Brakes are one of the most critical systems on your vehicle, and if the brakes don't seem right, it is vital that have a brake repair shop check the entire system. There are typically some signs that the brakes need an inspection, but you need to know what to look for and then take the car to the shop as soon as you notice the issue.

Brake Dust

Brake dust in large amounts on the outside of your wheels can indicate excessive wear from the brake pads. If there is a lot of brake dust on one wheel and not the others, you may have a brake caliper sticking and causing the pad to wear as it drags along the rotor while you are driving.

Sometimes the drag is so slight that you hardly notice it, and other times it can show up as a noticeable pull to one side of the vehicle. In either case, it is a good idea to take the vehicle to the brake repair shop for an inspection of the system if you start to see brake dust accumulating on the outside of any wheel on your vehicle. 

Sometimes normal wear will produce a lot of brake dust, but since most shops will inspect the brakes free of charge, if the dust seems excessive to you, have the brakes checked for safety. 

Noise and Grinding

One of the most common things people notice when their brakes start to wear is grinding and banging sounds under the car when the brakes are applied. If you hear grinding noises when you apply the brakes, you need to take the vehicle to the brake repair shop right away. The grinding is typically caused by extreme wear and a lack of friction material on the brake pads. 

Once the friction material is worn off the pad's backing plate, the metal can make contact with the brake rotors, and the result is metal-to-metal contact that makes a grinding noise. The noise is bad, but the damage that can occur to the rotors can be extreme, and in many cases, the brake repair tech will need to replace the rotors on your car as well as the pads and shoes. 

Banging noises when applying the brakes is often a symptom of pads moving around in the caliper as they contact the rotor. Usually, this is the result of a retainer that has come loose, but over time it can cause the pad to get stuck in the wrong position in the caliper and may affect the performance of the brakes. 

If the brakes don't sound or feel right at any time, the best thing to do is to take the car or truck to a brake repair shop and have them check the system for issues right away.