Automobiles are filled with all sorts of service items that need topping up, replacing and monitoring. Perhaps one of the most neglected aspects out there that we see at Budget Brakes has to be surprisingly, your brakes.
You wouldn’t think it, but, brakes are forgotten about every day until they start having problems. Despite the fact that adequate braking is one of the most important necessities of driving, it’s still often left longer than recommended until the brakes themselves start telling you they need checking.
Changing brake fluid regularly is a quick and efficient Budget Brakes maintenance procedure that can be done in minutes. It’s actually required by law in many parts of Europe, and if you’ve never thought about changing your brake fluid, you’re probably wondering just why it’s so important?
Bleeding, or flushing your car’s brake fluid is a necessary preventative brake maintenance that helps prevent problems and maintain braking performance. It’s been proven that over time water contaminates the brake fluid and eventually your braking performance is affected. It’s not something that happens quickly, but over a period of years and it’s a slow and steady build up that really can have an effect on performance.
While changing brake fluid isn’t really necessary for newer vehicles under three years old, it’s an important issue for any vehicle that’s over 5 years old, especially considering the cost of this relatively minor auto service.
Changing the fluid is a Budget Brakes service that helps your brakes last longer, but most importantly – it ensures that your brakes are in top condition so that you have maximum braking efficiency.
Budget Brakes – Tips on Driving Safely and some Auto Advice
When it comes to making road trips, or trips of any length for that matter, it’s easy to assume that your car’s in good condition and everything’s fine – it seems almost a force of habit to turn on the ignition and go out onto the freeway without even checking so much as the tires, but did you know that you could be putting yourself in danger? Take a look at our Budget Brakes Top driving safety tips below:
1. Don’t just drive defensively, THINK defensively. Every time you make a different kind of journey, think about the risk factors involved. Are you driving with a pet onboard, are you carrying a bunch of kids? Are you driving in the rain / snow / ice? Think about the risks and prepare for them. Getting your brakes / alignment checked regularly at Budget Brakes or another service center is an essential preventative measure.
2. When your car feels ‘different’ it’s time to see a professional. If you notice a noise that shouldn’t be there, or a difference in steering / braking, then that’s a sign that your car needs to be looked at by a professional. If it’s with steering, chances are you need to call into Budget Brakes today and get your alignment checked.
3. Avoid distractions. These days it’s too easy to get distracted when driving. From cell phones to changing tunes on your MP3 player, driving without due care and attention is becoming more and more common. When you’re on the road, you need to focus on the road, other road users and be prepared for anything.
On US roads there are around 3 million accidents involving vehicles every year. At Budget brakes, we see our fair share of jobs which involve fixing alignments due to vehicles running onto curbs and off the road all the time! If everyone drove using the tips above – the world would be a lot safer and dare we say it, Budget Brakes and alignments would have a lot less business!
1. Don’t just drive defensively, THINK defensively. Every time you make a different kind of journey, think about the risk factors involved. Are you driving with a pet onboard, are you carrying a bunch of kids? Are you driving in the rain / snow / ice? Think about the risks and prepare for them. Getting your brakes / alignment checked regularly at Budget Brakes or another service center is an essential preventative measure.
2. When your car feels ‘different’ it’s time to see a professional. If you notice a noise that shouldn’t be there, or a difference in steering / braking, then that’s a sign that your car needs to be looked at by a professional. If it’s with steering, chances are you need to call into Budget Brakes today and get your alignment checked.
3. Avoid distractions. These days it’s too easy to get distracted when driving. From cell phones to changing tunes on your MP3 player, driving without due care and attention is becoming more and more common. When you’re on the road, you need to focus on the road, other road users and be prepared for anything.
On US roads there are around 3 million accidents involving vehicles every year. At Budget brakes, we see our fair share of jobs which involve fixing alignments due to vehicles running onto curbs and off the road all the time! If everyone drove using the tips above – the world would be a lot safer and dare we say it, Budget Brakes and alignments would have a lot less business!
The best time to get your brakes checked, a Budget Brakes tip
When everyone buys a car, one of the first things that we’re expected to do by the manufacturer is to read the service manual. More often than not, it’s something your kid reads on a long journey, but that small book sitting in your car actually contains some important information, such as just how often your brakes need checked.
Despite offering free checks, we at Budget Brakes still see disaster just about every day. That service manual probably advises you to get your brakes checked every 30,000 miles or at least once yearly. You really should, as failing to do so doesn’t just lead to a potential brake failure, will mean you end up paying a great deal more for brake repairs and maintenance.
