Master cylinder – in response to the driver applying the brake pedal, the master cylinder creates hydraulic pressure which pushes brake fluid to the calipers and wheel cylinders

            Wheel cylinders and calipers – uses the hydraulically pressurized fluid to press the brake pad or shoe against the disc or drum.  Calipers are the component that does this in the case of disc brakes, and wheel cylinders do this in the case of drum brakes.

            Brake light – if it’s on, your brake system is in critical need of attention!  This light is an indication that your brakes require maintenance.  If your brake light comes on, you need to take your vehicle in for brake system inspection, since this light can indicate a problem with your master cylinder or other components of the hydraulic system.

            Linings – “Pads” are used in disc brakes.  In drum brakes, they are known as “shoes”.  This gives rise to an apt analogy that fits in with the concept of preventative maintenance.  Regular maintenance involves replacing pads and/or “shoes” – much like replacing the soles of a really expensive pair of shoes when they’re worn, but not worn through.  Waiting to think about your brake pads and/or “shoes” until you hear a grinding or squealing noise is just about like waiting until the soles are worn through and your toes are hanging out to take those expensive Italian leather shoes into the shoe shop!  If you do hear a brake noise, realize this indicates the absolute end of the life of your linings, and if you continue to drive the vehicle, you will do damage to the rotors.  Be sure to call the shop that same day and set up a brake service appointment.  Linings are material designed to press against the disc or drum and convert that kinetic, turning energy into heat energy, absorb the heat, and then dissipate it.  Of course, the heat wears down that material.  When it’s worn down, the backing, which is metal, makes contact with the disc or drum, and cuts into it.  Metal on metal is destructive and noisy.  If you’ve neglected your linings to this point, you can count on damage being done to the disc or drum, which means a more expensive job.

            Discs and drums – most newer cars have discs on both rear and front.  Some newer cars and many older cars have discs on front, and drums on rear.  Either way, for our purposes both discs and drums function in a similar fashion – they are spinning along merrily until hydraulic pressure pushes the pads, or “shoes” against them.  As long as the pads or shoes are not worn down, this will work beautifully.  If the pads are worn down, the metal to metal contact will cut grooves into the surface of the disc or drum.  If the grooves are very small the braking surface can be “machined”, that is smoothed out with a special lathe.  If the grooves are deep, or the braking surface has already been machined during a previous brake job, the disc or drum must be replaced.  This is significantly more expensive than a simple “brake job” – this is a “brake overhaul”.

            Other components – springs, clips, retainers, shims, and rubber seals are hardware components used by both disc and drum brakes.  Different shops vary widely on whether or not they use or replace various of these components at every service.  At Best Tech, we never scrimp on these small details, which can make a big difference in regards to brake performance, noise, and the amount of time the brake service will last.