Do It Yourself (DIY)

How to Perform Your Own Brake Job

By Mark Salem, ASE Master Tech and Owner/Operator Salem Auto Boys, Tempe, AZ

When you decide to perform your own brake job, just remember, this is one of the few car repairs that, if done wrong, can really cause serious injury or death of your kin and others.

So let’s talk about the important steps of a successful front disc brake repair.

You always have a ‘choice,’ even where something simple is concerned – even something as simple as your car’s engine air filter. Say you’ve been driving around without having changed your car’s engine air filter in a while. You can choose to buy one for $15-20 and install it yourself or perhaps with the helping hand of a friendly parts store clerk. Or, down the road, you may find yourself shopping for a laundry list of parts and a reliable repair shop.

Under these circumstances, your shopping list could include:

• Piston rings - $120

October is Fall Car Care Month, the perfect time to fall into a vehicle maintenance program and get your car ready for the challenges of harsh winter weather.

“A thorough inspection of your vehicle during Fall Car Care Month will go a long way toward ensuring safety and dependability when temperatures drop and severe winter weather strikes,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “A routine maintenance program also makes financial sense, extending useful vehicle life and helping avoid costly repairs down the road.”

Wait a minute. The author meant to say, ‘oil filter’ you’re probably telling yourself. No, we really meant ‘engine air filter.’ If your car’s engine air filter is torn or clogged, your engine is probably running on dirty oil.

Think about it. A vehicle ingests about 10,000 gallons of air to burn a single gallon of fuel. And if you add to it all the contaminants that the air along roads and highways contains – soot, dust, debris, leaves, straw, tiny bits of rubber – imagine the amount of dirt that can enter the engine compartment each time you take your vehicle out,

Your car’s windshield protects you against stones, bugs, sand, grit and other roadside debris. Your car’s windows protect you from heat, cold, rain and snow. Your car’s brakes protect you from dangerous collisions. … No less important is your car’s cabin air filter which is designed to ‘safeguard’ your respiratory health and well being – especially when the windows are rolled up and the A/C or heating is turned on

It's the beginning of fall, and time to consider your coolant.

This is a good time to think about your engine cooling system. Regular inspections and pressure tests of your cooling system are of utmost importance, as is good maintenance by following the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended coolant change intervals.

As time passes, the protective anti-corrosive additives in the antifreeze break down and lose their effectiveness. But antifreeze has two other very important jobs as well:

• It is used to decrease the temperature at which the coolant freezes.

To avoid the inconvenience and potential safety hazards of breaking down miles away from home, a simple driveway inspection before hitting the road will help ensure a hassle-free Labor Day weekend, according to the Car Care Council.

“With these four easy steps, motorists can identify how road-ready their vehicle is right in their own driveway and, if repairs or maintenance are needed, they can be performed before leaving home,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council.

Our cars are a substantial investment, and regular maintenance helps protect that investment.  A regular oil change is a relatively inexpensive form of preventive maintenance and helps avert premature engine wear and extend the life of your vehicle.  Recommended intervals for an oil change range from every 3,000 miles to 10,000 for newer vehicles.  Ultimately it should depend on the age of your vehicle and your personal driving habits.

In August it’s easy for students to remember to get new clothes, school supplies and dorm or apartment furniture, but what about preparing the car that’s going to haul all that stuff? We want to remind students and their parents not to overlook Vehicle Maintenance 101.

Making sure the college-bound vehicle gets a passing grade will give both the student and their parents peace of mind for the drive back to school and the first semester of crusing around. It’s always a good idea to inspect a vehicle and have any repairs done near home, at a familiar repair shop.

Gas prices got you down? Even economy cars can guzzle more than their share if their engines have been neglected. Beyond squandering fuel, poorly maintained engines are notorious for corrupting the environment.

“Much of the problem can be traced to the simplest kind of neglect,” explains Adam Selisker, VP of Technology at CRC industries. “The malfunctions generally can be prevented with scheduled or corrective maintenance.”