Brakes, steering and suspension

Brakes, steering and suspension are the parts of the car you feel through your hands and your feet, so you usually notice them going off long before they turn urgent. A squeal at the lights, a pedal that travels further than it used to, a shudder coming down Parramatta Road, a ride that’s gone loose over bumps. We work out what’s causing it, then you get a quote before we touch anything.

Signs your brakes or suspension need looking at

• A squeal, a scrape or a grinding noise as you slow down.
• The brake pedal travels further than it used to, or feels spongy underfoot.
• A shudder through the pedal or the wheel when you brake from highway speed.
• The car pulls to one side as you brake.
• It floats or keeps bouncing after a bump, or thumps hard over a kerb.
• The tyres are wearing on one edge, or the steering has gone vague.

What a brake and suspension check involves

A brake check starts with the wheels off, because that’s the only way to see what’s left. Pads and discs get measured for wear and looked over for scoring or heat damage. Callipers, hoses and lines get checked for leaks and for anything seized. The fluid gets checked too, since brake fluid draws in moisture over time and that lowers its boiling point.

Suspension gets looked at while the wheels are already off. Shock absorbers are checked for leaks and for how well they still damp the car. Bushes, ball joints and tie rod ends are checked for play, because a worn one changes the way the car steers and the way the tyres wear.

Left alone, worn pads eat into the discs and a small job becomes a big one. Tired suspension does the same thing to a good set of tyres. Catching either one early keeps the work smaller.

Brakes and your pink slip

Worn brakes and tired suspension are two of the most common reasons a car fails its eSafety check. If your rego is due, book the inspection and the repair together so the car is only off the road once. We do the check here and lodge it electronically with Transport for NSW. The capped state fees are set out on our pink slips page.

What to tell us when you book

Tell us what the car is doing and when it does it. Where the noise comes from, whether it happens cold or after a run, braking or turning or just going over bumps. If it started the day you hit something, say so. Those details narrow things down before the car is on the hoist, and they usually keep the diagnosis short.

Questions about brakes

How often should brakes be checked?

At every service is the sensible interval, and that’s when most workshops look at them. How long a set of pads lasts depends on the car, the load it carries and the sort of driving it does, so wear gets judged by measuring what’s left on the pad.

Do pads and discs always get replaced together?

No. Pads wear faster and are often done on their own. Discs get replaced once they’re under the minimum thickness marked on them, badly scored, or distorted enough to shudder under braking.

Does brake fluid need changing?

Yes, on the interval in your logbook. Brake fluid absorbs moisture out of the air, which lowers its boiling point and can leave the pedal feeling soft after heavy use. It’s a normal item on a logbook service.

Can the steering and the alignment be sorted at the same time?

Yes. Brakes, steering and suspension share the same components at each corner of the car, so it makes sense to look at them together. If the work changes the geometry, a wheel alignment afterwards stops it chewing through your tyres.