A car's brakes are the most important part of the car because they bring a fast-moving mass weighing upwards of 2,000 lbs to a safe stop. Brakes that stop cars must be strong enough to withstand the force of the moving car.
The best force for stopping is hydraulics, the force you feel when you touch the brakes. The brakes use fluid kept under pressure. Once this brake fluid gets low, the brakes stop working as they should. This quick read highlight signs your vehicle's brake fluid might need topping off.
Braking Problems?
Today's vehicles have sensors that tell drivers something's wrong. Some cars have a sensor that triggers the brake light on the dash. While the most common reason is low brake fluid, the sensor doesn't say why the fluid is so low. Thus, the brake light tells you something's wrong that should be fixed. But what if your car doesn't have a brake light? No worries, pay attention to these 3 things.
- The dashboard brake fluid light: When brake pads wear out, extra brake fluid stays in the calipers without returning to the reservoir. If you notice little puddles where your wheels were when parked, there's a leak near the calipers.
- Soft or mushy brakes: If it takes more foot pressure than it used to for stopping, you probably need more brake fluid and a brake line flush. Air can get in the brake lines when brake fluid gets low, reducing pressure. No pressure, or stopping force. Bleeding the air out of the line and adding more brake fluid fixes this problem. It's a good idea to replace dirty brake fluid.
- Brake line leaks: A brake line leak anywhere in the system can be dangerous when you need to stop quickly, like going downhill. Brake lines can be damaged in a car accident, or the connections might come loose. Even ordinary driving can cause leaks without knowing something happened.
if you believe you have low brake fluid, we invite you to bring your vehicle to Rix Automotive today!