Basic Car Safety: Brakes for Dummies

Part one was a brief overview of some of the ways to diagnose worn brake pads. In this article I will discuss a bit more technical mumbo jumbo while trying to keep it simple.

Lets say you want to tackle changing your own brake system. Buying a manual for the make and model of your car is a recommended first step. I am not talking about a manual that you would find in the glove compartment that is found in cars when you buy them new. I am talking about a manual that is thicker and more detailed, like a Chiltons manual for example. These can be found at most automotive parts stores and most carry many that cover the worlds most popular manufacturers vehicles and can range in price from twenty to sixty dollars. They usually come with handy diagrams and some step by step instructions on how to do many basic and complex repairs to a vehicle.

With that said, lets get back to trying to seeing if I can explain it to you in a clear and simple manner.

Step one is to remove the tire from the vehicle. Most of the generic manuals you find in the glove compartments of a car give pretty good instructions on how to do this. The key is to try and work on the car on a level piece of ground and if that isn't possible, be sure to place a rock or brick or something around another wheel to keep the car from wanting to roll. DO NOT SET THE PARKING BRAKE IF YOU ARE REPLACING THE REAR BRAKE PADS. Also make sure that the jack is positioned securely and the car will not fall off of the jack as you are working on it. That would be a very bad thing.