Brake Line Leaks and Replacement Vista, CA

Why do brake lines need to be replaced?

There are several reasons to replace your brake lines and these reasons are; maintenance, breakage, and collapse.

Brake lines are a commonly overlooked item when performing a brake repair service. This article will outline these reasons for replacement and what to look for when determining whether to replace them or not.

First a quick overview, top three things you should look for to know if your brake lines are leaking worn or need replacement. If you want an expert to inspect your braking system for you feel free to give us a call to schedule a brake inspection.

1. 1. Do your brakes feel softer than normal?

This could mean you have a small leak in your braking system, from a hose, fitting or other parts of your braking system.

1. 2. Do you see a leak underneath your braking system possibly in your driveway?

Leaks can come from many different parts of your vehicle, however, if it looks like it’s coming from a component in your braking system or a brake line you can pretty confident you need to replace your brake lines.

1. 3. Are your brakes performing poorly even if you recently had your brakes serviced?

What this means is your brake pads and rotors are in good condition, however your brakes are performing poorly. Maybe it’s harder to push your pedal down, maybe it’s taking you longer to stop.

What can be damaged in a brake line?

The inside of your brake lines could have rust, or torn rubber depending on the type or brake lines you have. Which could have contaminated your brake fluid and damaged other parts of the inside of your braking system by tearing seals or clogging vital parts of your system.

You see most people don’t think of brake lines when they are servicing your brakes even though over time they can cause major brake issues. Rust is one large reason metal brake lines need to be replaced. The rust can contaminate the brake fluid which makes it less effective, which can cause problems in other parts of your braking system like the tearing of the rubber seals in the calipers or master cylinder.

This also can affect the rubber hoses, you see the rubber begins to deteriorate because of moisture and heat. this wear may cause brake failure through breakage or collapsing brake lines.

Rubber hoses are less durable than steel and can tear from the inside as well which contaminates the brake fluid with little rubber particles.

It is very common for mechanics to overlook brake lines which is why our shop always does a full brake inspection which includes inspecting the brake lines when we service your brakes. This way we can catch deterioration before it breaks and causes major issues.

Not only can your brakes lines deteriorate over time, but if there is debris on the road or another faulty part in your vehicle near the brake lines it can sever the brake lines completely. This is a scary situation, once a line is severed the pressure is released from your brake system which may cause your brakes to completely fail.

Metal lines are much more durable which is why more vehicles are being produced with this component. However, we still inspect them to make sure the fittings are on tight and there are no signs of deterioration.

Some other symptoms to look out for

A great tell tale sign is brake fluid leaking from the lines, this can be from a loose or worn connection or a hole as small as a pin prick. When we do find these things a brake line replacement is a quick and easy fix.

The last thing I would pay attention to is if you’re driving down the road and press down on your brakes and they feel softer than normal. This could be a sign of a few different things, one of them is that your brake fluid is low and since it is a closed loop system would mean it’s leaking somewhere.

If you have any other questions or need your brake line replaced in Vista, CA or have any brake hose or brake system issues give us a call today!