Top 5 reasons changing your own brakes is better

If your car needs new brakes, then it's time to roll up your sleeves and get dirty.

The fact is that you can do the job yourself and save a bundle in the process. Here are just some of the reasons you should start a brake job on your vehicle today:

SAVINGS

You save money on labor.

You save money on parts.

You save time, which is money itself!

You save gas money by not having to drag yourself to the shop every time your brakes need work. Insurance companies prefer customers who can do their repairs so they don’t have to pay for someone else’s mistake or damage caused during a repair process that went awry (which happens).

Caliper

Pride of accomplishment

If you've ever done it, you know that changing your own brakes feels like a real accomplishment. When you do it yourself, you feel like you're in control and saving money, the environment, and the universe. This feeling of pride is hard to beat!

Caliper and rotor

Knowledge of your vehicle

Knowing your vehicle is important. You can easily determine what type of brakes you have (disc or drum), what type of pads you need, and even whether or not you need new calipers. Any potential problems can be solved quickly and efficiently with minimal fuss.

Caliper lifted, exposing old pads.

Preparation and organization

Ensure you have all the necessary parts on hand before starting work. Don't buy new calipers when yours can be easily repaired; don't waste time running back-and-forth from home base when all components are readily available at a local auto parts store such as AutoZone or O'Reilly's Automotive (or even Walmart).

Out with the old, in with the new!

The right tools for the job

The first step to changing your brakes is having the right tools for the job. If you’re doing brake repair or brake replacement, you must have a toolbox stocked with everything from a torque and crescent wrench to an Allen key set.

You must also know how each tool works so that when something goes wrong, you can figure out why! This means understanding torque values and how they relate to any given fastener on your car and knowing what kind of torque wrench goes with which fastener size (and why).

Conclusion

Doing the job correctly can save a lot of money and learn something important about your car in the process. Even if you don't want to do the job yourself, knowing how the brakes work will help you explain better to a mechanic what symptoms you are experiencing.