A Woman’s Point of View: Car Brakes, Beauty and Functionality

by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps Office Manager

The other day I had new brakes put on my car. If you are anything like me the only thing you know about brakes is that you step on the little black pedal and the car stops. Also, if when stepping on the little black pedal you hear a teeth rattling squeal, you probably need new brakes. IMHO, that's more or less all you really need to know about the brakes on your car. The rest of it is what we keep our technicians around for!

Working at a car repair facility I get the opportunity to learn the finer points of car repair. When my brake discs came in, much to my surprise, they were gorgeous. They were the prettiest, shiny silver and had these swirly carvings on them. Being very interested in anything remotely, artistic, I asked why they were so pretty. I was told the swirls have a very practical reason for being there.


Over time, the swirls wear down with use of the brakes and when visually inspected lets you know when you may need new brakes in the near future. I also facetiously asked if they came in pink or lavender, only to be told that there are brake discs out there that are red and even blue, but for odd makes of cars only.

Is this the start of a new trend? Are manufacturers beginning to understand that women like pretty things? Even if they can’t be seen, it makes a woman feel good just knowing that her brakes are pretty and color coordinated to her personality.