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Changing brake pads - Do it myself or pay mechanic?

Pplater

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Hey guys,
New member here, recently bought my first car (VS executive '96) and cannot wait to do it up slowly. I need help, The brake pads need replacing and cannot decide whether to go to a mechanics and spend a fortune or go down to autobarn and buy my own brake pads and do it at home.
If I do it myself, it will be my first ever time doing this and without guidance from a father figure will need to work it out. What I'm asking is, should I do it myself and just get a guide off the net or get a mechanic? and as stupid as it may sound, where abouts on the car do I place the jack to jack it up?

Cheers.
 

calais24/7

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If you have the patience and the room and tools to do it. I say do it yourself. Will save yourself a lot of money. When you jack the car up make sure you get the chack on the chassi. Also don't take the wheels off unless you have the car supported by car stands. By yourself the manual and the pads and everything you need to do for the swap. Plenty of people to help you along and it will save you a fair bit
 

Brett_jjj

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I suggest you get a workshop manual to follow,it shows you all you need to know to change the brake pads,it also shows most other jobs that you can do yourself so you can save money.You can learn a lot about your car from it...
 

Reaper

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If you have to ask then yes - pay somebody to do it for you. At the very least have somebody who knows what they are doing to guide you thu it. It's an easy job but the downside is pretty horrendous if you screw it up.

Reaper
 

Haydz

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its your brakes. the only thing slowing down your car. your taking your life into your own hands by toying with it yourself. unless you know what your doing i wouldnt touch it.
 

F l a k

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I say get the workshop manual and look up some how-to's and familiarise yourself with everything involved and ask as many questions as you want on here. Once you've got it all figured in your head, and have the tools and manual and a print out of a how-to or some notes, you should be right. If you're confident enough after that then do it, if you're unsure pay someone to do it :)
 

acarmody

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Yeah at least have a crack at it yourself, just putter around on a back road to test them, don't go over about 20km/h to start with so even if they don't work you can handbrake to a stop.
 

Blakvsexec

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The best advice you can get will be this

1. Go and buy yourself a GREGORYS manual for your car.

2. Also buy or borrow a set of car stands they are usually around 50 to 70 dollars a set, NEVER NEVER work on a car just sopported by a jack.

3. When you remove the wheel slide it in approx halfway under the sil of the car, This is a safety safety if the stand fails for some reason the wheel under the car will stop it from crushing you and or damaging the car.
4. NEVER WORK ON A CAR THATS JUST SITTING ON A JACK ALWAYS USE A CAR STAND.


See here for car stands
NEW AXLE STAND JACK STANDS 6 TON CAR STANDS (eBay item 370482610982 end time 09-Apr-11 14:17:35 AEST) : Cars, Bikes, Boats
 

EDGE3

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Do it yourself once you have read all the procedure,take it nice and slowly and safely.Make sure you have a g-clamp to push the pistons in.And make sure you have the callipers held up with a strap so the brake line doesnt get damaged by the weight of the callipers hanging and make sure the pins go back into the correct position,when I have replaced brake pads I found out that them little suckers like to pop out.
 
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