Replacing brake pads

Brake pads play a crucial role in the proper functioning of the car. Brake pads might get worn out due to the excessive pressure working on it over time. With a worn brake pad, the ability of the car to respond to the braking reduces and the car will come to a halt only a little while later. This is a very dangerous fault as the car will not come to sudden halt in emergency situations. Such situations might arise at times when you have to avoid an accident or at the traffic lights. On facing such a problem with braking, one must promptly realize the need for replacing the brake pads.

You can understand the need for replacing the brake pads from certain signs like squealing brake pads, wheel grabs, soft brake pedals and sometimes the car will pull from one side to the other. There are the warning signs that one must understand the time for brake pad change. Sometimes, these problems might also require other car components to be changed. On noticing such signals one can check the brake pads by his own or take the car to a car mechanic. Most of the garages have free break checking provision, or at a meager amount. It is always good to have it checked by the experts, after all it concerns with your life.

You can even consult with your garage about the parts to be replaced and how much will it cost to correct the problem. This amount will include their labor changes and taxes and will amount to a reasonably huge sum. If you are confident enough to carry out the replacing of the brake pads on your own, then it will be the best way to save a few pennies. First make a list of the tools and accessories required for the purpose. Check the items with what you have in your garage and look for in the local stores for the best deals over the accessories. Run an online search to find out the best brake pads and choose the best one as it is a long term investment.

Before replacing the brake pads, you have to jack your car. Choose the proper location with enough of work space. Lock the car wheels; put the handbrake and the gear on neutral. Loosen the wheel nuts prior to jacking the car. After jacking the car, removing the tight nuts will be a bit difficult. Do not take out the nuts completely, just loose enough so that you can take it off easily after jacking. Follow the car instruction booklet and jack the car accordingly.

Once the car is jacked, the wheels can be removed easily. Place all the nuts together in a box and make sure that you do not loose them. You can use the removed wheels to provide extra support to the car. After the wheels are removed you can now work on the brake system. Remove the brake calipers by loosening the attached bolts to the brake disc. The brake pads are now visible. Usually the brake pads are held in place by clip pins, they can be easily removed to take out the brake pad.

Now you can replace the new ones with the old ones and put into place using the clip pins and the calipers. Putting the calipers back is slightly tricky job as you have to check if the caliper piston is open, if it’s open, then you will have to put it back into position using a screwdriver. Repeat the same procedure on both the wheels. Once you are done with fixing the calipers, then go on with re-screwing the wheels. Remove the car from the jack and your coupe is now ready to hit the roads again.

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