Inspecting Your Brake Rotors

 

None of us need to be explained the importance of brakes when it comes to vehicle safety (especially when you own a Mazda…), but it is still virtuous to inspect yours regularly.  In light of that, we thought we’d cover some information on brake rotors, and how to check them.

Luckily, brake rotors are one part you can not only inspect visually, but acoustically as well.  When your rotors are bad, you’ll hear it.  The telltale sign of bad rotors is a high pitch screech from your brakes when stopping.  This sound is made by an indicator, a small shim used to let you know it’s time for the rotors to go.  Sometimes though, after a hard rain and similar water exposure, rust can form and cause a similar sound which usually goes away quickly.

And now for some visual signs of worn rotors.  The most obvious sign to look for – and the easiest to see – is rust.  We’re not talking surface rust from water exposure (like we mentioned above), we’re talking corrosive rust.  This can occur when you go a long period without driving (and canbe common during rougher NC winters).  Other signs include: warped rotors, grooves  and cracks in the rotors, a lipped edge, and heat spots (resulting in vibration, which are caused by improperly bedded rotors).  For most of these, all it takes is a close glance at the rotors and a swipe of your finger along its surface to check.

There are plenty of more in-depth articles on the web covering brake rotor inspection, and we suggest searching for a few once you’ve inspected your brakes and notice something curious.  If you’re already sure your rotors need replacing (or if you aren’t sure as well),Parks Mazda  will be more than happy to service your Mazda for you, or provide you with genuine OEM Mazda parts if you’d rather change your brake rotors yourself.

The Importance of Brake Fluid

There are maintenance items on our cars that we sometimes forget.  For many of us, brake fluid can easily be one of them .  But first, allow us to explain what brake fluid does.

Brake fluid is fed through a series of lines to your brake calipers to help them clamp down on your rotors.  The fluid itself is pressurized by your brake booster, located in the engine bay.
When brake fluid is low, your braking will show.  A low amount of brake fluid will result in less pressure, and air in the system.  Air in your brake lines causes your pedal to feel soft and sluggish, which results in poor to very, very bad braking.

If your brake pedal feels soft, it likely means your fluid is low and/or air in the system.  Give the pedal some pumps till it feels firmer; many times this won’t solve the issue and you’ll need to service your brakes by “bleeding” the lines.  One way to tell is if the fluid in your reservoir is full but your brakes still feel soft, then it’s time to service them, which Parks Mazda can happily do for you in case you don't have the time or tools.

Transmission Fluid

Your transmission fluid is one of those items that you're aware of, but might not ever really give a second thought to, other than it gets flushed when you come into Parks Mazda for a fluid flush.

Transmission fluid itself is usually red in color and has a very sweet smell, perhaps sweeter than that of coolant, which is a green or yellow color.  It's important to know what transmission fluid looks like going into your transmission so that you can know what it should like like when you check it.

So, how do you check it?  There is a transmission fluid dipstick located in your engine bay.  For rear wheel drive vehicles, it's located in the back of the bay, usually pressed against a valve cover.  On front wheel drive cars, the transaxle fluid dipstick is located in the front of the engine bay, very close to the radiator. 

Once you've located the dipstick, pull it out (be sure to have your engine running in Park or Neutral), and dab a finger on the stick and fluid to inspect it.  The transmission fluid should be red (or pinkish) and clear; if it looks dirty, has particles in it, or smells somewhat burnt, it's time to flush the fluid and change it.

Want to know more?  Comment with any questions!

Tips for Carpooling

School is now in sessions, which means carpooling kids for many of us.  So here are some suggestions to maximize safety and cut down on worry!

1.)    Before starting out of your first carpool adventure, make sure your vehicle is up-to-date on routine maintenance. Getting an oil change and having your tired tread wear checked are good places to start. We can help with that!

2.)    Make sure you and all of your passengers buckle up. As kids get older they tend to want to use seatbelts less and less. A survey from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that many young teens don’t buckle up, even when they are riding as passengers with adult drivers. So set a good example. Make sure you are always buckled up yourself and ensure that all passengers, no matter what their age, are buckled as well before putting the car in drive.

3.)    Safely share the road with child pedestrians. Do not block crosswalks when waiting to make a turn or when stopped at a light. Children are the most difficult pedestrians to see and the least predictable. Never scare a child pedestrian by honking, revving your engine, or rushing them in any way as they are crossing in front of your vehicle.

4.)    Share the road with school buses. Laws in all 50 states make it illegal to pass a school bus while it is stopped to load or unload children. Pay attention to the yellow caution lights that flash to warn you when the bus is preparing to stop and leave a safe distance between you and the school bus.

5.)    Pay attention to school zones. These are the areas that are likely to have the most congestion from children being dropped off in front of school. Obey the lower speed limits and be prepared to make frequent stops due to children getting out of vehicles and not always paying attention to where they are walking.

6.)    Instruct your children on where to walk after you drop them off in front of their schools. Remind them to always use crosswalks and sidewalks and to be cautious at all times.
Stay tuned to Bright Bay Mazda's blog for more safety tips and other neat automotive tricks!

Keep watching the Parks Mazda blog for more safety tips and useful driving and car maintenance tips!