It's important for you to stay on top of the regular maintenance of your car, as well as to pay attention to any and all signs it gives you letting you know that it needs maintenance or repairs. One part of the car you need to be concerned about is the brakes, and this is an extremely important part you never want to ignore when signs of problems come up. You can learn some important basics about your car's brakes, how to care for them, and how to spot troubles by reading the information detailed here:
Your brakes require more care than most other parts
Most of the parts in your car are made to last for a long time — in many cases, for the lifetime of the car. However, there are some parts that you can count on needing to have serviced, repaired, or replaced on a somewhat regular basis. Your tires and the car battery fall into this category and so does the brakes.
Your brakes can be prematurely worn
There are things that you can do as a driver that can cause your brakes to end up wearing out and needing to be replaced well before their time. One of the things that you may do as a driver that will put a lot of additional wear on the brakes is riding them when it isn't necessary. Riding the brakes is a term that is used to describe continuously pressing on the brakes to try to better control the speed. If you have issues lowering the speed, it is better to downshift. Riding the brakes causes them to get hot, which can lead to damage with not only the brakes but the rotors they are attached to as well. This is something that is commonly done when someone is going downhill, such as when they are traveling in the mountains.
You need to watch for brake issues
You want to check on the brake fluid and top it off as needed when you are checking on your other fluids. You also want to take the car in to have the brakes replaced when you know that the time is near, or when you hear a squeaking sound coming from the wheels. If you feel grinding when you step on the brakes, then they need to be changed immediately because driving on them like this is dangerous.