Overall, when it comes to getting your brakes checked, consider it as a key way to save money. It’s a great way to prevent those expensive repair bills for new rotors and other components. One of the biggest reasons why people get expensive repair bills for brakes alone is because they ignore the warning signs and simply drive on until they start to feel major problems.
You’d be amazed at just how often people ask Budget Brakes when they should get their brakes checked, and the answer really depends on their driving style, the conditions and also the age of the vehicle. Ideally, if you are a heavy driver you should take a visit to a brake specialist around every six to twelve months.
It sounds like an expensive answer, but there are many garages and mechanics that’ll check your brakes for free. Budget Brakes offers free inspections as a way to promote road safety and ensure that you have the chance to fix the smaller problems before they transform into minor disasters which could cost you thousands.
Despite offering free checks, we at Budget Brakes still see disaster just about every day. That service manual probably advises you to get your brakes checked every 30,000 miles or at least once yearly. You really should, as failing to do so doesn’t just lead to a potential brake failure, will mean you end up paying a great deal more for brake repairs and maintenance.
Overall, when it comes to getting your brakes checked, consider it as a key way to save money. It’s a great way to prevent those expensive repair bills for new rotors and other components. One of the biggest reasons why people get expensive repair bills for brakes alone is because they ignore the warning signs and simply drive on until they start to feel major problems.
You’d be amazed at just how often people ask Budget Brakes when they should get their brakes checked, and the answer really depends on their driving style, the conditions and also the age of the vehicle. Ideally, if you are a heavy driver you should take a visit to a brake specialist around every six to twelve months.
It sounds like an expensive answer, but there are many garages and mechanics that’ll check your brakes for free. Budget Brakes offers free inspections as a way to promote road safety and ensure that you have the chance to fix the smaller problems before they transform into minor disasters which could cost you thousands.
How ABS Really Works, by Budget Brakes
Assisted braking or ABS is pretty much standard on many cars in the US, and surprisingly, not many people know what it really does, as the common assumption is that it simply makes your car stop ‘quicker’.
Did you know that ABS was invented to ensure that your vehicle doesn’t lose traction? Essentially, it’s a form of computer-controlled independent braking for each of your four wheels so that when you brake heavily, your wheels don’t lock up. It does this by monitoring the speed of each wheel to ensure that they don’t slow down faster than your car can.
Overall, it works in a way that ensures your wheels don’t skid, and thankfully it’s becoming standard on more and more cars. ABS not only makes it easier to drive safer, but it also makes brake maintenance cheaper thanks to the fact that it prevents you from being too heavy on your brakes to a certain extent. Thanks to this, brakes and brake pads last longer than before.
However, ABS isn’t a replacement for regular brake inspections. Ideally you should get your brakes checked by a professional like Budget Brakes regularly. Just like with anything, the easiest way to achieve that is through regular maintenance before problems happen, instead of after they occur.
Did you know that ABS was invented to ensure that your vehicle doesn’t lose traction? Essentially, it’s a form of computer-controlled independent braking for each of your four wheels so that when you brake heavily, your wheels don’t lock up. It does this by monitoring the speed of each wheel to ensure that they don’t slow down faster than your car can.
Overall, it works in a way that ensures your wheels don’t skid, and thankfully it’s becoming standard on more and more cars. ABS not only makes it easier to drive safer, but it also makes brake maintenance cheaper thanks to the fact that it prevents you from being too heavy on your brakes to a certain extent. Thanks to this, brakes and brake pads last longer than before.
However, ABS isn’t a replacement for regular brake inspections. Ideally you should get your brakes checked by a professional like Budget Brakes regularly. Just like with anything, the easiest way to achieve that is through regular maintenance before problems happen, instead of after they occur.
Increase your Fuel Economy with Good Wheel Alignment - Tip by Budget Brakes
A common misconception is that people only need to get their wheels aligned when their car starts pulling to the left or right. The reality we try and tell all of our customers at Budget Brakes is that poorly aligned wheels affect your braking, your cars performance and also your gas mileage. This rather inexpensive service at Budget Brakes can be done in just a few hours, and while it won’t double your mileage, it’ll most certainly help you drive safer and get more out of a tank of gas.
Budget Brakes customers often come to the shop with the idea that wheel alignment is simply about how the wheels are pointed – sadly, it’s a lot more complicated than that, as alongside that specific angle, there are a whole variety of variables that have to be considered. To ensure you get good performance, it is necessary for Budget Brakes technicians to take into account the camber angle, the caster angle and finally the toe-in angle of your wheels. If the camber of the wheel is off, (the slope of a wheel) then your car’s going to be fighting against its self and as a result, braking and fuel economy will be considerably worse.
