Brakes | Bridgend Garage
Experiencing difficulty with your brakes? As your first line of defence on the road, it’s important not to ignore any warning signs or a change in performance. Instead, visit Bridgend Garage in Stonehouse, a fully equipped modern garage that can run fast, accurate diagnostics to tell you exactly what’s happening with your brakes. We can then recommend the appropriate repair or maintenance work, using quality parts and years of mechanical expertise to get motorists in the Cheltenham, Stroud and Gloucestershire areas back safely on the road ASAP.
Signs You’re Experiencing Brake Trouble
- Brake Light Comes On – Perhaps a bit obvious, but your brake light coming on can mean it’s time to book in a service, or there’s an underlying problem with your brakes. Consulting your manufacturer’s manual may give you some ideas as to the cause of the problem, but we’d recommend visiting us for diagnostics if immediate troubleshooting doesn’t cause the light to shut off.
- Squealing, Squeaking & Grinding – Brakes are very expressive when it comes to making noise when something’s gone awry. Some common issues that can make for noisy brakes include a worn brake pad that needs to be replaced, or a foreign object that’s got lodged in your brakes while driving.
- Wobbling & Vibration – If you’ve noticed your steering wheel or vehicle vibrates or shakes when braking, it’s a sign you’re experiencing issues with your brake rotor. One possibility we regularly encounter when diagnosing faults is a worn rotor surface that’s become uneven. Sometimes they need to be replaced, but in many cases rotors can be evened out.
- Pulling to One Side – This is often due to a caliper issue or a faulty brake hose, and signals that one brake is working properly while another is failing to; you’ll pull in the direction of the working brake. Obviously, this can be somewhat dangerous when driving at speed, so is worth investigating right away.
- Soft or Spongy Brakes – Two common problems that can cause a lack of resistance under-foot are issues with the master cylinder, and a build-up of moisture in the system. Soft brakes can feel far less responsive and take longer to activate in emergency situations, so don’t tolerate them!
But these aren’t the only symptoms of brake trouble. Motorists around our principal service areas of Cheltenham, Stroud and wider Gloucestershire are encouraged to visit us if they notice brake fluid leaks, burning smells (often down to overheating), or any other problem with the responsiveness of their brakes.