What Causes a Grinding Noise When Braking?
There are times when your car tends to make a grinding noise when you brake.
If that happens, keep an eye on it as it might be a warning sign, telling you that the brake pads are worn out or the rotors might be damaged.
Vehicles often make a series of sounds, some of which tend to be normal. Either way, hearing a grinding noise when braking is something not to be left unnoticed, as a faulty brake system can put both the car and the driver’s safety at risk. As it is a safety issue, it needs to be taken care of as soon as possible.
Main Causes
If your car makes grinding noises when braking, make sure whether the next causes might be contributing to the problem:
Solid objects get stuck between the rotor and caliper
Because the components of the brake system are located and exposed in the lower end of the vehicle, they are at risk of catching and accumulating rocks, dirt and debris, creating the grinding noise without even getting the brake pedal activated. Inspection of these parts are required as the frictions created from these solid objects will affect and irreversibly damage these parts.
Brake pads turn out to be defective
Buying low-quality parts for the sake of saving money can turn out inherently wrong as a result. Low- quality friction pads contain metal chunks that will constantly abrade and potentially mess up the rotor overtime. This is why in all cases, it is better to save some money and buy good-quality products from a reliable brand.
Friction pads are broken
Because of their natural components, these pads will gradually wear and tear overtime. The reason being because, a constant metal on metal scrape between the backing plate and the rotor further damages the pads. Furthermore, the rotor will also rub against both the caliper and the scrape’s metal surface. To prevent this from happening, a regular service inspection of the brake system often includes the pads replacement when they are no longer in a good state.
The car doesn’t get used very often
This is also one of the main reasons your car produces that grinding noise when braking. Brake pad’s lifespan average is 20,000 miles. One of the many reasons this problem happens sooner than expected is due to leaving the automobile idled for a very long period of time. Idling and bad weather conditions are the perfect ingredients for disaster, causing the rotors to get rusty and corroded. The solution to that is to clean it and use it more often, because if the car goes inactive, big amounts of rust will start to cover up other car components, causing permanent destruction as a result.
If your car starts to make grinding noises not only when braking, but grinding noises in general, a visit to your professional mechanic might be highly recommended in order to help you sort out this issue.
You can also visit our webpage for more information, in order to have a better clue on how to properly proceed in order to stop your car from making grinding noises as well as enhancing your car’s performance and lifespan.
