What if someone never changed their brakes and the brakes are completely worn out? Would the ABS kick in or would the calibers be damaged? Thanks!
cheap brake pads, and hard stopping. you probably live in the city. there are different grades of pads. whoever put yours on went for the cheaper ones.
You probably ride your brakes a lot. Use your engine when going down big long hills.
umm really , you would know when u need them squeeling , grinding, ruining your rotors , hard to break or no brakes , uneven wear on the pad several different types caused by caliper failure. word of advice match up the new ones u buy to the old ones :) and the more expensive is worth the money , last longer and quieter
The ABS only kicks in during hard braking, not when the parts are worn. Also, the caliper would most likely not be affected because the backing plates of the brake pads conceal the piston of the caliper from the rotor and other moving parts. The pads and rotors would get damaged first before the caliper ever does. The caliper would only need to be replaced if the piston was seized in the bore, or if it became compromised by some other means.
Both disk drum brakes have indicators which make a distinct metal-metal squeal or grinding when you apply the brakes on a car with worn pads. The indicators are pieces of sheet metal which hit the rotor/drum just before the pads are totally worn away. Once you hear it, the time to have the brakes checked is NOW. Before ABS (anti-lock braking systems), people would just slam on the brakes until they feel the car start to skid. Then, a good driver would take their foot off the brake, allowing the wheel to rotate, and step on the pedal again. This pumping action on a panic stop is exactly what the ABS does. only faster and more accurately. If you brakes are completely worn out, the car won't stop. That's because metal-on-metal slides. The pads pressing against the metal drum/disk cause more drag than metal-on-metal. With worn-out brakes, the car won't stop; without ABS, with ABS or even with the hand brake. And no, driving with worn-out brakes won't damage the ABS that is, unless you can't stop and drive into a tree. Many places, like brake muffler shops will do FREE brake inspections. When in doubt, have them do an inspection. If it needs brakes, they will give you a written quote, listing all the parts work to be done. (With that, you can take your car to a good shade-tree mechanic to repair your brakes fro a reasonable price. It isn't difficult.)