The only way to know if your wheels are properly aligned is to take them into a shop specializing in wheel alignment. Budget Brakes offer a high quality wheel alignment service that ensures your wheels are set-up according to manufacturer’s instructions, using the latest tools to adjust things perfectly. It’s not something you can do at home, and in fact, it’s not something many auto shops have the tools for.
That’s why traditionally. wheel alignments have always been expensive, but if you’re looking to ensure the safety of both yourself and your passengers and to get a bit more value for money, then with alignments starting from $59, Budget Brakes can set things up for next to nothing.
Budget Brakes customers often come to the shop with the idea that wheel alignment is simply about how the wheels are pointed – sadly, it’s a lot more complicated than that, as alongside that specific angle, there are a whole variety of variables that have to be considered. To ensure you get good performance, it is necessary for Budget Brakes technicians to take into account the camber angle, the caster angle and finally the toe-in angle of your wheels. If the camber of the wheel is off, (the slope of a wheel) then your car’s going to be fighting against its self and as a result, braking and fuel economy will be considerably worse.
The only way to know if your wheels are properly aligned is to take them into a shop specializing in wheel alignment. Budget Brakes offer a high quality wheel alignment service that ensures your wheels are set-up according to manufacturer’s instructions, using the latest tools to adjust things perfectly. It’s not something you can do at home, and in fact, it’s not something many auto shops have the tools for.
That’s why traditionally. wheel alignments have always been expensive, but if you’re looking to ensure the safety of both yourself and your passengers and to get a bit more value for money, then with alignments starting from $59, Budget Brakes can set things up for next to nothing.
Prolong the Length of Your Tires - Another Budget Brakes Tip
When our customers at Budget Brakes come in for a wheel alignment service, it’s amazing to see from a mechanic’s point of view just how worn customer’s tires can get. You might be surprised to hear it’s not through negligence, but instead because of the fact poor wheel alignment means that their tires are getting worn unevenly in parts that you can’t see.
When your wheel alignment is out, it affects more than just the way your car steers. It affects wet weather performance, braking and in fact – it can be pretty dangerous. Every time you go over a large bump in the road or hit a pothole, your wheel alignment can become misadjusted which leads to chaos for your tires.
Imagine that you’ve just bought a new set of tires and it’s raining. You’ve just went over a bump in the road because it was dark, and you notice a slight change in steering, but not significantly. Many of our customers at Budget Brakes simply think it’s nothing – but when they replace their tires in around six months to a year, they’re shocked to see that the inside edge of their tires are worn practically right down to the inner wires!
At Budget brakes, we see this all the time. The fact is that from just $59 you could have saved yourself from having to buy a new set of tires, because poor alignment really can destroy your tires in no time, and no amount of tire swapping will fix it.
If your car is not steering well, then the three things you should always check first are tire inflation, tire wear and finally, wheel alignment. Budget brakes can fix wheel alignment problems, saving you a fortune in new tires later on.
When your wheel alignment is out, it affects more than just the way your car steers. It affects wet weather performance, braking and in fact – it can be pretty dangerous. Every time you go over a large bump in the road or hit a pothole, your wheel alignment can become misadjusted which leads to chaos for your tires.
Imagine that you’ve just bought a new set of tires and it’s raining. You’ve just went over a bump in the road because it was dark, and you notice a slight change in steering, but not significantly. Many of our customers at Budget Brakes simply think it’s nothing – but when they replace their tires in around six months to a year, they’re shocked to see that the inside edge of their tires are worn practically right down to the inner wires!
At Budget brakes, we see this all the time. The fact is that from just $59 you could have saved yourself from having to buy a new set of tires, because poor alignment really can destroy your tires in no time, and no amount of tire swapping will fix it.
If your car is not steering well, then the three things you should always check first are tire inflation, tire wear and finally, wheel alignment. Budget brakes can fix wheel alignment problems, saving you a fortune in new tires later on.
Signs of Poor Wheel Alignment
Poor wheel alignment is a common problem that just about everyone will need to deal with. However despite this, it’s something not many of our Budget Brakes customers actually know the symptoms for, as it can have a range of different signs and not all of them are easy to spot.
The most commonly reported symptom of poor wheel alignment at Budget Brakes is that of the vehicle pulling to one-side. However; to know whether your wheels are properly aligned, it’s best to stop in at a Budget Brakes shop. However; one way to keep an eye on things is to examine tire wear. By examining tire wear you can actually learn a lot about problems in your suspension, tire pressure and also your wheel alignment.
The three most common wear patterns associated with poor wheel alignment that you need to be aware of are:
-Feathering happens when the tread wears quicker on one side than it does on the other. It looks like one side of the tread is rounded, and the other is sharp. Run your fingers around your tread one way, and then the other. If one way feels a lot smother – then it’s a sign that your wheels need aligned.
