There is nothing wrong with a car that is five, 10 or even 15-years-old. There are many great features in older cars that many individuals love, but there are some things that you need to do as a responsible car owner to make sure your vehicle stays in tip-top shape. In our previous post, we mentioned that folks are starting to hold onto their older cars to save some money. Kearny Mesa’s most trusted repair shop brought you the first thing you could do to prolong the life of your car, and that is changing the oil every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. But what about the brakes?

Brakes

Without brakes, you wouldn’t be able to drive safely.To put it simply, brakes are your saving grace and are the most important safety feature equipped on your vehicle. So, when was the last time that you had your car’s brake pads replaced? Just like your shoes needing a replacement every few hundred miles of wear and tear, brake pads also need to be replaced every 30,000 to 40,000 miles of wear and tear. Note: Depending on your driving, whether you’re carrying towing trailers or carrying loads or braking fast, you may have a shorter brake pad life span.

If you aren’t sure your vehicle needs new brakes, listen closely; you may be able to hear squealing noises when the brakes are engaged. This is a sure sign that the brake pads are wearing thin and will need to be replaced as soon as possible. If this has been going on for a while or you feel shaking when you apply pressure to the brakes, there may be a bigger problem at hand: rotors and drums.

Join Kearny Mesa Automotive in our next blog to learn more about rotors and drums, and contact the mosted trusted repair shop for a brake appointment today!