Brake Repair - Replacing Your Own Brake Pads

As a car owner, it can be fulfilling to understand how your car works and how to perform basic repairs and maintenance tasks yourself. It can give you a greater enjoyment as a car owner and save you a lot of money on car repair costs. One of the basic replacements you can handle is replacing your brake pads. Although it does take skill and practice, this will save you the hassle and cost of auto shop brake repair.

First you need to know what kind of brake pads to buy for your make and model. If you head to a local parts shop, they can generally point you in the right direction when you go to purchase the pads. You can also refer to your car owner's guide or research that information on the Internet. While you're buying brake pads, you may also need to search for the right tools in order to accurately and professional handle the brake repair yourself. Make sure you have the following tools: c-clamp, various wrenches, lug wrench, car jack, gloves, and goggles.

Make sure that the location of your car is a safe place to perform brake repair. Garages are a good place because it's a level space. If you have a driveway, make sure that the car is on even ground and not tilting forward or backward in any way. It's important to set the emergency brake and, if you want to take extra precaution, block the back wheels so that the can doesn't have the risk of rolling backwards.

Next you need to identify where your brake systems are to access them. If you have rear end brakes, you will be lifting the back of your car. Front-end brakes are accessible in the front of your car. Cars with all rear brakes require you to access brakes behind all four of your tires. By raising the bar with a jack and removing the tire, you can access the brake system of your car. Make sure that the jack is in a secure place before you place the jack stand in its place. Then your car will be safely and securely lifted so that you can remove the wheel using your wrenches. You will have to perform this to access each of your brake systems.

The c-clamp will help access the pads by holding back the caliper. When you take the pads off, it gives you an opportunity to see if the rotor has been damaged. The rotor is the part of the brake system that is protected by the pads and if they have groves or marks in them, you may need brake repair. This is a more complex replacement than pads and it is advised that you have a professional handle the repair.

If the rotor looks like it's in good working order, simply attach the new pads to the caliper. This is a fairly simple step but make sure that everything is securely replaced so you don't have future complications or problems. Once complete you can unclamp the caliber and your replacement will be complete, only requiring the lest step of reattaching the wheels.

If at any time you feel ill equipped or unknowledgeable about replacing your brake pads, having them replaced by a professional is a low cost brake repair.