Brake repair in West Chester

Signs your brakes need attention

• A brake warning on the dash. Most European cars have a wear sensor in the pad. When the light comes on the pads are near the end, not past it — but book this week, not next month.
• Squealing, then grinding. A squeal is often the pad's own warning. Grinding is metal on metal, and every stop is now cutting into the rotor.
• A pedal that pulses, or a steering wheel that shakes when you brake. The rotor's surface is no longer even.
• A soft, long or sinking pedal. Air or water in the fluid, or a leak. Have it looked at before you drive it far.
• Pulling to one side under braking. Usually a sticking caliper or a collapsed brake hose.

Dark dust on the front wheels, by itself, is normal: the pads European makers fit grip hard and shed dust doing it.

What a brake job here includes

1. We measure before we quote. Pad thickness on every wheel, rotor thickness against the minimum cast into the rotor, the calipers, the slides, the hoses, and the fluid's moisture.
2. Pads and rotors as a set where the car needs it. On most European cars the rotors are made to wear along with the pads and are below their limit by the second set — so they are replaced together. Where a rotor still has the thickness to be machined true, we tell you.
3. New wear sensors and hardware. A sensor that has tripped cannot be reused; clips and slides are cleaned or replaced and lubricated so the new pads wear evenly.
4. The electric parking brake handled properly. On cars that have one, the rear calipers are wound back with a scan tool, not forced.
5. The right pad for the brake. On performance brakes with fixed calipers we fit original-equipment pads.
6. A road test to bed the pads in and check the pedal.

Brake fluid

Brake fluid takes up water from the air through the hoses and seals. Water lowers its boiling point — the pedal goes soft on a long downhill — and corrodes the ABS unit from the inside. Most European makers call for new fluid every two to three years, whatever the miles; our own schedule is every 30,000 miles or three years, or your maker's interval where it is shorter. We also test the fluid for moisture at every inspection, so you get a measurement, not a guess.

What brakes cost

Brake fluid exchange	The old fluid flushed out at every wheel and replaced with new DOT 4	about $170
Pads and rotors, one axle	Depends on the car and the brakes it was built with	$500 to $1,500+

The spread is the car. The rear brakes of a Jetta and the front brakes of an AMG Mercedes or a Cayenne are different jobs with very different parts, and one model can come with several brake packages. So we measure, look up your car by its VIN and send the exact estimate to your phone. Nothing is done until you approve it.

Can I wait?

Yes — brakes can be done on a waiting appointment. Allow at least three hours so the parts have time to arrive.

Brake questions

Do the rotors really need replacing with the pads?

Often, on European cars, yes. Their rotors are softer than most and wear with the pads; each has a minimum thickness cast into it, and below that it can overheat or crack. We measure every rotor and show you the numbers.

Another shop changed my pads and the brake light is still on. Why?

Usually the wear sensor was not replaced, or the service reminder was never reset. Both are quick to put right.

How long should brakes last?

It depends on the car, the pads and the driving — city miles wear brakes far faster than highway miles. We measure the pads at every visit, so you know how much is left well before the light comes on.

Is brake work covered by your warranty?

Yes. Our repairs, brake work included, carry a warranty of 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first.