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Car breaks
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
The brakes on my car have been sqeaking for ages when it's been raining. I think this could be due to worn brake pads? Anyone know roughly how much this will cost to repair at a garage? I've got a Ford KA 2003.
Edited to add that the title should read 'car brakes' not 'car breaks'.
Edited to add that the title should read 'car brakes' not 'car breaks'.
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It's easy and you save yourself some money.
If you know how lol.
I've got a vague idea how to do it, but I know a garage that only charges me for the parts so i use him anyway.
For something like brakes you can normally goto a "backstreet" garage, it's hard for them to overcharge you amd they're normally far cheaper than main dealers anyway.
At what mark up? They don't do it for free that's for sure.
Haynes manuals. Learn it.
Available for every car at Halfords.
http://www.haynes.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001
No. Don't DIY unless you know what you're doing. Brakes are very important, and whilst they're a doddle to those who've done them before, it shouldn't be advised to someone who hasn't touched them before.
Pads... £30 or so, maybe less. Labour - assuming there are no problems, well under an hour.
I disagree. Well we all have to start somewhere. How else do you learn?
...but you don't start with brakes. If someone else is there who knows what they're doing, then it's completely different. But for a first-experience? How many things are there to go wrong with a pretty vital part of the car?
Wheelnuts
Corroded/sticky pistons
Pad springs
Caliper bolts
Flexible brake hoses
What happens if they end up leaking fluid, after sanding too much off the piston? Or ruin the seal from pushing an overly-corroded piston back in? Or they leave a caliper hanging by its hose, which fails in 3 weeks time from the awkward strain? Or if they strip the threads of the bolts securing the caliper to the stay? Is someone unfamiliar with such things likely to know what torque feels right with these things? Or that you need to pop the cap from the reservoir before pushing the pistons back in? Are they going to notice that the inside of the disc has excessive fractures?
You start with air filters, HT leads, fitting speakers, removing headlamps to get at the bulbs... things that don't have quite the same consequences if they're not quite right...
I have to agree. I changed the brakes on my 350Z twice (once to track discs/pads, and then back again right before I sold it), but there is no way I would have attempted that without somebody knowing what they were doing. The mechanical bit is easy (wheel off, discs of etc), but bleeding the brakes is the bit that can go badly wrong.
Saying that, I would suggest the OP tries for the DIY, assuming they have somebody with a bit of experience on hand to help/supervise.
Not by yourself, with only a vague idea of what bit does what, and a Haynes manual as your only guidance.