You accelerate. Your car goes. But when you apply the brakes, what happens? Does it stop firmly, when and where you want it to? It’s inevitable: if you keep your vehicle long enough, you’ll need some brake repairs done. The key is to know the symptoms of brake problems to prevent your brakes from being worn down or developing other brake issues sooner than they should. Firestone Complete Auto Care will help educate you on your brake system, so you can let us maintain your brakes before they get too bad — and before you have to spend more money than necessary to get them fixed.

How Your Brake System Works.

To shore up your stopping power, here’s a little info about how a brake system works. When you press the brake pedal it depresses the cylinder, delivers brake fluid to the calipers to activate your brake pads. The pads then make contact with the rotors creating friction and stopping you car. It’s a complicated process involving many parts working together to perform one important function. No worries, though, because your Firestone Complete Auto Care technician already knows all of this information. More importantly, they know how to repair your brakes whenever there is a problem.

Screeching, grinding, squealing, rubbing, and other ear piercing noises: Sound familiar? Using your ears is the most common way you know you have a brake problem. Bad sounds suggest that your brake pads (or shoes) may be worn down. Don’t ignore those cries for help: bring your car in to Firestone Complete Auto Care, and we’ll perform a brake inspection. This includes inspecting your brake pads, rotors and other vital system components, and offering a solution if something requires repair.

You’re driving along, and you come to a stop sign. You press the brakes to stop and your foot goes down more than usual. Or maybe you just feel some pulsation in the pedal or your steering wheel — and your vehicle favors one direction when you apply the brakes. There might even be a pungent burning smell by the tires after you stop. Don’t ignore any one of these less-than-stellar symptoms — they might suggest your brake system is compromised. And if your brake warning light comes on don’t wait to bring your vehicle to get checked out. We can certainly help to fix most any problem they may have.

Here’s a stat that will stop you in your tracks: Our expert technicians perform nearly a million brake services a year. That’s more than any other auto care provider in the world. Ok, enough bragging. Just bring your car into Firestone Complete Auto Care and you’ll leave with good-to-go brakes. Promise.

ASE Certified People and Quality Parts.

Castles made out of sand melt into the sea eventually. The point: if you don’t use quality parts put in by expert professionals, you’re selling your brake system short. So we use only premium parts and hire trained qualified technicians. In fact, we have over 5,000 ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) certified brake technicians at over 1,600 stores nationwide — more than any other shop on earth. Parts and people add up to brake excellence.

Stop Unnecessary Brake Expenses.

Let’s have a heart-to-heart: brake work can be expensive because the system is so intricate. There are many components involved including the most common brake problem culprit: worn rotors. If you let the brake pads wear down to the rotors there will be nothing there to protect the rotors when stopping, thus wearing them thin. And when rotors get too thin, you’ll need them replaced. This is one of the most expensive parts of the brake system to replace, but also vital to its performance. But most times if you get your brakes checked out before the pads wear down to the rotor, you’ll be in much better position to save some money on repairs.

Brake repair doesn’t have to be expensive if you catch a potential problem early. Before you hear or feel signs of brake trouble have us perform a brake inspection. We recommend getting your brakes inspected at least once a year if not more. So the next time you get your tires rotated (every 5,000-10,000 miles) you might as well get your brakes checked too. If you wait too long and extensive damage occurs to your brake system components (like replacing worn rotors) it can cost significantly more to fix it as opposed to just needing, say, a simple brake pad replacement. During the inspection we’ll check all the vital brake components and officially diagnose any problems that might be present. And a brake inspection is free. Just ask the technician at the store when you stop by.

The only way to really know what your brakes truly need and will cost to get them fixed is to get a brake inspection. The amount of brake work and cost your ride will need depends on its age, make and model. We do thousands of brake inspections a day across the country, and we want you to be confident and comfortable on what repairs need to be done and how much it will cost.