Fixing your own brakes.

George Ebersole · May 27, 2017

Has anyone ever worked on your own brakes for your car? How hard or easy is it?

I'm thinking of replacing mine, but don't want to shell out over a grand to have it done.

Satsuki Murashige · May 27, 2017

I dunno George, I wouldn't mess around with the brakes on your car. That's life or death type stuff!

Vehicle maintenance is one of the things I never skimp on. It's just never worth it to have an unreliable means of transportation, especially if you're working freelance.

Matthew Kane · May 27, 2017

Depends on the vehicle and which component you want to replace.

If you're not mechanically inclined, the brakes system is not the place to start learning. Be comfortable with basic maintenance tasks before advancing, and get help from an experienced friend if you can.

Adrian Sierkowski · May 27, 2017

Really depends on what you mean by "work on" just replacing the pads on disk brakes isn't very difficult at all, I've done it to the fronts on my truck. Same thing with replacing the rotos, however if you're dealing with drum brakes, then I'd not do it at all. If you want to get into these things you need to get the Chilton's Manual for your car/truck which'll help with the tear-down and the replacement.

George Ebersole · May 27, 2017

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I meant replacing pads and disks, not really trouble shooting the cable or hydraulics.

Thanks for the replies.

Matthew Kane · May 29, 2017

It's not difficult if you follow directions well and use a reliable source of information. The classic mistake with brake pads is not repressurizing them immediately after installation, which leads to a few moments of abject terror when the first few pumps on the brakes produce no result while you're rolling down the street (or god forbid, the freeway). That's one of those little details that often doesn't make it into repair manuals.

I had to do alot of my own repairs when I first started freelancing to save money, and suffered no major disasters. But I'd still suggest you get an experienced friend to do it with you first.

Strikes me as one of those "if you have to ask, the answer is no" kind of questions.

George Ebersole · May 29, 2017

Strikes me as one of those "if you have to ask, the answer is no" kind of questions.

The thought had occurred to me.

Mark Dunn · May 30, 2017

Pads are a piece of cake, messy but doable, discs a bit less so. Unless you have a LOT of mileage the discs may be fine- you can check the thickness against spec. Do get the manual, I don't know about the US but we have Haynes here. Of course there are four of each so they get easier as you go along. Various bits will be rusty so you need all the usual penetrating fluids for that.

Don't bank on finishing it the same day in case you need replacement nuts and bolts. Source them first so you can get them quickly.

That said $1000 for all discs and pads isn't that bad. The parts will probably be a quarter of that though.

Peter Welander · May 31, 2017

I've looked at this string a couple times thinking it must be some sort of analogy--something about complex procedures and risks. If you would never risk fixing your own brakes, why would you start taking apart a zoom lens or think you can do your own focusing screen adjustments. That kind of thing.

Satsuki Murashige · May 31, 2017

I've looked at this string a couple times thinking it must be some sort of analogy--something about complex procedures and risks. If you would never risk fixing your own brakes, why would you start taking apart a zoom lens or think you can do your own focusing screen adjustments. That kind of thing.

Well, everyone has their own areas expertise.

I feel perfectly comfortable doing basic work on my film cameras, lenses, and guitars because I understand how they work, what the various parts are, what tools are needed, and how they are supposed to go together.

I still would not try to disassemble a mirror shutter assembly, touch the movement, adjust the ground glass position, or get into the guts of a lens because all of that is well beyond my level of expertise. I don't have the training, the knowledge, or the tools to mess with that stuff. And once you take it all apart, it can be expensive to hire an actual technician to put it all back together again to proper spec.

On the other hand, some people know cars really well and work on them all the time. Nothing wrong with that. The good news is that if I try to save money and go beyond my expertise by opening up a camera, I will just end up with an expensive paperweight.

Whereas with a badly maintained car, I might just kill somebody (or myself). Personally, I'm not willing to take that risk. But then, I don't know diddly about cars...