Summer Has Arrived!
Warm weather and (hopefully) some vacation days mean that summer is the ideal time of year to inspect and maintain your braking system. Brakes are sensitive to temperature shifts as well, and those long, hot summer days can accelerate wear and tear on different parts of your brake assembly.
If you have a free afternoon or two this summer to dedicate to vehicle maintenance, use these pointers to stay on top of your brake upkeep, ensuring they stay in good shape for longer.
Cleaning the Wheel Hub
Because the wheel hub sits outside the brake assembly, it can collect grime and debris more quickly than other brake components. Any time you wash your car, it’s a good idea to hose down the wheel hub and towel dry it to get rid of any excess particulates stuck to it. However, dirt isn’t the only thing you’ll have to contend with.
Since wheel hubs are exposed to the elements and adjacent to the braking assembly, they can get very hot. This combination can lead to corrosion and a significant amount of rusting. Surface rust on the wheel hub isn’t usually a big deal from a safety or performance perspective. To prevent long-term, deeper corrosion though, you’ll want to use steel wool to buff your wheel hub and remove moderate amounts of rust. Be sure to check both sides—rusting is more apparent on the inner side of the wheel hub, and this is also where you’ll want to focus your buffing efforts.
Checking Your Brake Fluid
Replacing Worn Brake Pads
Inspecting Your Brake Calipers
Your car’s calipers are more durable than brake pads, but they don’t last forever either—they’ll need periodic servicing. They shouldn’t need to be replaced quite as often, but it’s always a good idea to give them a thorough look every time you service your brake pads.
After removing the hubcap but before replacing the brake pads, you’ll need to detach the calipers. This is a good time to inspect them for wear and tear. Calipers are subject to a great deal of corrosion, and rust often builds up on the surface. To prevent the piston from sticking and causing difficulties with braking, you should clean off any rust you find with steel wool before it penetrates to deeper layers of the brake assembly.
The piston seals on the calipers are made of rubber and are particularly vulnerable to corrosion as well. Over time, the rubber hardens and can flake or develop holes. If this happens, you might experience a braking fluid leak. If your piston seals are leaky or corroded, you’ll want to replace the entire caliper assembly as soon as possible.
Checking Your Brake Rotors
It’s important to give your rotors a look as well when you’re servicing your brake assembly. If your rotors are unable to distribute heat evenly, they’ll develop spotting and ringing around thermal hotspots. If your calipers have been wearing on them improperly, uneven braking pressure can cause “dishing,” where the rotor becomes concave on one side. As with other metal parts in your brake assembly, rotors are subject to corrosion too.
Once you’ve opened up the assembly, give your rotors a thorough inspection for signs of any of these problems. If they’re damaged or worn down, detach the rotor from the wheel studs. If there’s extensive rust buildup, you might have to give it a whack with a hammer to loosen it. Then swap in the new rotor and replace the assembly.