Nik Vann is the owner of AMG (All Makes Garage) in Hinckley, he is a Mercedes trained mechanic and has worked as a motorsports mechanic before opening his own garage in Hinckley on Brunel Road. In this article he takes a look at some common problems associated with vehicle braking systems and a possible money saving solution that he can provide. Nik Says …
Most people will talk about the performance of their vehicle in terms of speed and acceleration but one very important aspect of performance is …. being able to stop! When you press that brake pedal you expect your vehicle to come to a controlled and smooth stop within a safe distance. This is also a key measure if and when your vehicle requires an MOT test – a braking efficiency test is carried out during the MOT.
Many cars are now commonly fitted with disc brakes (see photo below) because they are an efficient and effective way to slow and stop a vehicle. Disc brakes are relatively simple hydro-mechanical devices in that they consist of just a metal disc with non-metal pads either side that through hydraulics squeeze very tightly when you press your foot on the brake pedal. When they are new the discs are smooth and flat, which means that the pads are well in contact with the discs. But with time the discs can wear and corrode and this means that less of the pads make good contact with the brake disc. This can have effect the braking of the vehicle in a number of ways, for example:
The result of any of these brake disc problems of course is the loss of braking efficiency. This loss of efficiency can be sufficient at times to cause an MOT test failure.
When asked, many garages would say that the cure is to replace the disc and pads. A relatively expensive thing to do and of course rather wasteful of materials – two or four (depending on the vehicle design) rather large pieces of metal end up in the scrap bin! At AMG Hinckley we have taken the view that in many cases this is unnecessary because there is another engineering solution – skim the disc.
At AMG Hinckley we have our own Pro-Cut on car Brake Lathe (approved by leading car manufacturers including top marks such as, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari), which means that we can resurface the existing worn disc by removing a small amount of the damaged or corroded metal surface. By doing this you can possibly extend the life of the brake discs on your car by between 5,000 and 20,000 miles. It is an effective, low cost and eco-friendly solution to many of the braking problems that you might experience with your vehicle’s disc brakes.
If you are experiencing problems with your braking and would like a FREE inspection, advice and guidance then do contact me – Nik at AMG on 01455 610 072. We might be able to save you some money and return the top class braking to your car – most makes and models with disc brakes are suitable for this type of money saving and eco-friendly repair work.
