You may never have really considered how your brakes work, other than knowing that pressing the middle pedal makes the car come to a stop. Seeing as brakes are one of the most important safety aspects of any vehicle it is always worth understanding how they function.

There are various components that make up the braking system

Brake Pads – These are fitted in pairs to each disc, the pads are made of a very hard-wearing compound that provides excellent heat resistant properties and the ability to provide a high level of friction against the brake disc.

Brake Drums – These are not as common on modern cars but are still fitted to the rear of some smaller, and lower powered cars. The brake pads or ‘shoes’ are housed within the drum and pressing on the brakes forces the shoes outwards onto the inner edge of the drum which slows the car.

Brake Caliper – Calipers come in many shapes and sizes and employ one or more hydraulically actuated pistons which force the pads into contact with the disc when the brake pedal is pushed. The more pistons a caliper has the more evenly distributed the braking force is across the pad, and the larger the pad surface can be. The larger the pad the greater the friction acting on the disc therefore the better the stopping power.

Brake Servo (or Booster) – These act with the master cylinder to increase the force applied by the brake pedal via either vacuum from the engine or if on a diesel from a vacuum pump or sometimes via a hydraulic pump. Without the servo the brakes feel very hard and require much more effort to be able to slow the car. The servo only works when the engine is running.

Master Cylinder – The master cylinder converts the action of you pressing on the brake pedal into hydraulic pressure. As you press the pedal it moves the pistons within the cylinder which in turn acts on the brake fluid forcing it around the system.

The master cylinder will have the brake fluid reservoir attached to the top of it and will be connected to the brakes via a network of brake lines.

Brake Pipes – These are a series of thin pipes which connect the various components together to transfer the brake fluid around the braking system. Most of the pipes are made of copper but where they meet the brake calipers, they need to be flexible to allow the wheels to turn so you’ll usually find rubber ‘flexible-hoses’.

ABS Pump – Anti-lock brakes work by detecting when a wheel ‘locks up’ under braking. Wheel sensors detect when one or more wheels are no longer rotating and pulse the brakes on-and-off incredibly quickly. You’ll feel it through the pedal as a hard vibration. The ABS pump controls the distribution of brake fluid, and controls the action of the ABS.

So, what happens when you press the brake pedal?

As you press the brake pedal the force generated by your leg is amplified via mechanical leverage within the pedal assembly, then amplified further by the action of the brake servo.

The mechanical force of pressing the pedal is converted into a hydraulic force by the master cylinder. This forces brake fluid around the braking system via a network of brake lines.

The fluid forces small pistons within the brake calipers to push the brake pads onto the brake discs, and it is this clamping force which slows the car down.

How do you know when your brakes need attention?

During your annual service, our technicians will inspect your brakes to determine whether any component may need replacing and will advise accordingly. Many modern cars have Electronic Pad Wear Sensors. These bring it to your attention when the wire connects near the brake pad extremely close to the brake disc. Once the brake pad wears down past a certain point, the disc will start rubbing up against the wire. Eventually, the wire will break and the change in resistance will cause the brake wear indicator to light up on the dashboard.

At this point contact us to book your vehicle in.

Get in touch with us about your Brakes

Whatever your problem, our team of friendly, qualified engineers are always happy to help.
Call us on 01277 500060 or visit our contact page for more information.

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Top Tip:

Just to show how much we care about our customers, here is a top tip to ensure your air conditioning system continues running properly – run your air conditioning on full-cold for 10 minutes every couple of weeks. This will allow the fluids and gas to circulate through the system ensuring you don’t have to visit us too often to top them up.

Our full range of vehicle services

Brakes are the most important safety aspect of any vehicle, it is imperative to keep your brakes maintained. If they start to fail, they can not only impair your cars performance and safety but worn brakes may also lead to you failing your MOT.

GS Carcare can accommodate all light commercial/class 7 vehicles. We appreciate the importance of a tradesman’s vehicle so we provide swift servicing, repair & maintenance to keep you on the road.

GS Carcare supply and fit a wide range of tyres to all cars, trailers and light commercial vehicles. As the tyres are the only point of contact your vehicle has with the road it is important to make sure your tyres are in top condition.

Air Conditioning is a standard feature in many modern vehicles and needs to be maintained along with the other important features of your vehicle. GS Carcare can service, re-gas and repair all aspects of air conditioning to keep it running at top performance.

GS Carcare supply and fit only OE quality clutches & dual mass fly wheels on a regular basis at competitive prices.

GS Carcare provide professional 4-wheel alignment service using the most up to date software & equipment from Hoffman to maintain the life of your vehicle’s tyres, improve handling & get better fuel economy.

GS Carcare service all makes and models of cars and light commercial vehicles above and beyond dealer standard. We are accredited to stamp your service book or update your digital service book to ensure your full service history and warranty is maintained.

GS Carcare service and replace all timing/can belts and chains. This is the most important part of your engine. If not maintained correctly it will cause you severe engine damage and unnecessary costs.

GS Carcare use the most up to date diagnostic software & equipment to diagnose and fix any malfunction lights on your vehicle safely and efficiently, avoiding any costly repairs to your vehicle further down the line.