Need brake service, Austin? Come to a real brake specialist.

Austin brake repair: How do brakes work, and what needs to be fixed when they don't work right?

There are two basic subsystems to your braking system: the actual brakes, which "grab" the rotating wheels, slowing down and finally stopping that rotation; and the hydraulic system which "translates" the pressing of the brake pedal to an action that grabs the four wheels, and along the way "amplifies" it so that a fairly modest amount of foot pressure can stop a car or truck weighing several thousand pounds.

The most important thing to realize is that your ability to stop your car is only as good as the "weakest link" in your braking system. If the pads are worn, that negatively affects your ability to stop when you need to. The same is true when your rotors need service or if there is a problem with your hydraulic system, or any other part is worn or substandard.

Some of the indicators that you need brake service, Austin, include the following:

Squeaking brakes: Sometimes this is due to weather or road conditions, sometimes it is an indication that the stopping surface on your brake pads has "crystallized" and need replacement.

Grinding brakes: This almost always means you need new brake pads. The very annoying grinding noise is being made by a piece of metal sticking through the stopping surface of your brake pad as it meets the metal rotor. A brake specialist must fix this immediately.

Grabbing brakes: Grabbing is that sensation of uneven stopping, like you are applying hard-then-soft foot pressure even though your foot pressure is steady. This is often due to rotors that need to be "machined" or resurfaced. Rotors are the round metal discs that the brakes grab to stop the car. In order to have a nice even braking feel they must be perfectly smooth. But wear and tear makes them uneven and then you have grabbing. Don't wait too long to have this inspected.

"Soft pedal": Sometimes when you are at a stop you will notice that the brake pedal is slowly descending to the floor instead of staying firm. There can be several reasons for this, and some of them can be signs of a serious problem—it could mean you have a hydraulic leak somewhere, which is very serious, or it can mean you have air in your system, which is not that serious at all. Don't take a chance, have this looked at immediately by a brake specialist.