Four steps to maintaining life of your brake system

The brakes on your automobile are one of the most critical mechanisms of your vehicle. Proper maintenance requires careful attention to details on a regular basis. Maintaining that your brakes are in perfect working condition is a must for safe operation and longer life of the brake system.

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Step 1 -- Make sure the brake fluid in your vehicle is of good quality and is always at the appropriate level. If the brake fluid has a milky color, it means that water or condensation has infiltrated the fluid and you need to change the brake fluid. Contaminated brake fluid can destroy your master cylinder in the brake system.

Step 2 -- Change the brake fluid in your vehicle by adding new fluid in your master cylinder. You must bleed your brake lines in order to get all of the air out of them. In most cases, each wheel has a bleeder valve.

Step 3 -- Have one person inside the vehicle pumping the brakes. Doing this allows pressure to go through the brake lines. Pump the brakes three to four times. On the last time, hold the pedal all the way to the floor. The other person needs to be at one wheel, at the bleeder valve. Open the bleeder valve. Air will escape. When the brake fluid is flowing through the bleeder valve, close the bleeder valve. Repeat on the other three wheels.

Step 4 -- Inspect the brake pads and rotors in order to maintain your automotive brakes. You can visually accomplish this by taking the tire off. If your brake pads are showing wear to the extent that you cannot see much pad, then it's time to change pads.

Need to install new brake pads on your vehicle or need more do-it-yourself tips? Visit www.raybestos.com for information on the best in brakes for your car.