Professional Hyundai Brake Service

Performing regular maintenance on your new Hyundai is the best way to prolong its life and ensure it runs at peak performance. Your owner's manual has the recommended schedule of services to guide you. However, if you've misplaced your manual, you can always bring your car into our service center, and our technicians can create a maintenance schedule for you. Your brake system is one of the most essential parts of your vehicle. We had our service experts discuss how the braking system works, what signs indicate disrepair, and how to keep your car running in tip-top shape.

How Brakes Work

2016 Hyundai Tucson - First Drive by The NRMA is licensed with CC BY 2.0

Understanding how your brakes work will help you maintain them and teach you what signs to watch for in case there are problems. A complex network of hydraulic and mechanical parts makes up your brake system. These parts must work in harmony and precision to bring your car to a safe stop. Occasionally, you may rely on them to abruptly stop your vehicle in an emergency, but most of the time, you need them to slowly bring your vehicle to a standstill.

The process begins when you step on the brake pedal, initiating a mechanical action. Depressing the brake pedal triggers the hydraulic portion, pressurizing your brake fluid. In turn, the pressure in your brake lines causes another mechanical reaction that closes your calipers with brake pads onto your brake discs. Your discs attach to your wheels. As the brake pads make contact, the friction causes them to slow their revolution, eventually stopping your car. The harder you press your brake pedal, the more force gets applied to your brake discs and the faster you stop.

What Is ABS?

The anti-lock braking system (ABS) prevents your brake pads from locking onto your discs, improving safety. Older vehicles without ABS were susceptible to locking brakes in emergency-stopping situations, causing your car to skid. This is because your tire tread provides optimal traction while rotating. However, they stop spinning in a skid, reducing your traction and control significantly. So, when you brake hard, the ABS pulses pressure on your brakes to keep the wheels rotating, providing more traction.

What Are the Warning Signs Your Brakes Need Service?

Stability and traction control systems work in tandem with your brakes, so it's essential to inspect your brakes to optimize these systems routinely. Our experts recommend we check your brakes every other oil change or twice annually. We provide our technicians with factory training to stay updated on the latest parts and repair practices, including your brakes. Our technicians can inspect your brakes while they change your oil, and if they find an issue, they can usually fix it fast. Things sometimes happen between inspections, so keep an eye and ear out for the following symptoms:

Odd Noises While Braking

You might have an issue if you hear odd sounds while you brake. Despite your brakes' extreme operating conditions, the noise should be consistent and relatively quiet. Squealing and squeaking sounds occur most often when you have a problem because your brake pads were designed to wear out. Manufacturers created pads embedded with small metal pins that become exposed as an early warning to replace them.

Other unusual sounds, such as thumping or vibrations, indicate a brake system problem. These noises and sensations could also mean you have an issue with your steering or suspension. We recommend you have your brakes inspected if you hear any unusual sounds, so you can avoid more costly repairs. Replacing your pads costs less than $20 per wheel. Eventually, the squeaking and squealing sound will change to a grinding noise. If you hear grinding, you've waited too long. Those exposed pins damaged your rotors, costing several hundred dollars to replace.

Your Braking Feels Different

All drivers develop a feel for their Hyundai's performance, from steering to accelerating to braking. When you sense a difference in how your brakes feel, we suggest you come to our service center and have our technicians investigate the issue. A difference in feel might include softness to the pedal as you press, or it could move down faster than usual. A sinking brake pedal could also occur.

It Takes Longer To Stop

Longer stopping distances indicate you have a problem with your brake system. For instance, you might have a faulty master cylinder or a leak in your brake line. You could also be low on brake fluid.

Your Vehicle Pulls to the Side

Hyundai engineered your car to drive straight without steering input while you brake. So, if your vehicle pulls to one side when you brake, you have a problem. You might have a bad caliper, a leak in your brake line, or a more severe issue with your suspension or steering.

Why Service Your Brakes With Huffines Hyundai Plano?

At Huffines Hyundai Plano, we provide our technicians with state-of-the-art tools and equipment to diagnose and repair any issues you have with your brakes. Our inspection covers your entire braking system, from the pads and calipers to the lines and master cylinder. If there's a problem, we'll find it and fix it quickly before it leads to more expensive repairs. In addition, we work on all vehicle makes and models, not just Hyundai cars.

Our service center only uses genuine Hyundai parts for all our services and repairs. We do this because we know original equipment manufacturer parts work to the exact specification for your car. So, after we service your vehicle, your Hyundai will drive the way it did when it first rolled off the assembly line.

Get Your Brakes Inspected Now

You rely on your brakes to stay safe on the busy Plano roads. Therefore, you should have them routinely inspected. If you suspect a problem with your brakes or don't recall the last time you had them serviced, bring your car to our service center, and let us take a look. You can conveniently schedule services online or stop by our Plano dealership anytime.