In a car, brakes are pretty much the most important safety devices that protect you and your investment from threats of accidents and mishaps. That is why; inspecting the brake system twice a year for wear and damage can protect you and your investment while saving you money by catching any damage before it becomes too expensive. Such care should be taken for the drum brakes as well.

Checking the drum brakes is fairly easy and you can do it all by yourself. If you are new to the car assembly then understand the aspects well before starting with this task. The most common form of service required for drum brakes is changing the brake shoes. Some of the drum brakes provide an inspection hole on the back side, where you can see how much material is left on the shoe so that you can easily estimate the life of the same. Normally, the Brake shoes need replacements when the friction material has worn down to within 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) of the rivets. In case, if the friction material is bonded to the backing plate (no rivets), then the shoes should be replaced when they have only 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) of material left. Just like the disc brakes, deep marks sometimes get worn into brake drums. If a completely worn-out brake shoe is used for extended period of time, the rivets that hold the friction material to the backing can wear grooves into the drum.