Be it a change in job that requires more travel around the city, a move that takes you to a neighborhood that requires a longer commute, or the addition of new teen drivers sharing your car, an increase in driving brings with it an increase in wear on your car. Increased street driving or highway driving with stop-and-go traffic requires more brake use, and that means your brakes are wearing down more quickly than you may be used to. According to Toyota, brake pads need to be replaced at between 10,000 to 20,000 miles if you want to avoid driving on worn pads. If you haven't been doing that, it may be time to take the car to an auto repair shop.

Any Brake Use Causes Wear

How you use your brakes certainly affects how quickly they wear down, but any brake use will result in pad wear. Careful driving that doesn't include a lot of hard stops can preserve your brake pads to an extent, but even that will eventually make the pads need replacement, too. When you drive, try to keep your distance from other cars, so that you have room to brake more gently. Try also to drive at times when you can avoid freeway traffic, if your schedule allows it.

Inspections Help

Bringing your car to an auto repair shop for a brake inspection is a great way to keep tabs on what's happening with the pads. If you do a lot of driving, for example, an inspection every couple of months gives you a good idea of how long you have to go before you have to replace the brake pads. If you don't drive a lot, try to have the brakes inspected when you have the oil changed.

Don't Forget the Master Cylinder

Your brake pads are only one part of the system -- there's also the master brake cylinder, which will need replacement after a certain amount of time. By having an auto repair shop regularly inspect your car and by noting any changes in brake pad or pedal behavior, you can spot issues with the brake cylinder quickly, allowing for replacement before those issues become too big to ignore.

Contact Steve’s Auto Body & Repairing LLC today if you haven't had your brakes looked at. Our mechanics can let you know how the pads are doing and whether you need to consider replacing them soon.