Brakes are one of the most important parts in your car when it comes to safety. Even a small brake problem is a potentially fatal one. This is why it's always advisable for drivers to take a prevention-focused approach when it comes to their brakes.
However, an overly cautious approach can also lead you to spend more than you need to on your brakes. You should know enough about your brake system to know when it is right to splurge on brake repair and when it won't make a difference.
Repairing or Replacing the Master Cylinder
The master cylinder is what holds the brake fluid before it is sent to the cylinder in each wheel. If the cylinder is damaged in one way or another, the brakes may not hold no matter how hard you step on the pedal.
Repairing a master cylinder will usually set you back a few hundred dollars, but the cost could be higher if there are other parts of the system that need to be fixed as well. You should expect to repair the master cylinder at some point since it wears down with time.
Replacing Drums, Rotors or Calipers
Many car drivers are accustomed to replacing brake pads since they are known to wear down regularly. However, brake drums, rotors and calipers can also require replacement at some point. For example, these parts can become damaged if exposed to too much heat. This is known to happen if a driver has an aggressive driving style.
Replacing these parts will probably set you back a few hundred dollars. However, this will also depend on whether it's only the caliper that's damaged or the rotor/drum as well.
When Not to Splurge
Although it's tempting to spend as much as possible repairing any problem that touches on the brakes, it's not always necessary to do this. There are many brake issues that can be corrected without breaking the bank. These include:
Replacing worn brake pads
Adjusting misaligned calipers
Replacing the brake fluid
This is not to say that you should look for the cheapest possible solution. You can check a number of repair shops and try to figure out the average price of these repairs and what is involved. At the end of the day, you should be able to know who is charging a fair price for brake service and who is trying to take advantage of you.
Share5 October 2018
After my car died and I was stranded on the freeway a few years back, I knew that I had to do what I could to avoid similar issues in the future. I began working hard to identify different issues with my car, so that I could prevent problems. I began working with a mechanic to get help, and he taught me a lot about going through my car and being able to evaluate different things that were problems. It was really interesting to explore the possibilities of different car failures, and before I knew it, I could tell when my car was struggling. Read more about the early signs of car trouble on my blog.