While driving your car around town, you may feel that the brakes are not responding quite as quickly as they have in the past. Because of this, you may be wondering if the problem is with the disc brakes themselves or is caused by another issue, such as low brake fluid.

After checking the fluid to find that the levels are holding steady, you may strongly suspect that the brakes are going bad. Below are a couple of signs for which you should look to determine if this is a possibility and that your disc brakes need to be inspected by a professional.

1.  Loud Clunking Sounds and Wheel Vibrations When Stepping on the Brakes

One sign that your disc brakes are starting to go bad and should be inspected to see if they need to be replaced is the presence of a loud clunking sound whenever you depress the brake pedal. You may also notice that the wheels vibrate to the point that you can feel the vibrations while grasping the steering wheel.

When this happens, the discs themselves may have grooves worn into the surfaces. When the pads are pushed against the discs while rotating, they move unevenly.

However, the sounds and vibrations could also be caused by wheel misalignment or a bad axle. You need to have a professional inspect the brakes to determine if they are the cause of the problem.

2.  Brakes Feel like They Slip While Trying to Quickly Come to a Complete Stop

Another sign that could indicate that your car's disc brakes are failing is the feeling that they are slipping. You can usually feel this most when you try to quickly come to a complete stop.

If the surfaces are badly worn down on the discs, the pads will not be able to create consistent friction when you apply the brakes. However, the pads themselves could be the issue, and you would need to have the braking system inspected to find out which is causing the issue.

Along with being on the lookout for clunking noises, wheel vibrations, and slippage while stopping, you may also see cracks or indentations on the discs themselves if your wheels have large enough spaces through which to look and examine the brakes. If you feel that you need to have the brakes inspected by a professional to see if they need to be replaced, contact an auto service near you that offers disc brake service to schedule a time for an inspection.

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