Pedal gone soft, or the brake light on?
Slow down gently, pull over somewhere safe and stop. RACV's advice is not to carry on even if the brakes seem to come good again. If the fluid reservoir is below the minimum mark or empty, RAA says don't drive the car at all. Get it towed, and if anyone is hurt or in danger, call 000.
Newcastle conditions that are hard on brakes
Salt water and sand
Discs rust and calipers stick once salt and sand get into them. A 4WD run on Stockton Beach puts both straight onto the brakes, and a rinse underneath afterwards helps. If you back a boat trailer into Lake Macquarie, the largest coastal salt water lake in the Southern Hemisphere, its bearings and brakes take a dunking too.
The long way down to the Hawkesbury
Driving south, the M1 descends through sandstone cuttings to the Hawkesbury River. RAA says riding the brakes boils the fluid and causes fade, so drop a gear and brake firmly in short bursts rather than holding the pedal down the whole way.
Suburban stop-start
The NRMA notes brake pads get used up sooner with a lot of start-stop driving. A car that spends its week between Charlestown, Kotara and Wallsend will likely go through pads faster than one doing highway kilometres.
What the mechanic checks, and what the quote should say
Pads, discs, calipers, hoses and the fluid. RACQ says most makers want brake fluid changed roughly every two years whatever the kilometres, because it draws in water. There's no fixed kilometre figure for pads, so the mechanic measures what's left and should tell you.
The written quote should say whether discs are being machined or replaced, and why. In NSW, brake work falls under the motor mechanic and underbody tradesperson classes, and the business needs a repairer licence you can check on the public register.
What you can do, and what's for the mechanic
You can
- Listen for squealing or grinding, and note when it starts.
- Check the brake fluid level against the marks, engine off.
- Notice any pull to one side or a shudder through the pedal.
- Make sure the handbrake is fully off: RAC WA says leaving it on wears the rear brakes.
Leave to the mechanic
- Anything that means taking a wheel off or opening the brake system.
- Replacing pads, discs or brake fluid.
- Trailer brakes and wheel bearings after salt-water launches.
Our take
At the first grinding noise we'd have the brakes looked at that week, because grinding usually means the pads are down to metal and starting on the discs. If the car does beach runs or tows a boat, we'd ask for the brakes to be checked at every service, noisy or not.