Arguably one of the most important components of your vehicle, at least when it comes to safety, are your brakes. If you’re having brake problems, you want to address them long, long before they fail. For your safety, and for that of others. You could get in a car accident that results in vehicular damage, or much worse, harms your person or others.

To avoid any unfortunate brake related incident, and the resultant car insurance claim, you should always be paying attention to your brakes while you’re driving. Some signs that your brakes are failing are pretty obvious. Others are subtler. Here are some common indications that there is something going wrong in the braking department…

~ Perhaps the most obvious sign, when you push on the brakes they made a noise like squealing, grinding or banging. If you hear anything like this, go and get your brakes checked out immediately.

~ The brakes either stick or you notice a loss of engine power as you are driving. This may indicate that your brakes aren’t releasing properly and could lead to a worst case scenario – total brake loss.

~ The car pulls or veers to one side when you step on the brakes.

~ When you lightly apply the brakes, you notice that they are grabbing. Loose or broken parts could be at play here. This should be checked out.

~ If you find that you really need to push down hard and apply a lot of pressure (think your foot and the pedal almost at the floor of you car) to get braking action, your brakes might be worn out. Time for a replacement.

~ Vibration is not a good thing. If you notice either the brake pedal, the steering wheel or even the entire car vibrating when you apply the brakes, time for a trip to the mechanic.

We’re providing these general tips as a service to you but remember, we’re insurance brokers, not car mechanics. So, it you’re not sure if what you’re experiencing is described above, or if you know that something is wrong but not quite sure what, listen to your gut and get a professional mechanic to check things out. Better to get a clean bill of health for your car, than to have to deal with the repercussions of not acting or trying to avoid another bill to pay.

At the very least your car insurance rates will suffer. And at the very worst… well, let’s not go there.

Need some advice or information about car insurance in Toronto and Ontario? That’s where we’re the experts. Learn more here or just get in touch with us.

Image source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net | Stoonn