Why does my car shake while braking?

Attached to each wheel is a rotor. It looks like a heavy metal Frisbee. On each side of the rotor is a
brake pad. When you push on your brake pedal, you squeeze the rotor with the brake pads. If anything
gets out of whack with the rotor surface, you will experience a shake or shudder when braking. The
rotor can become warped or uneven in thickness particularly if it has been overheated. Also, some of
the friction material from the brake pads gets transferred to the rotor. If the material is transferred
evenly, things work great.
Here are a few things that can happen.
 On your way home from vacation, coming down the mountain you use you brakes a ton, they
overheat and warp the rotor.
 The mechanic who did your brakes was not really clean. The greasy thumb prints he left on your
rotors cause the friction material to transfer unevenly.
 You’re coming home from a long day at work and the neighbor’s dog jumps out in front of you.
You slam on the brakes and now you have extra friction material in one spot on the rotor.
Here are a couple of tips on avoiding brake shudder.
 Use a lower transmission gear going downhill so you don’t have to brake as much.
 During every day driving, be as gentle when braking as possible.
 Make sure your mechanic is a meticulous individual.
Obviously I don’t want you to run over your neighbor’s dog, so sometimes life just happens.
Until next time, safe travels and blessings to you.