Why, you may ask, do you need to know anything about the engine of your car? You're probably thinking that as long as it runs, it's all good. That is true – to a degree. But there is the side that the more you know about your car, the more likely you'll know how to get the most out of it – and the less likely you are to get ripped off by unscrupulous mechanics.

When it comes to safety, there are a couple of non-negotiable maintenance areas: brakes, tyres, steering, and suspension. For now, we're going to focus on brakes. You get different types of brakes but most cars on South African roads are disc brakes. And the main components of these are the brake pads, caliper and rotor.

There are two ways of checking your car for worn brakes – by looking and listening.

Look
Look between the spokes of the wheel and locate the disc. This should be about 5mm thick. If it's any thinner, you will need to have it checked.

Listen
Listen for squeaking or grinding. (Note that if your car has been standing for a while, or has just been for a wash, the brakes might make a funny noise. But if, after a few kilometres, the noise is still there, you might have to have them inspected.)

Easy to Notice Symptoms of Worn Brakes
Your car takes longer to stop. This is called fading.
The brakes vibrate, grind or shudder when you come to a stop.
There's a squealing sound when you apply brakes. (This is the 'indicator' that tells you when your brakes are worn.)
If your car pulls to one side when you apply brakes.

Clever Brakes
New brake technology: regenerative or kinetic brakes are the latest in efficient driving technology. BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and a number of other car manufacturers are now putting it into their cars. Essentially, this set up captures the kinetic energy that, during normal braking, is lost as heat in the braking process. But with regenerative brakes, this energy is captured and converted into electricity, to recharge the car batteries. Clever, isn't it?