Knowledge Bank
Brake care
Brakes maintenance is essential for your safety. Slowing or stopping a car requires friction which is generated when you press the brake pedal - brake pads are used to slow and/or stop your vehicle.
How long brake pads last depends on various factors. How often you drive the car, the type of roads that you travel on and even how many passengers you have in your car. If you regularly use your vehicle on the motorway with no passengers you could travel thousands of miles before replacing your brake pads. If your regular trips are short journeys with passengers, the regular stop-start of city life and the increased weight in your vehicle may lead to the brake pads being replaced more often.
On many modern cars, there is likely to be a warning on the dashboard when brakes are worn. Don't rely on this though, if you can hear a loud screeching when driving, if the vehicle is pulling to one side of the road, or you feel vibrations through the steering, these are all indications that your brakes could require attention.