MULTI-STEP BRAKE PROBLEM FINDER

Tell Us What Your Brakes Are Doing

You do not need to know the name of the bad part. Select one symptom or several symptoms, then send the complete description to Brutus Auto.

Start the Finder Call (603) 624-8881

Step 1 of 5

STEP 1

What Is Happening?

Choose every category that sounds like your brake problem. You can pick more than one.

✓ Brake noise Squeaking, grinding, scraping, clicking, clunking, rattling ✓ Brake pedal feels wrong Soft, spongy, hard, low, sinking, pulsing, sticking ✓ Shaking, vibration or pulling Steering wheel shake, pedal pulsation, car pulls or grabs ✓ Warning light ABS, BRAKE, traction, stability, pad wear, parking brake ✓ Heat, smell or smoke Hot wheel, burning smell, smoke, overheated brakes ✓ Brake fluid or leak Low fluid, wet wheel, leaking line, hose, caliper or cylinder ✓ Parking brake problem Will not hold, release, engage, calibrate or turns on a warning ✓ Car does not stop normally Long stopping distance, weak brakes, grabbing, locking ✓ Uneven or unusual wear One pad wears faster, grooves, rust, heat spots, cracked rotor ✓ Problem started after brake work After pads, rotors, caliper, bleeding, bearing or ABS work ✓ ABS / electronic brake behavior ABS activates unexpectedly, brake hold or assist problem ✓ Not sure Show me all symptom choices

STEP 2

What Exactly Are You Noticing?

Select every symptom that applies. The finder only shows groups related to your Step 1 choices unless you selected “Not sure.”

Brake noise

✓ Brakes squeak ✓ Brakes squeal ✓ Brakes grind ✓ Metal-on-metal brake noise ✓ Scraping noise ✓ Clicking noise ✓ Clunking noise ✓ Popping noise ✓ Rattling noise ✓ Groaning noise ✓ Chirping noise ✓ Humming / droning noise ✓ Noise only in reverse ✓ Noise from one wheel

Brake pedal feels wrong

✓ Pedal feels soft ✓ Pedal feels spongy ✓ Pedal goes to the floor ✓ Pedal slowly sinks ✓ Pedal is hard to push ✓ Pedal has little or no pressure ✓ Pedal feels too low ✓ Pedal pulses ✓ Pedal vibrates ✓ Pedal kicks back ✓ Pedal sticks / does not return ✓ Have to pump the pedal ✓ Pedal feels different sometimes

Shaking, vibration or pulling

✓ Steering wheel shakes while braking ✓ Whole car shakes while braking ✓ Front end shakes while braking ✓ Rear of vehicle shakes while braking ✓ Brake pedal pulsates ✓ Car pulls left while braking ✓ Car pulls right while braking ✓ Car swerves while braking ✓ Brakes grab and release ✓ One wheel grabs harder than the others ✓ Vibration only from highway speed

Warning light

✓ ABS light is on ✓ ABS light comes and goes ✓ Red BRAKE warning light is on ✓ Brake light stays on with parking brake released ✓ Traction control light is on ✓ Stability control light is on ✓ Brake pad wear warning is on ✓ Electronic parking brake warning is on ✓ Multiple brake / ABS lights are on

Heat, smell or smoke

✓ One wheel is very hot ✓ Front wheel is very hot ✓ Rear wheel is very hot ✓ Brakes smell burned ✓ Burning smell from one wheel ✓ Smoke coming from a wheel ✓ Brakes overheat ✓ Rotor or caliper is extremely hot ✓ Brakes get hot without much braking

Brake fluid or leak

✓ Brake fluid keeps getting low ✓ Brake fluid is leaking under the car ✓ Brake fluid is leaking near a wheel ✓ Brake fluid is leaking from a caliper ✓ Brake hose appears to leak ✓ Brake line appears to leak ✓ Master cylinder appears to leak ✓ Rear wheel cylinder appears to leak ✓ Fluid level drops but leak is not obvious ✓ Brake fluid looks dark / contaminated

Parking brake problem

✓ Parking brake will not release ✓ Parking brake will not hold the vehicle ✓ Parking brake is stuck ✓ Parking brake cable seems frozen ✓ Parking brake light stays on ✓ Electronic parking brake will not release ✓ Electronic parking brake will not engage ✓ Electronic parking brake says service required ✓ Parking brake drags while driving ✓ Parking brake works on only one side

