BRAKE BRAKE BRAKE!

Shiny new rotor, with new pads!
Stops great now!

One of the most frequently spoken instructions that I've heard from instructors, as I'm driving and approaching a corner, is a little "tip" on how to best prepare to turn in and hit the apex is a little phrase of "BRAKE BRAKE BRAKE!" When someone tells you the same thing THREE TIMES in a row, it's a good idea to follow their "tip" and hit those brakes! Hey, I just thought of a new tip, how about "BRAKES avoids BREAKS!" Oh never mind, I'll keep my day job and let the professionals stick to the comedy.

New pads down below
ancient no good stupid driver worn out pad in hand
I'm an idiot

Anyway, my main point is that maintenance on your automobile is very important, and I made a big mistake by not changing my brake pads before the latest weekend driving on a track. No, they didn't fail, and I didn't "break" anything or crash, but when I changed brake pads later, it was clearly past due time. There was very little brake pad material left, and I'll be more alert to checking things and replacing worn brakes in the future.

Even on your every day car, sure, no one likes spending more money than they have to, but, when it comes to tires and brakes to remain SAFE, you really do need to spend the money. Luckily the average car built today will last a long time on it's original brakes, and most fluids, so it's too easy to be lazy and ignore your maintenance. A lot of new cars (if you buy those) will come with maintenance included, so you really should take advantage of those offers if you have them. For the rest of us, take a visual look at your tires and brake pads once in a while, check that tire pressure, look at the fluid levels under the hood, and you're more likely to catch things before you BREAK something or even worse end up getting hurt.