Brake pads and shoes
Front and rear pads, rear shoes on drum-brake vehicles, and the clips, shims, and springs that go with them.
Mechanical repair
Brake Repair in Hartville, Ohio
Brakes almost always warn you before they quit: a squeal at low speed, a shudder in the pedal, a light that stays on. Pete's Auto pulls the wheels, measures what's left, and tells you which parts are worn before anything gets replaced.
428 E Maple St, Hartville, OH 44632
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Saturday by appointment only
Brake Repair for Hartville and the surrounding Stark County area
What's covered
What brake repair covers at Pete's Auto.
Pads, rotors, calipers, lines, fluid, and ABS faults, measured before anything gets replaced.
Rotors and drums
Measured for thickness and runout, then resurfaced or replaced depending on how much material is left.
Calipers and slide hardware
Seized pistons, torn boots, and slide pins that stick and wear one pad down long before the other.
Wheel cylinders
Leaking cylinders behind rear drums, usually first noticed as a damp spot on the inside face of a tire.
Brake hoses and steel lines
Cracked rubber hoses and rusted hard lines, which is ordinary wear on a vehicle that has seen a few Ohio winters.
Master cylinder
A pedal that slowly sinks toward the floor while you hold it at a stop light usually points here.
Brake booster and vacuum supply
A pedal that suddenly takes both feet to push, or an engine that stumbles when you brake.
Brake fluid service
Old fluid absorbs water, which lowers its boiling point and corrodes lines and the ABS unit from the inside.
ABS sensors and wiring
ABS lights, wheel-speed sensor faults, corroded connectors, and the tone rings the sensors read.
Parking brake
Stretched cables, seized adjusters, and the electric parking brake motors used on newer rear calipers.
Brake noise diagnosis
Not every noise is a worn pad. Rust on the rotor face, a stone in a dust shield, or hardware left out of a previous brake job all make sound.
Road test and bedding-in
New pads and rotors are seated on a road test so the pedal feels right at speed, not just in the parking lot.
Signs you need this
What drivers describe when they call about brakes.
You don't need the right words for it. Tell us what the vehicle is doing and when it does it. Call (330) 587-4311 or use the form at the bottom of this page.
There is a squeal at low speed that goes away when I press the pedal harder.
It grinds when I stop and I can feel the grinding through the pedal.
The steering wheel shakes when I brake coming down off the highway.
The pedal goes most of the way to the floor before the car starts slowing.
The pedal slowly sinks while I am sitting at a light with my foot on it.
The car pulls to one side every time I brake.
The brake light or the ABS light came on and stayed on.
The parking brake does not hold the car on my driveway anymore.
There is a dark, oily spot on the garage floor behind one of the wheels.
I smell something hot after driving down a long hill.
What to expect
What happens when you bring the vehicle in.
Tell us what you hear and when you hear it
A squeal at 10 mph, a shake at 65, and a soft pedal are three different problems. Knowing when it happens narrows the list before the car is on the lift.
Wheels come off and everything gets measured
Pads are measured in millimeters, rotors are checked for thickness and runout, and the hoses, hardware, and fluid get looked at while the wheel is off.
You hear the findings before any work starts
We tell you what’s worn out, what still has life in it, and what the repair involves. Nothing gets replaced until you say go.
Road test before you get the keys back
We drive it so pedal feel, stopping, and any leftover noise get checked at real speed.
Other services
The rest of what the Hartville shop does.
Mechanical repair and body work happen at the same address, so if the vehicle is here for one, we can look at the other while it’s up.
Steering & Suspension in Hartville
Struts, shocks, ball joints, tie rods, control arms, bearings, and steering that has gone loose or noisy.
Engine Diagnostics in Hartville
Check engine lights, misfires, no-starts, rough idle, and drivability problems traced to a cause.
Electrical Systems in Hartville
Batteries, charging, starters, parasitic drains, lighting, and wiring faults traced circuit by circuit.
Collision Repair in Hartville
Accident damage from the first estimate through panel work, paint, reassembly, and the claim paperwork.
Rust & Glass Repair in Hartville
Rust cut back to solid metal, scratches and chips corrected, and windshield and window replacement coordinated.
Pete's Auto handles brake repair for drivers across Stark, Summit, Portage, and Mahoning Counties. See every city and township the shop serves.
Questions
Brake Repair FAQs
How long should a set of brake pads last?
Where you drive matters more than the odometer. Stop-and-go miles around Canton and North Canton wear pads much faster than steady highway miles, and a vehicle that tows will wear them faster still. Instead of guessing from mileage, we measure the pads and rotors and tell you what’s left.
Do rotors have to be replaced every time the pads are done?
No. Every rotor has a minimum thickness cast or stamped into it. If there is enough material left and the surface runs true, the rotor can stay or be resurfaced. If it measures under spec, has runout, or is deeply grooved, replacing it is the only thing that keeps the shake from coming back.
My brake light is on but the brakes feel normal. Is that urgent?
Get it checked soon. That light comes on for low fluid, a parking brake that hasn’t fully released, or a stored fault. Low fluid means either the pads have worn down and the calipers have extended, or there’s a leak somewhere, and a leak doesn’t fix itself.
Can you diagnose an ABS light?
Yes. We read ABS faults with a scan tool that talks to the ABS module, not just the engine computer. The common causes are a damaged wheel-speed sensor, a corroded connector, or a rusted tone ring. We test the circuit to confirm which one before replacing anything.
Is it safe to keep driving with grinding brakes?
Grinding usually means the friction material is gone and metal is riding on metal. Stopping distance gets longer, the rotor is being cut up every time you brake, and the job grows the longer it waits. Call us before you put many more miles on it.
Can you look at the brakes while the car is in for something else?
Yes. If the vehicle is already in for a check engine light, a suspension noise, or body work, ask us to measure the brakes while the wheels are off. It’s a good time to find out where they stand.
Talk with the shop
Tell us what’s going on with your vehicle.
Call, stop by, or send the year, make, model, and a short description of the problem. We’ll call or text you back with what to do next.
Phone
(330) 587-4311Hours
Mon-Fri: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday: By appointment only