Balatas

Balatas
 

This is a discussion thread for the Daily Spanish Word for August 12, 2009

balatas (feminine noun (las)) — brake pads. Look up balatas in the dictionary

Si usas mucho los frenos al bajar de una montaña, se te pueden calentar las balatas.
If you use the brakes a lot as you come down a mountain, the brake pads can heat up.

I don't know what "balata" means, and I can't found it in wordreference dictionary. Could it be "pastillas de frenos"? :confused:

Iba a decir lo mismo. Pastillas si me suena... pero ba... no lo había oído nunca. Debe ser del otro lado del charco.

"Balata" is in RAE as a Mexican term: http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltCons...3&LEMA=balatas

I have a question about the grammar of the sample sentence. Well, two questions:
1) "al bajar de una montaña" - is this pretty much how you say "to come down a hill/mountain/whatever incline..."?
2) Why use "te"? Can't it just be "se pueden calentar las balatas"?

Thanks!!

In Chile we call them balatas. I got familiar with its name of pastillas de frenos only when I came to the US. :thinking: :)


1) when coming (as coming) down a mountain (downhill)

2) se te (a ti, a tu auto) pueden calentar las balatas.

(Do not use the options within the parenthesis as they are not options in this last answer) :)

Balatas means vehicle brake in Mexico.

Frequently I do a check out to my car to see if the brakes are in excellent conditions.

Balata = ferodo (seemingly it's a trade mark (marca registrada) in Mexico)

Frenos = brakes

No, in Mexico Balatas means brakes only that, I have never hear here in my country.

Es recomendable que cada año compréis (compres) nuevos frenos. Hay muchas cosas las cuales se debieran hacer a sus coches para evitar un accidente.

balatas = brake pads
frenos = brakes

But is the word "balata" still used? RAE is going to delete it :confused:

http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltCons...=3&LEMA=balata

balata2. 1. f. Méx. ferodo.

The RAE makes strange decisions. If you say "ferodo" in Mexico, no one will know what you're talking about. :D

Probably it used to be an old brand name in Mexico?

I am almost sure that in Chile that word is still in use.

Now you have to think that it has been replaced slowly by "disc pads" or something to that effect. I think in Chile those are called "pastillas"

I've never known anything about cars and that's probably the origin of the word. Still, "balatas" is what everyone says and understands here; it's also the generic name printed on the packages.
I might have to ask a mechanic, but my guess is even they would have to think for a moment what "pastillas de frenos" would be, before saying "Ah, ¡balatas!". :D

jajaja ok!