Benefits of brake service and maintenance
Keeping your car brakes in tip top condition and regularly having brake service and maintenance, as part of your routine car servicing maintenance is important to ensure your own safety, as well as that of your passengers. Given the tropical weather in Singapore and times of heavy downpours, it is essential to maintain brakes to work well along with your tires so that you can also stop timely in the slippery conditions.
Checks during brake service
As part of your car servicing with us, we would be carrying out checks of your brakes for you. These include checking the level of your brake fluid, working condition of your brake pads, brake disc or rotor, brake lining, brake pipelines and hoses. These are all important components to ensure your brakes are in good working order. You can also come in for us to help you check specifically if you experienced some problems with your brake and may need brake repair.
Importance of brake fluid
An important part of brake service is to check on the brake fluid level:
- Brake fluid works as a lubricant for the movable parts in your brakes and provides defence against corrosion of the parts. It is hence essential that your brake fluid is at an adequate level in order to do its job.
- The quality of brake fluid also can get affected with use as moisture gets into this, and brings down the boiling point, it would need to be replaced over time. It only takes a small percentage of moisture to affect the boiling point.
- A 1% moisture level, for instance, can bring the boiling point down by 50 degrees, from 250 degrees down to 200 degrees.
- The impact can particularly be felt if you cross the causeway on a road trip to the hillier parts of neighouring Malaysia, and go through a series of bends or downhill.
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Experiencing signs that you may need brake repair?
There are some common signs that suggest you may need brake repair. Are you experiencing grinding sounds or high pitch squealing sounds when you step on your brakes? Has your braking distance increased more than usual? Is the feeling when you step down on your brake pedal spongy? Do you need to depress your brake pedal more to achieve the same braking distance as before? Or have you found that your brake warning light has come on on your dashboard? If you are experiencing any of these, it could be that your brakes are no longer functioning properly, and you may need brake repair.
Common causes of brake problems
When you experience the problems with your brakes as described above, it could be from a variety of causes. For instance, the squealing sounds when you step on your brakes could be from your brake pads wearing out. If however, instead you hear grinding sounds, this could point to a different problem – that the brake discs or rotors have been damaged.
We will carry out a brake inspection for you, when you come by our workshop to check all the necessary components, including brake pads, brake discs and brake lines and determine where the problem is coming from and what type of brake repair you would then need. Sometimes, there could be underlying causes. For instance, the more rapid wear to the brake pads could arise from a mis-aligned steering column, which can arise from a collision impact.
Common repairs needed
Brake pad replacement
Brake pads replacement is the most common repair, as the pads serve to rub against the brake rotor to bring your car to a stop and are hence being used whenever you are driving. The brake pads hence naturally become thinner over time as they serve their function. If your brake pads have become less than 3mm, they would then need to be replaced. These also need to be replaced in pairs as there would otherwise be uneven braking and cause your car to pull towards the direction where the braking is stronger. As an example, if the front brake pads are worn, these would need to be replaced for both of the front wheels. The cost of brake pad replacement is from $50 onwards for one brake pad, dependent on factors such as car make and model.
Some of you may have your preferred brake pads in mind. If you like a specific brand or type of brake pads – such as brembo brake pads, ceramic brake pads, ebc brake pads, ferodo brake pads, hawk brake pads or racing brake pads, just let us know and we can also advice on compatibility and ordering in the necessary parts in advance.
Brake lining
The brake lining is the component in the brakes that is contact with the brake disc when you step on your brake pedals to engage braking, and converts the car’s moving energy into heat. The brake lines can become rusty, and the rubber lines become cracked. As the worn out brake lining would cause the rivets to come into contact with the drums or rotors, it can cause damage to these parts. It is hence essential to replace the brake lining when they are worn out.
Brake disc or rotor replacement
Brake discs or rotors, together with the brake pads and callipers help to bring your car to a stop when you depress your car brake pedal. The brake discs work with the brake pads in creating the friction for the vehicle to slow down, and hence as they are often at work, they are also naturally subject to wear and tear. When in good functioning condition, the brake discs are smooth and shiny. However, over time, there can develop bumpy spots and damage. When this happens, the brake discs may either need to be resurfaced or brake disc replacement needed.
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Testimonials
After my free servicing period for my car, I thought it was time to look out for better priced alternatives. I gave ECV Car Service Singapore a call and tried out their service. It was a hassle free experience and good value. - Kenneth Chin, Buona Vista
I had a tire leak caused by a puncture after driving over some construction debris. ECV Car Service Singapore could fix this up for me so I don't need to spend on a new tire. Friendly workshop! - Mr K.T. Liew, Redhill
My car aircon was not functioning and I was not sure what the cause was. I initially brought my car to the dealer workshop and was told the compressor is down. But the price quoted for the compressor replacement was so high. I then gave ECV Car Service Singapore a call, and the price turned out to be much lower, and quality of service good. Thumbs up! - Joel Tan, Bukit Batok
Philosophy
At the heart of our service is to build a trusted relationship with you. When you send your car for car servicing, maintenance and repairs with us, you are assured your car is in good hands.
Our mechanics are experienced, with care for detail. We seek to delight you always, with the quality of our workmanship and good value for our services.
Why Us?
Our experienced mechanics have numerous years of experience in servicing and repairing of brakes, across the different car makes and models. Our passion is in our craft and we take great pride in having your car issues fixed up, so that you can enjoy a smooth, safe drive. Let us help you with brake service today to keep them running in tip top order, so that they can serve you longer, for a better value. We also offer a comprehensive range of car servicing, maintenance and repair services.