What Is a Brake Caliper?
What Is a Brake Caliper?
As a vital part of your car’s brake system, your vehicle’s calipers must be properly maintained to ensure safe driving.brake caliper This includes inspection, cleaning, lubrication and replacement of worn or damaged parts. Regular maintenance helps to extend the life of your calipers, but if you hear clunking noises or are experiencing other problems with your car’s brakes, it is important that you contact a professional immediately.
What Is a Brake Caliper?
A brake caliper is a metal unit that holds your car’s brake pads and pistons. It is a key component of your disc brake system, which is the type of brakes found on most vehicles today. The caliper’s job is to push the brake pads against your car’s brake rotor to slow down the wheels.
The caliper is comprised of a fixed or floating frame section that houses two, four, six, or even eight brake pistons. Each piston is attached to a slide pin, which allows it to move in and out of the caliper’s frame section. When the brake pedal is pressed, the hydraulic pressure of the brake fluid increases, and the pistons move outward against your car’s brake rotor. This creates friction that slows down your vehicle’s wheels and stops it from turning.
Over time, even the best-maintained brake systems generate significant heat, which causes calipers to deteriorate and need servicing or replacement. The most common cause is rust build-up on the caliper’s guide pins, which can seize them up and prevent them from sliding back and forth correctly. This can also be caused by contaminated brake fluid or uneven pad wear.
Another common issue with calipers is the presence of brake dust and other debris in their components. This can cause the seals between the caliper and the brake pads to become brittle or to crack, which can allow air into the system and cause the hydraulic pressure to decrease.
Lastly, a faulty or damaged brake master cylinder can also cause the caliper to become stuck against the brake rotor, which is an extremely dangerous situation for your safety and the safety of others on the road. If you are experiencing any issues with your brakes, or if you want to schedule an appointment to have them checked and serviced, call us today at VW of Panama City.
The Cost of Brake Calipers
When it comes to replacing your vehicle’s calipers, the price can vary greatly depending on the style of caliper you choose and the specific model of your car. Some calipers come in sets with brake pads and other accessories, while others are sold individually. Brake calipers that are sold individually tend to be less expensive than those that come as a set and require other components to work correctly. In either case, it is always a good idea to shop around to find the best prices and to keep in mind the factors that influence pricing, such as core charges (a kind of deposit that you pay upfront when purchasing the caliper but get back when you bring your old one back for rebuilding or recycling). The Advance catalog sells a variety of calipers for well under $100, with many of them under $30 after the core charge has been returned.
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