time for brakes

I loosely understand braking :-) There is brake fluid so I assume its contained/pressurized. The wheels rotate so I assume there is a shaft between the front wheels and between the rear wheels. I press the brake pedal which increases the pressure of the brake fluid reservoir enough to ... and then I am guessing something clamps onto the wheel shafts to slow the revolutions of wheels. I've heard terms like brake line and shoe pads-not sure how a shoe fits in, the word pad makes more sense. I loosely understand braking :-)

When one has the brakes "repaired" what is "fixed" and what is actually replaced by new?

Ive managed to nurse my 2000 Taurus to 89000 miles but its past time for the brakes-the brake light flickers on and off now. An estimate 2yrs ago was $300-$400 and I am guessing bad economy means higher repair bills so I am hoping I get no more than $500 charged.

brake shoes are on the back brake pads are on the front. it could be pads or shoes,wheel cylender,master cylender rear shoes might need ajusted. are you loosing fluid?

Brake shoes are the devices, including friction material, used with drum style brakes. On modern cars, drum brakes are typically only found on the rear. Brake pads are the devices, including friction material, used with disc style brakes. Disc brakes are used front and rear on many modern cars. Disc brakes are more effective at stopping the car and contain fewer mechanical parts, as well as being self-adjusting through normal use (unlike drum brakes contrary to how they may be marketed), but supposedly are more expensive.

The brake fluid is not pressurized normally, but is pressurized by the master cylinder which forces the pressurized fluid through the brake likes to pistons. The pistons are installed either in a caliper (disc brakes) or a wheel cylinder (drum brakes). Either assembly of braking mechanism is generally going to be located just inside the wheel assembly. There are a few vehicles where the brakes are inboard, but that is quite rare in a modern car.

When a brake job is performed, the number of new parts could vary depending on how complete the brake job is. Pads and shoes will certainly be renewed (the shoes are typically returned to the distributor to have new linings applied, basically the metal carrier is reused). The brake hardware manufacturers would suggest that all the brake "hardware" be replaced. The "hardware" usually consists of springs, retaining pins, star wheel adjusters and possibly some clips or cables depending on the design. I'm not sure if the wheel cylinders are generally considered hardware or not. For disc brakes, the hardware is typically the slide pins/bolts, rubber dust boots, and similar items.

Brake drums and rotors may be able to be machined (cutting a thin layer of the braking surface to ensure trueness of the rotating device) if there is sufficient material remaining. If not, these will be replaced as well. These are a normal wear item. Additionally, typical brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture) and should be flushed periodically. Moisture in brake fluid can boil under extreme braking conditions. The steam is compressible which reduces braking effectiveness. Additionally, the moisture can cause corrosion of metal brake parts, including valves within the very expensive ABS computer.

If you're lucky, the brake light is flickering because the friction material has worn enough that the fluid level dropped, causing the light to illuminate due to the low fluid level. Do not just add more fluid to the master cylinder but rather have the brakes serviced. If the level is low, it's low for a reason, which it sounds like you understand.

-Rod

Well, the work is done. For $560 I had the front pads and rotor replaced, plus the front tires replaced, plus oil change. The tires are slightly bigger than the old tires and the brake assembly fills the inside of the front tires-the old tires had a few inches of open space between rim and brake assembly. The steering seems to drive more smoothly. I expected whiplash-like brakes for awhile, but they actually dont seem too much different from the worn out ones-enough of a difference to tell, but not as tight as I thought it would be. I googled my tires (Sumimoto) and all the complaints were about skidding on wet pavement so this winter should be interesting :-)