When you ride a car, you always travel at an average speed of 35 miles per hour and it is almost impossible to hear the sliding and junky sound caused by the brakes. When you wish to stop the vehicle, it takes almost 10 feet to stop the vehicle which will cause many accidents. So the car itself has an electrical system not to repair the brakes automatically but to send the emergency notification of improper working or failure of the brakes.
Brake pads normally make noises when they are worn out. They need to be replaced when we hear the noise. You may hear a squealing sound sometimes but they are not meant to be worn out. When there are some dust or water particles on the brake pads, they make the same sound. When the pads were worn out, it is more convinced that the rotor also gets damaged. So we need to change the whole brake pad and the caliper.
For a rough figure say, a set of brake pads of a car must be changed for every 60,000 miles driven for long drives. When the car moves locally, it will be significantly lower say, it may be less than 45,000 miles. When the car moves in a busy area, the brake pads must be changed for every 25,000 miles or even less for sometimes. It is more evident that the front brakes usually fade more than the rear brakes as we handle a high percentage of braking load on the front wheels. There are rear wheel drive, front wheel drive, and four wheel drive systems and the brake pads depend on the way we use the system.
Normally people change the brake pad or brake drum when it gets damaged or worn out. When a single wheel brake gets worn out, people usually change the wheel brake pads and the brake drum and leave the other wheel as it is. It is recommended greatly by everyone to replace the other set of brake pads and drum even on the other side when one side of the brake pad and drum gets replaced.
Have you ever observed stopping the car automatically or observed the pulling effect? This is due to the defect in the braking system. It is not exact that the problem would be same as mentioned, but it may also be a different problem. It is recommended that a car is taken to a mechanic for a full repair. There are many problems associated with minor problems and so must be taken proper care.
There are also times when the braking efficiency is different on different wheels. In a situation where both the wheels need to be stopped, the braking effect will make the vehicle skid. This may lead to accidents. The best way to solve the problem is to replace the brake pads and drum. Poor alignment of brakes or wheels, worn tires, and engine problems may affect the braking and these are the times you should change the brakes