Albuquerque Auto Repair

Your brakes are extremely important. Having good brakes just keeps you out of trouble. You’ll want to carefully maintain your brakes. With disc brakes, brake pads rub on a disc – or rotor – to slow the wheels. The pads are attached to a caliper that squeezes the pads against the rotor. It’s kind of like how squeezing the handbrake on a bicycle pushes the brake pads against the wheel of the bike. Now pads just wear away with use – kind of like a pencil eraser wears out. The good news is that replacing brake pads is a straight-forward repair. If you hear squealing or grinding when you use the brakes, have your service advisor check them out. He’ll have a technician perform a thorough brake inspection to see what needs to be done. He’ll check for signs of brake problems and go over other brake components to see that they’re working properly. He can tell you if it’s time to replace the pads or if there are other issues with your brakes that should be add ... read more

THE BREAK DOWN ON BRAKE SYSTEMS We rely on our brakes to safely slow and stop our vehicles. You’ve probably had the experience where you’ve slammed on your brakes and started to skid. When your wheels are locked up, you are just sliding over the road. And if the road is wet or slick or covered with gravel – you really get out of control. Steering is next to impossible. That is why anti-lock brake systems (ABS) were invented: to help you maintain control in extreme stopping conditions. As mentioned, control is lost when your wheels lock up. ABS keeps your brakes from locking – helping you stop while maintaining your ability to steer. Sensors on each wheel equipped with ABS monitor wheel spin and compare it with vehicle speed sensors. When you are pressing on the brakes, still traveling forward but your wheels are not turning, the ABS system steps in and modulates the brakes. The ABS quickly “pumps” the brakes, not allowing the wheels to lock up while still applying braking pressure. Thi ... read more