If you want to drive safely, make sure that your car’s brake pads are always in good condition. These parts are responsible for breaking the wheels and, consequently, the entire vehicle. If they are not in good condition, the chances of having an accident multiply exponentially. When to change them is another matter, there is no specific time limit, since it depends on the type of driving you practice, the surfaces you travel on or if you are a highway or city driver. It is advisable to check its status every 20,000 kilometers approximately. If that time has already come, heed the following tips on how to change the brake pads of your car.
Steps to follow:
1. First you have to make sure that, indeed, it is time to change them. The brake pads are used to squeeze the brake disc and produce the friction necessary for the wheel and, therefore, the vehicle to stop. These pads are protected by a coating and a metallic support that, with each braking, loses consistency. When they are too worn, they do not exert the necessary pressure on the brake disc and the car loses efficiency when braking, a very dangerous situation when driving.
Today, most cars have indicator lights that inform you about the condition of the pads and the brake fluid level. If, on the other hand, your car is a bit older, you will have to remove the wheel and check the thickness of the pads yourself. If, indeed, they are worn, it is time to change them.
2. First of all, you have to raise the car to be able to remove the wheel with which we are going to work. To do this, we will use the jack and, to facilitate our work, it is advisable to have the direction of the car turned towards the wheel that we are going to manipulate. Once this is done, we will use a key to unpin the wheel and be able to access the brake pads.
3. Once the tire is removed, the brake system, consisting of the disc, caliper and pads, will be exposed.
To open the brake caliper and have access to the pads, we will use a fixed wrench or a screwdriver to remove the two screws that hold it and be able to remove it out. In this way, we have gained access to the pills.
4. We will remove the old pads and replace them with brand new ones, which can be purchased at any replacement store. Once they are in place, it is necessary to compress and adjust the brake piston to fit them and, once this is done, close the caliper again and screw in the two screws. We already have the new pickups ready to roll.
5. Now you can put the tire back in place and repeat the same operation on the three missing wheels. Taking advantage of the fact that we have changed the pads, check the brake fluid level and, before embarking on a trip, with the car still stopped, press the brake pedal a few times so that the pistons are in the correct position until you notice that the brake gets hard.
