Brake Pad Replacement near Alexandria, VA

During our daily treks to the office or running errands around town, we’ll come to momentary halts due to stop signs, red lights, or bumper-to-bumper traffic. While this is happening, your brake pads are hard at work, lending some of the strength necessary to stop your vehicle. When they begin to wear thin, make sure to reach out to us at Pohanka Lexus to replace them. And if you want to gain some intel on their functions and how we’ll service them, make sure to read ahead!

Overview

Your braking system is a series of parts that work in unison with one another, and contained within the caliper are plates that are in the shape of a semicircle. This is known as your brake pad, and they’re usually made of a series of metals such as iron, steel, and copper. They’re activated once a series of events are set in motion by your foot hitting the brake pedal within your vehicle, which engages the master cylinder. Its role is to activate the fluid necessary to travel to your calipers, which is what manages to communicate to your brake pads to clamp down against the force of the spinning rotor to bring them to a stop. This happens in the blink of an eye if you suddenly stop your travels on Janney’s Lane!

Replacement Timeline and Warning Signs

Those who partake in commuting to the big city outside of Alexandria for work may need to replace their brake pads more frequently, as they’re more likely to wear down with heavy use. People who fall in this category should contact us for replacements every 30,000 miles or so, while those who normally travel by highway may be able to hold out until the 65,000-mile mark. In either case, once they begin to wear down, you might become more aware of screeching or grinding when you tap on the brakes. Also be mindful of a pedal vibration that accompanies this, which is a second signal that they’re in need of servicing. And if a red exclamation mark within a circle makes an appearance on your gauge cluster, visit our Service Department so they can examine the cause of a brake warning light.

Replacement Process

Eventually, after many trips to the Cameron Run Regional Park are made, it will be time to replace the brake pads within your Lexus model. We’ll be happy to swap these out for you in exchange for a factory-fresh set during our convenient business hours, where we’re open seven days per week. Once you've checked into your appointment and our certified technicians are in the process of replacing your brake pads, they’ll begin by removing the tires to find their way to the slider bolts of your calipers. The bolts are then detached, followed by an unfastening of your calipers. If they’re worryingly thin, our team will switch them out for a new set. Once they’re securely in place, the disassembled parts are added onto your vehicle in reverse order. Afterward, you’ll be on your way to once again having an ES 300 that stops in a jiffy!