In Austin? Brake service something your car has been needing? Come see a real brake specialist at Austin-owned Brake Specialists Plus! We'll diagnose the problem, explain your options, and get the work done on time and on budget.

Brake Repair: Austin drivers need to know how brakes work and what needs to be fixed when they aren't working 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.

The following symptoms indicate that your car needs brake service, Austin:

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. Whistling when you are driving can be wear indicators in your brake pads, telling you that you need pad 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.

	When it comes to car repair, Austin cares about the impact it has on the environment and not just the work itself. You can be confident that when you have brake repair done at Austin's Brake Specialists, we don't take any shortcuts on the repairs or when dealing with parts and fluids. For brake service, we recycle the metals and refurbish the cores. We also use a water-based parts washer with a special bacteria that eats oil and excretes it as a safe, neutral organic material.