How can I tell if my brake pads are wearing down?
When the brake pads wear down to a certain point, typically around 15 percent material remaining, the pads contact the sensor and the light illuminates. Step 1: Check for a Brake Pad Warning Light. If your car has this special brake pad sensor, you will see this symbol illuminated on your dashboard if your brake pads material has worn down.
When do you need to replace your brake pads?
When the light illuminates, you need to make arrangements to have your brake pads inspected and replaced to prevent any damage to brake rotors and calipers. Warning: Driving with worn brake pads can be very dangerous. If you need to brake suddenly, worn brake pads will not be as responsive unless floored harshly to the ground.
What makes a car stop when the brake light is on?
The pressure in the brake hoses forces a piston in the brake calipers to extend. The piston applies pressure on the inner brake pad at each wheel. The brake pad squeezes the brake rotor and the friction makes your car slow down and stop.
What should you do when your brake warning light comes on?
Vehicles with ABS brakes have two warning lights — one for ABS system malfunctions and one for mechanical problems. If one of the brake system warning lights come on, it can be a relatively minor problem or a major safety issue. Regardless of which brake light is illuminated, always check your car over before continuing to use your car.
When to know if your brake pads are worn?
Most newer cars have brake wear indicators when 2-3 mm or 0.04″ to 0.1″ left of the brake pad material. If you see a wear indicator on your dashboard, it is time to check your brake pads. The wear indicator wires and connectors can often cause the wear indicator to give false alarms on the dashboard, but it is worth checking.
Why does the brake pad wear indicator light come on?
If the light comes on, you should bring the vehicle to a certified technician to have the brakes replaced. More than likely, the light will shut off with the new pads installed. However, any issues with the sensors themselves will cause the light to turn on. Is it safe to drive with the brake pad wear indicator warning light on?
How much does a brake pad lamp cost?
Have had other cars where you can be through to the metal within a few hundred miles of the wear lamp coming on the front pads. Reasonableness of cost is largely dependent on the car – the ones on my Astra 1.7 cdti were £150 supplied and fitted at an indy a few years back.
Is it safe to drive with brake pad light on?
It is safe to drive with this light on for a short amount of time. As mentioned earlier, the light will come on when you still have some brake pad material left, but if you wait too long and continue driving, you will run out of material and damage the rotors.