Good Carma Podcast
Cars are complicated, but they don't have to be a complete mystery. Have peace of mind—not panic—when it comes to your car. Good Carma teaches you the basics in plain language so you can feel confident popping the hood and understanding what you see. Learn about everyday components and fluids, how to use a scanner to decode what’s really going on, and what simple things you can check yourself. Host Jennifer Ryan talks with seasoned professionals to bring you easy-to-understand conversations that demystify car care and put you back in control.
Good Carma Podcast
POMP the Brakes (Peace Of Mind Pointers)
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Just a quick Peace Of Mind Pointers wrap up on the two episodes on brakes with Jordan Cantillano of Los Angeles Trade Tech. Be sure to check out the full episodes!
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The content of this podcast is presented for informational purposes, and the perspective and opinions expressed are based on the experiences of the host and guests and do not replace doing your own further research or having your car inspected or serviced at a qualified shop. Hi, and welcome back to Good Karma Podcast, where today is just a little peace of mind pointers wrap-up, which is ironic because at the moment I'm having full panic instead of peace of mind when it comes to the biggest bug I've ever seen indoors, somewhere in my apartment, and I can't find it anymore. So I possibly will shriek at the top of my lungs during this recording if it shows its head again. Hopefully I'll be able to find it and escort it out of my apartment. Oh, I think it's a mud dauber. Has anyone in LA ever seen this? It looks like a giant wasp, I guess. And apparently they don't bother people, but I I still prefer them not to be inside my residence. So we'll see. I'll let you know what happens. So, yes, today I did want to just put out uh the piece of mind pointers in case you didn't get to listen to the whole two episodes or in case just a refresher list would be helpful. Uh, as a reminder, again, I met with Jordan Contiano of LA Trade Tech for a great, really long conversation. And some of the things I just wanted to summarize are the following uh low brake pads. If you start to hear scratching or squeaking sound, don't put off going to get those checked. Um, because more and more things can go wrong and it can become a really expensive issue unnecessarily. Next, if you have low brake fluid, it's really important to go check that because it could be low brake pads or it could be a leak of brake fluid, which the latter would be could be very dangerous. And the low pads, again, you just don't want to let that go long at all without checking it. Um, like I said, to prevent uh more expensive repairs. So low, low fluid or low pads, either way, check it out right away. Next, don't forget that brake fluid is hydroscopic, which means it will absorb moisture, which will lessen its effectiveness. So it's definitely an important fluid to check and change periodically. Again, there's that very cheap hand tool. If you do want to check your own fluid, I would just really encourage you to wear gloves or not make sure it doesn't drip on the paint. Uh, make sure to put the cap on the tool right away. So uh you just don't get the fluid anywhere. It's not going to burn a hole in your hand, but uh definitely wash your hands after you check your brake fluid. Uh the next thing has to do with tires. Don't forget that low tire tread causes longer braking distance. So that means you're just wearing out your brakes a little quicker too, because you're you're you're needing to use the brakes harder. And secondly, if you do like shiny tires, just please don't spray straight onto the whole tire. Be sure you're using a spray that is not going to degrade the rubber in your tires. Uh, and if you really feel like you just got to have the shiny tires, I would suggest spraying into the cloth directly and then rubbing the tires so you're not spraying anything onto the brakes or the rotors. Next, aside from noises uh associated with the brakes, also be uh it's good to pay attention to changes to the brake pedal. Um, is it softer than normal? Are you having to press it down further than normal? Is it harder to press than normal? A soft pedal could mean there's air in the system. A hard pedal could mean there's a brake booster issue, uh, listen for hisses, another sound to listen for, uh, which is also a good reminder to at least once in a while try to drive with your windows open or closed, no radio, whatever you know you don't normally do, try to try to change it up so you can hear um sounds you might not be used to hearing. So that's my list for today. If you didn't get a chance to listen to the episodes, I hope you will check them out. This is just a quick one for this week, just this wrap up, and I'll come back to you next week with a new topic. Thank you. Keep up with your oil changes. Wish me luck with this bug, and I'll see you down the road.
