You know I hate going to the Doctor. They poke and prod, take X-rays and blood tests, and then come up with some report telling you that you have some rare disease that was born in monkeys 10,000 years ago and you're one of 17 people in the world that have it. So, generally, with such a positive attitude towards preventive medicine, I'm clearly not the best at rushing to the Doctor when I get a snivel or a headache. But sometimes, it's clear that maybe I should to avoid deeper problems. At least I admit my shortcomings!

Well you know, the same thing goes with your car. Big problems can be prevented when you get some warning signals from your brakes. In short, the brakes should operate very smoothly and should not do anything crazy like pull you to one side or not. To get the full run down on what can go wrong, we had a fire-side chat with Troy Guthrie, our shop manager, who has over 25 years experience fixing everything from Jaguars to big trucks. Here's what's on Troy's list of things to pay attention to. If any of these things are happening, it's time to take your car to the Doctor... for a few tests:

Vibration: There should be no shake in the car on braking. Warped drums or rotors cause this and there are many causes for this.

Low pedal: Usually caused by worn out brakes and there inability to adjust up

Hard pedal: caused by a failing power brake system

Squeal: When the friction material gets too close to the metal backing plate, it starts to squeal

Drag: Feels like you're dragging something. Brakes are staying applied from a bad caliper or brake hose.

Grab: Brakes seem to be on or off. Braking should be smooth, not on and off.

Pull: A sticking caliper on one side or the other will cause this.

Mileage: Brakes should be checked every year.

Grinding: This happens when you don't pay attention to the above!