Method for monitoring the brake lining wear and the clearance of a service brake in motor vehicles, in particular in utility vehicles, having in each case a wheel brake and at least one travel sensor which is integrated into the actuation chain of the brake actuation means and which is connected to an electronic evaluation unit, wherein the travel sensor signals the lining wear and at the same time the clearance is sensed by means of the evaluation unit, and wherein a warning display is activated when there is a defined upward transgression in the clearance, sensed with respect to a predefined setpoint clearance, and therefore there is excessively large clearance, wherein the travel sensor and the evaluation unit are configured in such a way that by evaluating the signal difference between the travel sensor signals when the service brake is actuated and when it is not actuated a current clearance (s) is sensed as an actual clearance, and therefore any deviation of the clearance (s) from the setpoint clearance can be sensed, wherein the warning display is activated both in the event of defined upward transgression which is sensed with respect to the predefined setpoint clearance, and therefore in the event of excessively large clearance (s), as well as in the event of a defined downward transgression which is sensed with respect to the predefined setpoint clearance, and therefore in the event of excessively small clearance (s) or no clearance (s), characterized in that when there are disc brakes (10, 16) as a service brake of the motor vehicle the travel sensors are integrated as linear sensors directly into the brake callipers, and said travel sensors sense not only the position which defines the brake lining thickness but also the application of the brake linings (12, 14) at every brake activation operation or at defined brake activation operations, in such a way that the travel sensor, on the one hand, is functionally connected by its housing to a brake application device, and, on the other hand, is connected by its measuring probe to a housing of the brake calliper in such a way that when the service brake is activated the changing position of the brake application device relative to the housing of the brake calliper is sensed as a first signal value (a), and that when the service brake is not activated and correspondingly there are brake linings which are lifted off from the brake disc by a defined clearance (s), the travel sensor senses a second signal value (b), that the signal difference, in particular voltage difference, between the first and second signal values (a, b) is compared by means of the evaluation unit, wherein in the event of the signal difference exceeding a comparison value or threshold value which is stored in the evaluation unit an excessively large clearance is detected, and in the event of the signal difference undershooting a comparison value or threshold value which is stored in the evaluation unit an excessively small clearance is detected, and correspondingly in each case a warning signal is activated by the evaluation unit, and that the evaluation unit generates, in respect of its priority, at least two different warning signals (22, 24) which are assigned different warning levels.