Many vehicle owners are familiar with the need to change the oil in a vehicle, but what about when it comes to the brake fluid? This is another important fluid that may require a change from time to time to improve the vehicle's performance. The role of the brake fluid is to go down the brake lines when you press down on the brake pedal. It puts pressure on the brake pads, which causes the brakes to apply and stop the vehicle. Here are some things to look out for that will tell you that the brake fluid needs replacement.

Pressing Down Hard On The Brake Pedal

Have you noticed that the brakes on your vehicle now require you press down on the pedal much harder than was needed in the past? This is a clear sign that you are having trouble with the brake fluid. If you have enough brake fluid in the system, you only need to push down on the pedal slightly to get enough brake fluid into the lines to move the brake pads against the wheels. If you have a lack of brake fluid, you are going to have to push down on the pedal harder to get that brake fluid moving to the place that it needs to go. 

A good example is if you take a bottle of water and look at how much pressure needs to be put on squeezing the bottle to get the water to rise to the top of the lid. If the water bottle is full of water, very little pressure needs to be put on the bottle to get the water to rise to the top. As the bottle has less water in it, more pressure needs to be put on squeezing the bottle to get the water to rise to the top.

Pressing Down On The Brake Pedal Multiple Times

Have you noticed that you can't just press down on the brake pedal once, but it requires pressing down on the pedal multiple times? This is a sign that your brake fluid is low and it is not safe for driving. It will increase your reaction time since you now have to press down on the pedal multiple times to slow down. This is due to there being a severe lack of brake fluid and needing multiple pumps to get the fluid to the brake to move them against the wheel.

Contact a brake service for more information.