Brakes are the most important safety feature of your vehicle. Keep yourself and your passengers safe by ensuring your brakes are in great working condition with bi-annual brake inspections. This can be done at the same time as your bi-annual tire rotation.

Inspecting your brakes twice a year for wear and damage will protect you and save money by catching a problem before it escalates.

Additionally, your vehicle's alignment should be checked every 10,000 miles or at least once a year. Research has shown that the average vehicle is driven about 15,000 miles a year, which means a car with a toe angle misadjustment of even 0.34 degrees (only 0.17 inches) out of specification can drag the vehicle's tires sideways for more than 68 miles by the end of the year.

Keep your tires straight and you and your passengers safe by coming to one of the trusted auto repair shops in Utica, IL for comprehensive wheel alignment services! Contact The Auto Clinic Repair and Towing Inc today at (815) 433-9181 to receive a FREE estimate on the brake or wheel alignment services you need.

The master cylinder, the heart of your vehicle's braking system, holds the brake fluid when it's not being delivered to the brakes via the brake lines. If the master cylinder is worn or brake lines are plugged or broken and your brake fluid leaks, the fluid cannot be delivered, and your brake pads will be ruined. All of this can lead to the loss of braking ability, which endangers you, your passengers and others on the road.

Brake fluid can break down from excess heat and also become contaminated as it draws rust-causing moisture and picks up other debris. Dirty brake fluid is brown or even black, while clean brake fluid is typically clear or slightly yellow in color. Old, dirty brake fluid causes internal damage to the ABS.

Brake lines connect to the master cylinder through a combination valve, which combines a metering and proportioning valve. The combination valve regulates the pressure on your front and rear wheels to ensure both sets of brakes are applied at the same time. A malfunctioning combination valve can cause your wheels to lock up.

Brake pads and shoes are usually made of ceramic, metal or organic materials, while the disc rotors and drums they press against are made of metal. The pads and shoes create friction to bring your car to a stop and can gradually wear down over time or even wear away completely, letting the metal of the attached calipers and cylinders grind against the rotors and drums to cause damage.

Some pads are equipped with a metal strip that sounds a warning whistle when the pad becomes too worn, but this strip only sounds when the car is in motion and the brakes are not being applied.

Make sure your brakes are in the best working condition by bringing your vehicle to us for a brake inspection! If you've already run into problems and are stranded on the side of the road, give our 24-hour towing service a call at (815) 228-1849. We are one of the most trusted auto repair shops in Utica, IL.