Last night, my car was making a strange sound when I would brake and turn. Normal braking didn't seem to cause the sound, and it didn't happen all the time, but it wasn't a good sound. It was the sound of metal on metal, and it was sort of a clunky, grinding sound.
This morning, I took my dear car to the mechanic to have it looked at. He called about an hour later and said that what I was hearing was the front brakes--apparently, the brake pads are completely worn off and that's the sound of the brakes grinding against the rotors, which is apparently not good. He is going to replace the brake pads, and hopes that he can save the rotors, but isn't sure, so I may have to have those replaced as well.
I was talking to my mother about it later, and I told her that I didn't know my brake pads were worn down--how was I supposed to know? It's just nothing I've ever thought of. Shouldn't there have been warning signs? Some sort of sound, or feeling, or something???
Or is there a certain amount of mileage that, once reached, should have been an indicator that the previously mentioned brakes should be replaced?
I know very little about my car. Last night, as I was out with a friend, after we heard the sound and had parked at our destination, I looked underneath the car to see if there was something stuck under it, or something visibly wrong. After staring for a few seconds, I stood back up and told her that I have no idea what the underside of my car usually looks like, so I couldn't tell if anything was wrong. It all looked normal to me, but my opinion can't be very highly valued on the subject of my car's state of being.
When I get my car back, I'm going to spend some time learning about it so that I don't feel like such a moron next time something goes wrong.
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6 comments:
I think that the only warning sign for the pads is that they start to squeak when you brake. They have a little metal ridge that is supposed to rub and squeak when you brake after the pad wears down to a certain point (that point being the one where you need to replace it).
When Marty died at Old Navy, I hopped out, popped the hood, took a look, and decided that there is tons of crap under there and I don't know what any of it is. No point looking. So I went into the grocery next door and had a drink and a muffin while I waited to be rescued. :-)
We need to find a class we can take together about all the things we need to know about our cars.
In this day and age, all you need to know about your car can be summarized into three items:
1. Find a good honest mechanic.
2. Get AAA Membership.
3. If something seems wrong take it to the mechanic, if you can't drive it, call AAA and tell them to take it to the mechanic.
They are all computerized, etc. Not much you can do on them anymore. Drive them, maintain them well and when you hear something, take it to the mechanic. You did exactly the right thing.
Somebody's parents is a genius. I heart AAA, and I heart Ed at Clegg Automotive in Orem. That's all I need. Although I did learn how to change a flat tire when my friend's car got a flat on the way home from a class up in Salt Lake. Frankly, I prefer AAA.
I agree with somebody's parents and izeoflight, but I still think that it would be worthwhile for Jenn and I to have a class--I would like to not be a total car moron, especially because when I move somewhere else, how will I know if I have a good honest mechanic at first? I won't know what he's talking about. And I'd like to be able to look under the hood of my car and not just think, huh...lots of stuff in there...
Naturally, I will be calling AAA all the time, and taking my car to my car guy, but I'm like a boy scout--I want to be prepared.
Especially if that boy scout is Michael Vartan. :)
YES! to the Michael Vartan/Boy Scout wish. =)
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