The Most Important Maintenance Items on Your Vehicle Part two of two

 Continuing from last month’s article on important maintenance items, the remaining items are:
Brake Pads
Obviously brakes are important, but important does not mean complex.  Many people take a hands-off approach to brakes and take the word of any mechanic or dealership flunky as gospel.  The only rule for how long brake pads will last is this: There are no rules.  How often you need to change your brake pads varies based on your driving style, the type of driving you do, the weight of your vehicle, the quality of the brake pads, and the condition of your brake rotors.
Obviously, if you drive aggressively (tailgate others, hard brake at stoplights, etc.) you will use the brakes more often and wear them out quicker than normal. If you drive in a hilly area or in constant stop and go traffic, you will use the brakes more often and wear them out quicker than normal. Getting the picture?
So, how can you know if you need to change your pads? You could take your car into one of the infinite number of shops that offer free brake inspections.  Unfortunately, if that shop is even a little less than honest, they will tell you that you need new pads. If you own a BMW or other vehicle from a small selection of German automakers, then your brake pads have an electronic monitor built in. When the pads wear down, a light will display on your dashboard.
Even if you own a Cavalier, you’re still in luck. Almost all brake pads come with a built in wear indicator! This usually consists of a small metal tab on the brake pad.  As the pad wears down, this tab comes closer to the brake rotor.  When it finally makes contact, you will hear a slight screeching or scraping sound.
Once you hear the scrape, it’s time to change the pads. You don’t have to do it the same day, but try not to let it go too long. If the scraping turns into a rough grinding sound, you need to change those pads now! Running the pads too low can cause damage to your rotors.  This causes your brakes to be less effective and could cost you more money in the end.
Tires
The last item on our list is the lowest point on your car. The life expectancy of tires, just like everything else on the list, varies.  Personally, I’ve owned several sets of Falken Azenis tires that lasted for less than a year.  They were good tires, great actually, but they were built for track days and performance driving and that’s how I used them. I’ve also owned tires that never seem to wear out.  The BFGoodrich All Terrain tires on my Jeep have around 20,000 miles on them and they still look brand new.  Most normal passenger car tires are rated for between 40,000 and 50,000 miles, but the reality of that is hard to judge.  Tires go flat, cars get sold, other problems contribute to premature wear, and heck, after 3 or 4 years you’ll probably forget when you actually bought them anyway.
Tires, like brake pads, have built in wear indicators.  Between the treads, there are these tiny little ridges that are 1/16 an inch high.  When the tread gets even with these ridges, it’s time to get new rubber.  In case you were wondering, the ridges are 1/16 of an inch because that is the minimum safe tread depth for a road going tire. This is also the minimum safe tread depth allowed by law in many states.  Check your tires every month or so for wear and damage.  It only takes a minute. Run your hand over the tread, especially on the inner and outer edges.  If you feel anything weird (uneven ridges, waves, wires!) get your tires checked out by a reputable tire shop.
There are plenty of other parts on your car that will require maintenance at some point in your vehicle’s life.  Various fluids, bushings, bearings, and engine components all need touching up or replacing from time to time.  Some can be ignored for a while, some practically forever.  Keeping these four at the top of your checkup list will keep your vehicle on the road and safe for a lot longer than you might think.