DIY Auto Repair: Brakes

This weekend in an effort to save money I did the brakes on my car in my parking lot. It isn't just the cost of the job - every time I bring my car to the mechanic I feel as if it's a random chance whether or not they are doing to hold my car hostage for unneeded repairs. Plus, I want to learn about it both to save myself from being screwed in the future, and since it's useful to know.

Before we begin, a disclaimer: Follow the safety manual presented in your car's manual and your maintenance manual before starting any work. Use the right tools. Under no circumstances will I be responsible for your or anyone else's injury or death or anything else. I'm just telling you my experience.

I did the front pads and rotors on my 1997 Toyota Corolla. What I needed:
General:
- Haynes auto manual (must have.. even if you don't do your own car maintenance, you can read the section before bringing your car in to the shop so you know what parts are in there and what the mechanic is going to do so you know they did a sane job)
- Jack (basic scissor type is fine)
- Jack stands (ask your friends and borrow some, save you ~$50. you need 2.)
- Lug wrench (if you just have a J-shaped lug wrench I suggest spending $20 on a decent T-shaped wrench from your local part store. It's much easier to get the wheel off with that)
- Wrench/Socket set - basic $20 wrench set might work, but a variety of tools can sometimes be nice when in rough spots such as a rachet set with multiple sized handles
- Hammer - for loosening up bolts.
- Misc: WD-40, clothes hanger, brake cleaner, rag. A suggestion is to have a friend on call who can come pick you up in a moment's notice and drive you to your parts shop in case you're missing anything.

I will not include the cost of these tools in the cost equation for the job because you should be able to find someone who you can borrow them from, or just get them and they will pay for themselves by the time you're done the brake job.

Now, the parts:
- new pads (set of 4, $80)
- new front rotors (2@$20, total cost $40)
total parts cost: $120.

Note that if you buy your parts yourself you can still get a shop to install them - they just won't guarantee the parts, only the labour.

I'm not going to walk you through how to change your brakes.. there are plenty of better tutorials out there so go read them, and read your car's maintenance manual instructions as well. I will however offer you some tricks I learnt while dealing with stuck parts. It seems as though rusted on parts is probably one of the harder things an amateur can deal with, and is probably the reason many people end up giving up their brake job and taking it to a shop.

Note: Almost all of these tips are dangerous. Don't do them without considering the risks, and again.. YOU ARE COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS NOT ME.

Stuck lug nuts - did you get a good lug wrench? Put the lug nut in the wrench, and stand on the end of the wrench. You should be able to turn it. If not, purchase a metal pipe a few feet long, run the lug wrench arm through the pipe, and push on the pipe. Adding length to the wrench arm gives you added torque, so the same force applied twice as far away as before will actually be twice the force on nut. NOTE - be sure to loosen all your lug nuts BEFORE RAISING THE CAR ON THE JACK/JACK STANDS. Applying this much force necessary to loosen the lug nuts could push the car off the jacks and could hurt you very badly.

Stuck wheel - With the lug nuts off will the wheel not budge? You shouldn't have to take anything else off to get the wheel off except the lug nuts, unless your maintenance manual says otherwise, so don't start removing the bearings or anything like that. My Dad gave me this trick, and it worked: Put the lug nuts back on the wheels, but leave them loose (about a 1/4 inch space between nut and wheel). Take the car back off the jackstands (annoying, I know, but it works), and drive the car about 10 feet. You should hear the wheels unstick themselves and begin to wobble when you start moving the car. Now raise the car back up (safely) and the wheels can be removed with ease!

Stuck/Rusted Bolts: You are almost definitely going to encounter a stuck bolt while working on your car. Some ways to fix:
- hammer time. Some people suggest putting a socket onto the bolt, then hammering the socket, and it will loosen up the bolt. I don't like this because I'm directing a hammer pretty much right at my car parts.. one slip and I need a new caliper or something else I wasn't planning on fixing. Instead you can try hammering the end of the wrench while the other end is on the bolt. Note that the wrench could fly off and stab you or someone else around so please BE CAREFUL.
- WD-40 and a beer. Spray it, go have lunch, come back, try hammering it again, and it should be quite a bit easier to move.
- Dangerous way!! Do not try this at home! For a really stuck bolt, position the wrench horizontally on the side where if the wrench were to go UP, the bolt would be loosened. Now take your jack, put it under the wrench, and jack up the jack till it moves the wrench. Your jack can lift probably 3000 lbs, so it will definitely be able to move this bolt. However, THIS IS SUPER DANGEROUS!! You are creating a system under major pressure when you start jacking the wrench before it moves. If that wrench were to slip off the bolt or off the jack it could easily go flying and impale someone. SO don't do it.

Hopefully with these tips you are successful in doing your own brakes servicing. Even if you fail, you will learn tons in the process! And if you succeed, that is anywhere from $100-$300 (judging by googling for "average brake job cost") you have saved!