A brake rotor is basically a machined disk of a specific kind of cast iron. The rotor is sandwiched between the wheel and the hub and spins with the wheel. A brake caliper clamps two pads of brake material against it which creates friction and therefore, stopping the force. Cost of Brake Rotor Resurfacing The operation … Read more
This is one of the basic maintenance jobs on any vehicle. Every time you apply the brakes, the pads and rotors both wear a little bit. Once the pads and rotors are worn too thin, they need to be replaced. Usually, the pads wear a little faster than the rotors. Because of this, sometimes, the … Read more
A brake drum is basically a shallow cast-iron cylinder. The inside drum of the cylinder is a machined surface that the brake shoes press against when applied. Most of the reasons to replace a brake drum have to do with the condition of that drum surface; each time the brakes are applied they create friction … Read more
The brake master cylinder is what generates pressure in the brake fluid when you press the brake pedal, and from there it is distributed to the calipers or wheel cylinders at the four wheels. The master cylinder is bolted to the brake booster, which is bolted to the firewall in the engine bay. Inside, the … Read more
The brake booster sits between the brake pedal and the brake master cylinder, and multiplies the braking force you apply to the brake pedal. Back in the old days that’s what was meant when a vehicle was advertised as having “power brakes”, and the brake booster is still often called a “power brake booster”. The … Read more
The basic goal of the service is the same on all vehicles – to replace the old fluid in the braking system with new fluid. This can be done by gravity bleeding or with a vacuum applied at the bleed ports, or with a pressurized tank that forces fluid in at the master cylinder so … Read more
The ABS system is designed to slow or bring a vehicle to a stop when it senses that a wheel has lost traction while applying the brake. It does this by rapidly applying and releasing the brakes. Usually, the ABS system is redundant to the primary braking system – meaning, that there is a normal … Read more
The emergency brake is a mechanism that locks the rear brakes down and keeps the vehicle from moving when parked. There are three different types of systems, and the emergency brake replacement costs and procedures vary significantly depending on which system is used. The two main types use a system that applies the rear brake … Read more