My husband thinks he can just buy new brake pads and put them on and it will cure the weird whistling noise they make when he stops. I hope he's right because it would probably be cheaper to do them hisself but at the same time I'm like brakes are something you don't want to mess up. He has never done it before....should he do it or have them professionally done? He has a 2000 Honda Accord. Thanks!!
Is it hard to change your own brakes on your car?
Yes you can repair the brake pads yourself - if he needs to know the steps let me outline them. You will need:
Socket Wrench (10 or 12mm sockets)
Car Jack + Stands
New Brake Pads
C-Clamp
Lug-Nut Wrench (spare tire bar should work too - might need a hollow pipe if the lug nuts are nasty).
1. Get the proper brake pads (check your manual or use a book at the auto shop)
2. Park your car (e-brake also) and loosen the 5 lug-nuts on your wheel (only one wheel).
3. Once the nuts are %26quot;free%26quot; but not unscrewed Jack that wheel up off the ground (and use proper jacking techinques - block back wheels and use a backup stand).
4. Finish unscrewing the lug nuts.
5. Remove wheel
6. Reach behind the caliper with a 12mm soccet wrench and remove the 2 caliper bolts.
7. Pull the caliper apart (you dont need to disconnect the brake lines)
8 Remove the old-worn pads
9. Using a C-Clamp or a bake cylinder depressor - camp the piston on the cylinder down to its %26quot;Home position%26quot; this will give you clearance to put the new pad in.
10. Put the new pads in (there are small clips to hold the pads in place)
11. Check the rotor and brake fluid (since you're already in the vacinity)
12. Put the capliper back together with the two bolts.
13. Put the wheel back on - tighten the lug nuts finger tight
14. Lower the jack and when the wheel is on the ground, tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern.
15. repeat with other wheel
16. Check brakes by pumping the pedal.
Done!
Is it hard to change your own brakes on your car?
Keep in mind that the rotors need to be machined or replaced. If you just put brake pads on the car you will end up with brake fade and/or a pulsating brake pedal due to the glaze that has built up on the rotors from the last set of pads. If he has some mechanical know how he has half a chance to get it right, If not, maybe your next husband will be smarter. I hope the life insurance is paid up!
It is really easy I have been doing brake jobs since i was 14 an at 16 i started doing them for my whole family (22 now) and no ones died because of a brake failure. they can be tricky when he does the disc brakes make sure he uses a c clamp to keep the caliper compressed doing this makes it less likely he will have to bleed them. bleeding usually takes two people and u will need to brake fluid to put back what you lose. if he does have any friends with experience grab them and a 6 pack and go for it he can do it. Have faith in your man.
if he don,t know what to do then tell him to pick up a haynes book at auto zone. it will tell you what to do and it shows pictures. if he,s not sure then he better leave it to someone who knows. don,t be too hard on him. he just wants you to be proud of him. being a man myself i know where he,s coming from. he just wants to be useful.
if he does end up doing it................make sure he gets a caliper piston compressor tool from an auto parts shop. the one i have is small and cubical. Lots of times the rear pistons cannot simply be compressed into the caliper, they have to be screwed in...........
dont want to get it all apart and then find out ya need the tool..... its cheap, just go get one
OR you could go get one by yourself and then when he's goin nuts tryin to figure out whats wrong.......super wife shows up with the right tool
Unless he as very mechanically inclined, he should have a pro
do the brakes. There are some special tools he might not
have. Experience in trouble shooting problems, judging
whether or not the rotors need turned, etc.
This no place to learn. If he has a friend with experience,
maybe???.
Best luck.
Wingman
It really is easy but i have been working on cars for awhile.
But that will solve the problem.
You take off the bolts and hub caps and really if you want some help look in your car manual about the brakes they are sooo simple to learn about if you have questions or need help email me
blood3lf@yahoo.com
If he has never done it before, he needs to have help unless he is very mechanical.
If you mess up a brake job, it can be a real safety hazard.
it's easy if you have the right tools. let him try, if he can't you can always take it to someone else. have some confidence in the man you married.
i think you should have them professionally done, just because that is something that you don't want to mess up on, they're kinda important!
1 get a shop manual from parts store....or he will be sitting there saying oh no...many auto parts websites have how to sections...take digital camera and tack pictures as you go to see how it goes back together...
definitely very possible. I'm 18 years old and i've been doing brake jobs since i was maybe 12 or 13. I wouldn't worry about this one give him the permission to start the job.
It is not hard if he as got the right tools ,and he knows how to use them .
no...my dad does it by himself...it's waaaaaay cheaper that way
its not hard, i've done it before, BY HANDS!
and im 17...
YES!
let an professiona do it. You know how guys are