Car does not stop normally

✓ Vehicle takes too long to stop ✓ Brakes feel weak ✓ Brakes work only after pumping pedal ✓ Brakes grab suddenly ✓ Brakes lock up ✓ One wheel locks up ✓ Brakes stay applied after pedal release ✓ Stopping ability changes from one stop to another ✓ Vehicle jerks when braking

Uneven or unusual wear

✓ Brake pads are wearing unevenly ✓ One pad is worn much more than the other ✓ One side wears faster than the other ✓ Inside pad wears faster than outside pad ✓ Outside pad wears faster than inside pad ✓ Brake pads wear out too quickly ✓ Rotor has deep grooves ✓ Rotor has blue / hot spots ✓ Rotor is heavily rusted ✓ Rotor looks cracked ✓ Pad is wearing at an angle

Problem started after brake work

✓ Noise after new brake pads ✓ Noise after new pads and rotors ✓ Smoke / hot brakes after brake job ✓ Soft pedal after brake job ✓ Pedal goes to floor after brake job ✓ Car pulls after brake job ✓ ABS light after brake job ✓ One wheel hot after replacing caliper ✓ Brakes drag after replacing caliper ✓ Problem after bleeding brakes ✓ Problem after wheel bearing replacement ✓ Problem after ABS sensor replacement

ABS / electronic brake behavior

✓ ABS activates at very low speed ✓ ABS activates on dry pavement ✓ ABS pulses right before the vehicle stops ✓ ABS pump keeps running ✓ Wheel-speed sensor code keeps returning ✓ Traction control activates unexpectedly ✓ Stability control activates unexpectedly ✓ Brake hold feature does not work ✓ Automatic emergency braking warning is on ✓ Brake assist warning is on ✓ Electronic parking brake will not calibrate

STEP 3

When Does It Happen?

Speed, temperature, rain, reverse, recent repairs and brake pressure can all help narrow down a brake complaint.

✓ All the time ✓ Only sometimes ✓ First thing in the morning ✓ When the vehicle is cold ✓ After the brakes get hot ✓ After driving for a while ✓ After highway driving ✓ In stop-and-go traffic ✓ At low speed ✓ Under 10 MPH ✓ Around 30–40 MPH ✓ Around 50–60 MPH ✓ At highway speed ✓ When braking lightly ✓ When braking hard ✓ Going downhill ✓ Going uphill ✓ Backing up / in reverse ✓ While turning left ✓ While turning right ✓ After rain / when wet ✓ After snow / winter weather ✓ After washing the vehicle ✓ After the vehicle sits overnight ✓ After a pothole / impact ✓ When towing ✓ With a heavy load ✓ After recent brake repair ✓ After a dead or replaced battery ✓ Not sure when it happens

STEP 4

Where Do You Notice It?

Choose every location that applies, or select “Not sure where.”

✓ Front of vehicle ✓ Rear of vehicle ✓ Front left wheel ✓ Front right wheel ✓ Rear left wheel ✓ Rear right wheel ✓ One wheel, not sure which ✓ Brake pedal ✓ Steering wheel ✓ Under the hood / master cylinder area ✓ Under the vehicle ✓ Dashboard warning light only ✓ Whole vehicle ✓ Not sure where

✓

YES — BRUTUS AUTO CAN INSPECT THIS

Send the Complete Problem to the Shop

You do not need to select a part or approve a repair online. The actual cause is determined after inspection.

Your Brake Problem Summary

Selections will appear here.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Your Answers Go With the Lead

The symptoms you selected are saved with the lead in MySQL.
Brutus Auto can see what is happening before following up.
The repair recommendation comes from inspecting the actual vehicle.

Brake safety

If the pedal goes to the floor, stopping ability is reduced, brake fluid is leaking, or a wheel is smoking or extremely hot, do not continue driving just because an online request can be submitted.

FAST LOCAL BRAKE HELP

Tell Brutus Auto What Is Happening

Name, phone, vehicle. That is all we need to start. Your request is saved directly to the shop lead database.

Website

Name *

Phone *

Year, Make & Model *

Anything else? optional

By submitting, you authorize Brutus Auto to contact you about this service request. No payment is collected online.

✓ Manchester repair shop✓ Saved directly to service leads✓ Call (603) 624-8881

10,000 SPECIFIC BRAKE GUIDES

Exact Search Pages Still Work in the Background

The long-tail landing pages remain available for Google and organic search. The Problem Finder is simply the cleaner customer-facing way to describe several symptoms at once.

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