down. Read on to find out more:
Your brakes are one of the most important parts on your Volvo or Toyota – without them you will not be able to slow your vehicle down or
stop your vehicle. Thus, opening yourself up to a potentially avoidable accident. Here we will explain how you can check them yourself.
The brake discs are the large silver part that you can see on the inside of your wheel. They are around the size of a dinner plate. Over time they can
deteriorate which will affect your ability to brake. They may deteriorate because of corrosion or pitting. If your brake pads have worn down your discs will also be affected. Especially if there is metal on metal contact – you will most definitely hear the noise that this will make! If there is corrosion or pitting on your brake discs this will reduce the area of contact the pads have which in turn reduces the amount of friction between the pad and the disc which in turn reduces the overall effectiveness of your brakes. Check your brakes visually on a monthly basis.
The thickness of the brake pads is what you need to check also – obviously, over time and use the thickness of the brake pad will reduce – once the remaining pad is the thickness of the backing plate it is time to change your pads. Did you get an advisory at your last MOT for your brakes? If they are still legal at the time of the MOT your car will pass but the garage will tell you approximately how many miles you have left before they need to be changed. Some people ignore this advice and continue to drive until they hear the noise of metal on metal – this has then become a more expensive job! So, take heed – when the garage tells you that there are a thousand miles or so left on your brake pads get them changed before then! As a general rule of thumb they need changing every 40,000 miles – however some people make them last longer. If you are heavy footed on your brakes you will find that your pads will need changing more often, motorway driving will need less brake use than town
driving. Happy Safe Motoring Folks!
Here at ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Motor Trader Independent Garage of The Year 2015, 2019 & 2020, The IGA Big Awards 2022, The Inspire Customer Service Excellence 2016 Award, The Eagle Radio Customer Focus 2017 Business Award, The Workshop Magazine Workshop Manager of the Year 2017 Award, The LiveWire Excellence In Vehicle Servicing 2019 Award and The Aftermarket Excellence Award for Best Website 2019, The Eagle Radio Biz Award – Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 & the SME News Magazine Most Trusted Car Servicing Provider 2020, we pride ourselves on offering an outstanding customer experience for a fraction of the cost of a dealership. Give us a call and let us quote you for your next service or repair on your Volvo or Toyota. We service all areas around Farnborough, Fleet, Aldershot, Farnham, Guildford, Frimley, Camberley, Hook, Sandhurst, Crowthorne, Yateley, Hampshire and Surrey. We offer free collection and drop off services. We also have a fleet of courtesy cars to allow you to get on with your schedule whilst your Volvo or Toyota is with us. Happy Motoring from all at ACC UK Ltd – Independent Volvo & Toyota servicing, repair and MOT specialists based in the heart of Farnborough, Hampshire
