We fought the good fight, we gave it our all,
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 some work done. Insurance companies prefer customers who can do their own 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. You can't help but feel like you're in control and saving money, the environment and the universe when you do it yourself. This feeling of pride is hard to beat!
Caliper and rotor
Knowledge of your vehicle
Having the knowledge of 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 to get new calipers. This means that when dealing with any potential problems, they can be solved quickly and efficiently with minimal fuss.
Caliper lifted, exposing old pads
Preparation and organization
Make sure you have all of the necessary parts on hand before starting work. Don't go out to 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 own brakes is to have the right tools for the job. If you’re going to be doing brake repair or brake replacement, it’s important that you have a toolbox stocked with everything from a torque wrench and crescent wrench set all the way down to an Allen key set.
It’s also important that you know how each tool works so that when something goes wrong, you can figure out why! This means having an understanding of torque values and how they relate to any given fastener on your car; it also means knowing what kind of torque wrench goes with which fastener size (and why).
Conclusion
By doing the job correctly, it is possible to 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.