-Cupping occurs when your tires seem to have cup-shaped or scallop like indentations. If this occurs then it means either that your car’s suspensions is damaged or your wheel alignment needs checked. Budget Brakes can diagnose and help find the problem.
-Toe Wear looks like a tire that’s worn on one side, but not the other. It’s a tell-tale sign of you’ve guessed it – poor wheel alignment, so visit Budget Brakes for a check-up. We can fix your problems starting from $59.
Tire wear is actually one of the easiest ways to spot a whole range of problems, and not just poor alignment. However, if you’re tires are wearing quickly or you see strange wear patterns, then pay a visit to a Budget Brakes shop as it could very well be an alignment issue and one that needs professional re-alignment.
The most commonly reported symptom of poor wheel alignment at Budget Brakes is that of the vehicle pulling to one-side. However; to know whether your wheels are properly aligned, it’s best to stop in at a Budget Brakes shop. However; one way to keep an eye on things is to examine tire wear. By examining tire wear you can actually learn a lot about problems in your suspension, tire pressure and also your wheel alignment.
The three most common wear patterns associated with poor wheel alignment that you need to be aware of are:
-Feathering happens when the tread wears quicker on one side than it does on the other. It looks like one side of the tread is rounded, and the other is sharp. Run your fingers around your tread one way, and then the other. If one way feels a lot smother – then it’s a sign that your wheels need aligned.
-Cupping occurs when your tires seem to have cup-shaped or scallop like indentations. If this occurs then it means either that your car’s suspensions is damaged or your wheel alignment needs checked. Budget Brakes can diagnose and help find the problem.
-Toe Wear looks like a tire that’s worn on one side, but not the other. It’s a tell-tale sign of you’ve guessed it – poor wheel alignment, so visit Budget Brakes for a check-up. We can fix your problems starting from $59.
Tire wear is actually one of the easiest ways to spot a whole range of problems, and not just poor alignment. However, if you’re tires are wearing quickly or you see strange wear patterns, then pay a visit to a Budget Brakes shop as it could very well be an alignment issue and one that needs professional re-alignment.
The Technical Side of Wheel Alignment
At Budget Brakes, we specialize in precision wheel alignment that ensures your car operates within the manufacturers specifications. With specialist equipment and technicians, we aim to fix major wheel alignment issues before they even become a problem.
It’s true that in a perfect world, no one should ever need to get their wheels re-aligned and re-balanced. The reality however, is that as soon as you go over a relatively severe bump, or if you drive aggressively, then wheel alignment becomes more of an issue, because over time – your suspension’s characteristics begin to change which result in wheel alignment being necessary.
A common misconception is that wheel alignment is some sort of adjustment Budget Brakes technicians perform to your wheels. Wheel alignment is in fact a service that’s performed using a special camera jig that attaches to your wheels, but the adjustment and changes are all to do with your suspension.
That’s why if you lower your ride height or make any changes in that area, you really should call in to Budget brakes for an alignment service. To do the job properly, our technicians need to use specialist computer-controlled equipment to measure and help us get your wheels adjusted precisely.
When adjusting your wheels, the goal is for us to ensure that wheels sit parallel to each other, flat on the road surface and are perpendicular. This involves adjusting the caster camber and toe-in angles to ensure that they’re adjusted not just by sight, but as according to the manufacturer’s specification and to the nth degree as we at Budget Brakes are committed to ensuring our wheel alignments are done as precisely as possible.
It’s true that in a perfect world, no one should ever need to get their wheels re-aligned and re-balanced. The reality however, is that as soon as you go over a relatively severe bump, or if you drive aggressively, then wheel alignment becomes more of an issue, because over time – your suspension’s characteristics begin to change which result in wheel alignment being necessary.
A common misconception is that wheel alignment is some sort of adjustment Budget Brakes technicians perform to your wheels. Wheel alignment is in fact a service that’s performed using a special camera jig that attaches to your wheels, but the adjustment and changes are all to do with your suspension.
That’s why if you lower your ride height or make any changes in that area, you really should call in to Budget brakes for an alignment service. To do the job properly, our technicians need to use specialist computer-controlled equipment to measure and help us get your wheels adjusted precisely.
When adjusting your wheels, the goal is for us to ensure that wheels sit parallel to each other, flat on the road surface and are perpendicular. This involves adjusting the caster camber and toe-in angles to ensure that they’re adjusted not just by sight, but as according to the manufacturer’s specification and to the nth degree as we at Budget Brakes are committed to ensuring our wheel alignments are done as precisely as possible.
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