You know that when you step on the brake in your car, it slows down and eventually stops. But what you might not know is that there are a number of different parts that help make this possible. Your brake pads are some of the most important parts in this process. Without them, your car isn’t going to slow down and stop efficiently. It’s why you need to make it a point to replace your brake pads on a regular basis to stop them from getting too worn down on you. “How much to replace brake pads?” is a question you might be asking yourself after hearing that. Let’s learn the answer to that question as well as other questions about brake pads below.
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What Are Brake Pads?
In a few minutes, we’re going to help you answer the question, “How much to replace brake pads.” But before we get to that, it’s essential for you to know what brake pads are and how they operate. It’ll give you a better understanding of why brake pads are so important and help you see why you need to have them replaced before they get too worn out.
Brake pads are pads that play a crucial role in your car’s disc brakes. They’re made out of steel backing plates and have a friction material on them that faces the rotors in your braking system. When you push down on your car’s brakes, these pads create a bunch of friction and help to bring your car to a stop. This friction wouldn’t exist without brake pads, which is why you need to ensure that they’re in good condition at all times before getting behind the wheel of your car.
Over time, it’s not uncommon at all for brake pads to begin to wear down. When they do, you’ll have to push down on your brake harder and harder to get your car to slow down and stop. This can cause accidents in some cases, and it can also cause damage to your brakes down the line if you’re not careful.
Are All Brake Pads the Same?
Once your brake pads have overstayed their welcome and are no longer producing the right results anymore, you’ll have to ask yourself, “How much to replace brake pads?”, and then have them replaced. But one thing you’ll want to keep in mind when you do this is that not all brake pads are the same. There are many different brake pad manufacturers out there that produce brake pads for vehicles.
Ideally, you want to go with top-of-the-line brake pads that are made specifically for cars just like yours. This will help you avoid having your brake pads wear down on you quicker than you may have expected. They’ll also ensure that your brake pads wear down evenly and that they aren’t affected too much by your environment. You should think about all of these things as opposed to simply focusing in on, “How much to replace brake pads?”, and picking the cheapest ones.
How Often Should You Replace Brake Pads?
At this point, you know how important it is to have fully functioning brake pads in your car. You also know how important it is to pick out brake pads that are going to work well in your vehicle. But what you don’t know yet is how often you should replace brake pads to steer clear of driving around in a car with bad brake pads in it.
Generally speaking, most experts will recommend that you have brake pads replaced at least once every 40,000 to 50,000 miles. That should be just often enough to guarantee that your brake pads don’t give you any problems when you’re out on the road. But with that being said, there are also some people who will slam on the brakes all the time and wear their brake pads out sooner than expected. If you’re one of these people, you’re going to have to do brake pad replacement more often than others.
Whatever you do, you shouldn’t try to make brake pads last much longer than 50,000 miles or so. If you do, you’re pretty much going to be asking for trouble. It won’t be long at all before you’re experiencing all kinds of issues with your braking system due to your old brake pads. You’re much better off looking out for signs of trouble with your brake pads and doing something about them before you reach the 50,000-mile mark.
How Do I Know If My Brake Pads Are Worn Out?
Does it feel like it’s taking longer and longer for your car to come to a complete stop when you’re behind the wheel? This is a clear-cut indication that something has gone wrong with your brake pads. You should drive your car down to a mechanic right away and ask, “How much to replace brake pads?” Otherwise, you run the risk of rear-ending a car or being involved in some other kind of accident.
And that’s not the only sign that your brake pads could be giving out on you. There are also at least half a dozen other signs that could suggest you need to replace your brake pads right away. Here are some of the things you’ll want to look out for when it comes to bad brake pads:
- Your brakes are constantly squeaking and/or squealing almost every single time you step on them to slow your car down
- Your brakes have started to make a very loud grinding sound when you press down on them to stop your car
- Your entire car has begun to shake when you step on the brakes (this could be something that suggests issues with both your brake pads and your rotors in some cases!)
- Your brake pad indicator light has come on inside your car and let you know that there is an issue with your brake pads
- You noticed that your brake pads looked a little bit thinner than they should be the last time you took a look at them
It’s easy for some drivers to ignore these signs of trouble with their brake pads. But this is not the approach that you should take. It’s imperative for you to contact a mechanic and ask, “How much to replace brake pads?”, to prevent them from causing more problems in the near future.
