What should be done if brake components are contaminated with oil or grease?

If brake components are contaminated with oil or grease, they must be cleaned or replaced to ensure proper function. Contaminants like oil or grease can significantly impair the performance of brake components. Oil and grease create a slippery surface that prevents friction from achieving the desired braking effect, leading to longer stopping distances and potentially dangerous driving conditions.

Inadequate cleaning or ignoring contamination can compromise the integrity of braking systems, resulting in brake fade, reduced responsiveness, and even total brake failure in extreme cases. Therefore, it's critical to either thoroughly clean the affected components to remove all contaminants or replace them if they cannot be adequately restored. This ensures the brake system operates efficiently and safely.

Simply drying the components or leaving them as is would not address the underlying issue of contamination and could lead to accidents. Applying lubrication to contaminated parts also would be inappropriate because it would add more slippery substances to already compromised components.