Local driving, simple maintenance, and what we see in the bay.
\1North Beach · San Francisco · Auto Repair
Brakes talk. A chirp rolling past Washington Square after a foggy night isn’t the same as a screech on Lombard. We listen to the sound, feel the pedal, and factor in the hill you live on—because city driving wears brakes differently.
North Beach · San Francisco · Auto Repair
Light squeal at low speed can be dust or pad material, but persistent squeal—even after a car wash—may indicate glazing or wear indicators contacting the rotor.
Grinding is urgent: it often means pads are down to steel and rotors can be damaged, increasing cost fast.
During service we measure pad thickness, rotor runout, and fluid moisture content. Many SF cars see corrosion on rotors due to ocean air and short trips.
We’ll road test on local hills, check for brake pull or vibration, and provide a clear estimate before work begins.
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Surface rust after a rainy night can cause a light squeal for the first few stops—totally normal. But a steady metallic drone coming down Russian Hill usually means the wear indicators are doing their job: time for pads and a rotor check.
Grinding is the red flag. We had a rideshare driver delay a week and the rotor face was toast—turned a simple pad job into rotors, hardware, and a fluid service.
We measure instead of guess: pad thickness in mm, rotor thickness vs. minimum spec, runout with a dial indicator, and brake‑fluid moisture. When parts still have life, we’ll say so. When replacement makes more sense than machining, we’ll show you why on the old parts.
Use a lower gear on steep descents to let the engine share the work.
After a spirited downhill, avoid sitting at a light with the brakes clamped—this can print pad material onto hot rotors and cause pulsation later.
Written by the Bob’s Auto SF crew on Columbus Ave — real stories from the bay, steep streets and all.