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Brake Shop and Brake Repairs in San Jose, CA

Need Brake Repair Service? You’ve Come to the Right Place

Whether your brakes have begun to squeak and you need brake pad replacement, or you’ve got a warning light on, and you need brake repair, look no further than Bruce’s Tire & Auto Service. Providing exceptional brake repair services in San Jose, California, Bruce’s Tire & Auto Service is your one-stop brake shop for all of your auto-related needs.

Each of our mechanics is ASE-certified and can properly diagnose, service, and repair any component of your brake system. Additionally, our San Jose brake shop uses quality replacement parts to ensure that your vehicle is safe on the road.

Here are just a few of the many brake repair and brake maintenance services that we provide:

  • Brake pad replacement
  • Brake rotor replacement
  • Brake rotor resurfacing
  • Brake fluid flush
  • ABS light diagnosis and more!

Whether you need brake repair or brake maintenance services, schedule service today at Bruce’s Tire & Auto Service and trust your vehicle to the hands of the experts.

Why Maintaining Your Brake System is Important

Maintaining your brake system is a vital part of vehicle ownership. Your brake system is responsible for bringing your vehicle to a stop when you hit the brake pedal. Neglecting to maintain your brake system can jeopardize your stopping power and lead to a collision.

When you press your brake pedal, your master cylinder forces brake fluid through tiny pipes that lead to your brake calipers. These calipers hold high-friction brake pads that make contact and clamp down on a rotor that spins with your wheels to bring you to a stop.

Your brake system is very good at its job, but if a component of your system is in need of maintenance or repair, it can negatively affect the stopping power of your vehicle.

When To Change Your Brake Fluid

Your brake fluid is responsible for transferring force into your brake calipers. Over time, your brake fluid is introduced to air and moisture as it heats, cools, and sometimes even boils during high demands. If your brake fluid gets too dirty or runs low, it can negatively affect how efficiently your brake calipers can apply force to your brake pads and rotors.

The general service interval for brake fluid service is three years or 30,000 miles; however, we recommend you check your owner’s manual for your vehicle's recommended service schedule.

When To Choose a Brake Pad Replacement

You should expect to change your brake pads every 30,000 miles; however, this is a very general figure. Vehicles that experience heavy city driving may need brake pad replacement as often as every 10,000 miles.

In contrast, vehicles that are mostly driven on the highway may only need brake pad replacement every 80,000 miles.

Our brake shop in San Jose, California, also performs brake pad replacement and brake repair services on hybrid and electric vehicles. Electric vehicles use the aid of regenerative braking to slow down. In layperson’s terms, they run their electric motors in reverse to act as generators to send energy back to the battery. This significantly extends the life of a hybrid or electric vehicle’s brake pads — because of this feature, it's important to use high-quality brake pads like the ones we use here at Bruce's Tire & Auto Service. 

When To Change Your Brake Rotors

Under normal operating conditions, brake rotors generally last between 50,000 and 70,000 miles. However, your rotors can overheat and warp, causing your entire vehicle to vibrate when you hit the brakes. Rotors don’t generally overheat in everyday driving conditions, but they can when towing, mountain driving, or even track driving. Thinning rotors that are at the end of their life are also more prone to overheating and warping.

How To Tell if Your Brakes Need Replacement

Many drivers are unaware that there’s anything wrong with their brake system. At Bruce's Tire & Auto Service, we recommend that you get a brake inspection with each of your oil change services to make sure that your system is functioning normally. However, it's still important to know the signs for when your vehicle needs brake repair or brake pad replacement.

Here are a few tell-tale signs that your vehicle is due for brake service:

  • Squealing, grinding brakes
  • Brake warning light illuminated
  • Vibrations when decelerating
  • Extended stopping distance

Does your vehicle need brake repair or maintenance? Schedule service at Bruce’s Tire & Auto Service and trust your vehicle to the hands of certified experts. Our brake shop also features outstanding service coupons to make sure you maximize your savings.

Schedule service at our San Jose brake shop today!

San Jose Brake Shop FAQs

What happens if you don't service your brakes?

Failing to service your brakes is one of the fastest ways to damage your braking system. If you fail to service your brakes, you may find that your brakes are unable to perform the way they are designed to. If left unchecked, you can seriously damage your rotors and calipers, causing potential brake damage. 

When you press down on your brake pedal, your master cylinder sends pressurized fluid through your brake lines and into your calipers. A piston located inside the calipers (high-performance brakes sometimes have more than one piston) compresses and forces your brake pads to squeeze against your brake rotors. Over time, these components wear down, diminishing the efficiency of your braking system. Scheduling regular brake maintenance and timely brake service not only promotes optimal braking performance but also prevents the need for costly brake repair. 

What normally indicates a problem with brakes?

Many different signs could indicate your vehicle requires brake repair. Here are a couple of common symptoms as well as what they mean:

  • Squealing brakes — while squealing brakes may be a result of excess dust caught between your pad and your brake rotor, squealing brakes that don't seem to get any better are often a result of low brake pads. Most brake pads are built with a metal wear bar inside that emits a high-pitched squealing noise when it makes contact with your brake rotor. This is often the first sign that your brake pads are low, and it is time for replacement. 
  • Vibrations — if your vehicle vibrates when you press down on your brake pedal, this may be an indication that your brake rotors have warped. Because brake rotors are made of metal that becomes quite pliable when it gets hot, it is not uncommon for your brake rotors to warp under heavy braking conditions. Once your brake pads have warped, they can negatively affect your vehicle's stopping power. We recommend a visit to our brake shop in San Jose at your earliest convenience. 
How long does it take a San Jose brake shop to do a brake job?

On average, it takes our brake shop in San Jose between one and three hours to complete a brake job. However, the amount of time that your particular vehicle will take will depend largely on a few factors:

  • The type of service being performed — because a simple service such as a brake pad replacement is typically much faster than performing brake repair services, the amount of time that your vehicle will spend in our service center will depend on the type of brake services that are needed.
  • If you have an appointment — while we accept walk-in customers, we prioritize customers who have made an appointment in advance. Making an appointment expedites your vehicle's brake services by allowing us to reserve a time slot for a dedicated mechanic to work on your vehicle. In addition, this allows us to ensure that we have the proper parts ready to service your vehicle. 
  • Part availability — if we happen to be out of stock on your vehicle's brake pads or other brake components, your vehicle will have to wait until the parts arrive. However, scheduling an appointment allows us to preorder the parts and avoid unnecessary wait time. 
How do I know if my brake fluid is low?

If your brake fluid is low, you may notice that your brake pedal feels unusually soft or spongy. This is often because your master cylinder is attempting to send brake fluid to your calipers, but because your brake fluid is low, it is unable to send the pressure that your brake system needs. As a result, your brake pedal will feel much less firm and may even be less responsive.

Drivers who have low brake fluid may also notice that their vehicle's stopping power has diminished. It's not uncommon for your vehicle to return reduced braking performance when you have low brake fluid. You may even notice that your ABS light has come on.

One of the easiest ways to know if your brake fluid is low is to simply look. If you raise the hood of your vehicle, you'll notice your brake fluid reservoir located somewhere in the engine bay. Usually located in a reservoir nearest the cabin of the vehicle, the brake fluid level should be easy for you to view. When checking the level, you'll want to make sure that your brake fluid is translucent and not brown or dirty. 

 

Schedule a Brake Repair Service

 

Contact Bruce's Tire & Auto Service

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