Can You Drive With Worn Brake Pads?
If you suspect that your brake pads might be giving out on you but you don’t have the time and/or the money to replace them, you might be thinking about driving around on them. This is not a good idea at all. In a best-case scenario, you’re going to make what’s already a big problem even worse. And in a worst-case scenario, you could end up causing an accident because of your bad brakes.
When you first notice that your brake pads are causing your car to squeak and squeal, you may be able to get away with not replacing them. But if you keep on driving your car around, it won’t be long before that squeaking and squealing turns into grinding and that is when the real trouble is going to start. Before long, it’ll be difficult for you to bring your car to a stop, and you’ll put your life and the lives of others at risk as a result of it.
It’s tempting to say, “It’s just some squeaking and squealing, my car is fine!” But that’s not what you want to do when you have bad brake pads. You want to contact a mechanic right away and see if they can squeeze you in for a brake pad replacement job at a reasonable rate. They’ll be able to let you know how much to replace brake pads.
Can You Replace Brake Pads on Your Own?
In an effort to save a little bit of money while replacing the brake pads on your car, you might wonder whether or not it makes sense to replace them on your own. Brake pads are readily available through most auto repair shops, so why not just buy them and fix your brakes on your own? It sounds like a good idea for those who don’t want to spend too much money to replace their brake pads.
The problem, of course, is that replacing brake pads is not something that just anyone should do. If you happen to make even a tiny mistake while putting new brake pads into place, you could literally put your life and the lives of others into jeopardy. It’s the No. 1 reason why you shouldn’t attempt to replace brake pads on your own if you’re never done it before.
The answer to the question, “How much to replace brake pads?”, will be a lot lower if you do the job on your own. But, at what cost? You could potentially do some real damage to your car if you don’t have the slightest clue as to what you’re doing.
How Much to Replace Brake Pads?
You might not be thrilled to hear that you need to hire a mechanic in most cases to do brake pad replacement for you. It can obviously drive up the costs associated with maintaining your car. But there is at least a little bit of good news here: In the grand scheme of things, brake pad replacement doesn’t cost anywhere close to what many other auto repairs do.
So, how much to replace brake pads? Depending on which mechanic you take your car to, you should be looking at a total bill that’s somewhere between $275 and $300. About two-thirds of the cost will go to the brake pads themselves with the rest going towards labor. That’s a relatively inexpensive auto repair, especially when you consider how important that it is.
How Long Does It Take to Replace Brake Pads?
One of the other great parts about paying someone to replace your brake pads is that, outside of ensuring your car is 100 percent safe to drive, they’ll also get the job done quickly. If you were to replace brake pads on your own, it could take you several hours to do it and possibly even longer if you get stuck on one part of it. A mechanic will be able to do the same job in a fraction of the time.
The type of car that you drive could impact the exact length of time it takes to replace brake pads. But you’re probably looking at spending an hour or two in an auto repair shop having your brake pads replaced. That will include the physical act of replacing the brake pads as well as resurfacing your rotors so that they work with your new brake pads.
What Are Other Common Brake Problems?
Bad brake pads are one of the problems that you’re likely going to face at some point when you own a car. But it’s far from the only brake-related issue that will pop up. There are also other things that can go wrong with your brake pads. Some of the most common problems include:
- Low brake fluid
- Bad rotors
- Worn-out brake drums
- Corroded calipers
It’s easy to mistake one brake problem for another in some cases, which is why you should always have a mechanic inspect your braking system before pulling the trigger on brake replacement. Simply replacing the brakes on your car might not always do the trick when you’re trying to fix an issue with your brakes.
Can You Sell an Old Car With Bad Brakes?
The answer to the question, “How much to replace brake pads?”, probably isn’t going to break the bank for you. But there are lots of other brake problems that could put a strain on your budget. They might even make you want to get rid of your old car once and for all.
If you choose to go that route, selling your old car to a junk car buyer would be a fantastic idea. At Cash Cars Buyer, we specialize in taking old cars off people’s hands and would be happy to purchase yours from you. We’ll pay you top dollar for your car despite your brake issues and prevent you from having to worry about dealing with them on your own. Get in touch with us today for more information on our junk car services.