Professional Brake Repair Services at Your Mazda Dealership

When you step on the brake pedal, you expect your Mazda to stop as quickly and smoothly as it’s designed to. Unfortunately, aged or damaged parts can make braking slower, which makes an accident more likely. If you need a brake repair, your Mazda dealer can fix the problem for you. These are some of the signs that your brakes need repair.

Signs You Need a Professional Brake Repair at Your Mazda Dealer

Leaking Brake Fluid

A car’s braking system depends on force to quickly and efficiently bring the wheels to a stop. The force is provided by pressurized brake fluid that supplies the hydraulic power which enables the system to work. This fluid is carried through the system in rubber brake hoses and metal brake lines. Despite their high quality, these components can become damaged, and the fluid will leak out.

If the brake fluid is leaking, you’ll feel less response when you press down on the brake pedal. Your car will also take longer to stop than it should. It’s very difficult for any driver to spot a leak as this fluid is thin and looks similar to cooking oil. If you suspect a leak, contact your Mazda dealer immediately so our expert technicians can trace the leak and seal it. Once this is done, your brakes will work normally again.

High-Pitched Screeching Noises

If you hear a loud screeching noise each time you brake, your brake pads have worn out, and you need a brake repair. The brake pads fit into the calipers, and the calipers clamp onto both sides of each wheel rotor when you hit the brakes. The pads have a friction-generating material covering that helps to quickly stop the rotors and bring your car to a halt.

The material covering a pad slowly wears down, as the friction generated by the pad causes minute portions of the material to break off each time you apply the brakes. When a pad’s covering drops to 1/4″ thickness, it reveals a metal spike buried in the material. This spike will scratch against the rotor when you brake as a warning that the pads are worn. We can quickly replace the pads, the noise will stop, and your brakes will work more effectively.

Overheated Brake Fluid

As we’ve seen, the brake fluid is forced through the system under high pressure when you brake, and this pressure generates heat. Once you take your foot off the brake pedal, the pressure reduces, and the fluid cools again. If you’re forced to ride your brakes, the brake fluid is kept under constant pressure. The temperature of the brake fluid will rise due to the pressure, and it can overheat.

Overheating is more likely with older brake fluid due to its reduced heat resistance. You’ll know your brake fluid is overheating as a nasty chemical stench will rise from the brakes. If the fluid gets hot enough, it will boil, releasing bubbles of gas into the braking system. These gas bubbles can block the flow of fluid, causing further brake issues. We solve this problem by bleeding the brakes to remove the bubbles and replacing the brake fluid.

Glazed Brake Pads

Riding your brakes can often be necessary if you’re trapped in gridlock and inching forward at a snail’s pace. If you frequently ride your brakes, this can cause damage to the brake pads and the rotors. Keeping your foot resting on the brake pedal when you move forces the brake pad and wheel rotor to continue to rub against each other and generates excessive wear on both components.

The contrast rubbing action can turn a brake pad’s surface smooth and glass-like, known as glazing. A glazed pad can’t generate friction, and the lack of friction forces the caliper to grip harder than it should to force the wheel to stop. In addition, the rotor can develop an irregular surface due to contact with the brake pad. At your Mazda dealer, we can replace the glazed pads, and we can also resurface a damaged rotor if required.

Uneven Rotor Surface

A rotor surface is completely smooth as this allows a caliper to easily grab and hold it to stop it moving. If you sometimes feel a vibration through the brake pedal when you brake, one or more of the rotor surfaces could be uneven. The vibration is caused by a caliper clamping onto a part smooth, part irregular surface. One of the most common causes of this problem is dried adhesive on a rotor.

If you jam on the brakes when your car is traveling at speed, increased heat is generated between the fast-moving rotor and the friction material on a brake pad. The excessive heat can cause some of the adhesives on the pad to liquefy and smear across the rotor. The adhesive will dry quickly but leaves an irregular surface behind it. When a caliper grabs this surface, you’ll feel vibrations. Your Mazda dealer can fix this problem by resurfacing the rotor.

Damaged Brake Booster

The brake booster is part of the braking system and is positioned behind the pedal. When you step on the pedal, the booster increases the pressure you exert by 10x. This provides the required pressure without forcing you to do a leg press each time you brake. The booster uses a vacuum system to produce greater than human force.

In time, the booster, like any other component, can become damaged. The vacuum system could develop a leak, and this prevents it from generating the necessary force. If you need to press down on the pedal much harder than you should, you need a brake repair ASAP. Our expert technicians will examine the booster and either repair it or replace it to fix this issue.

Worn or damaged brakes make driving extremely dangerous, as you don’t have full control of your Mazda’s speed. We’re experts at brake repair and have the knowledge and technology to quickly and efficiently repair any possible issue. Call our service department today at Cutter Mazda of Waipahu in Waipahu, HI.