Brakes for the Car...

So I drive a small car. It's getting a bit older, but it's been a really solid vehicle since I got it. I got it brand new in September of 2002. So I've had it for 6 years and 5 months now. It's got 62,000 miles on it. It's a Kia Rio.

Well the other day while driving I noticed a horrible sound coming from the back right corner of the car. I noticed that it only occurred when I was slowing down. I figure it's gotta be the brakes. The parking brake had stuck once, and I don't know if that did it, or if it was just time to get them redone.

I did the front brakes myself this past fall. Pretty easy. I didn't turn the rotors or change them, because that would've required an impact driver. But they weren't too bad. New pads fixed the pulsing that I had been getting. So I was planning on doing the rears myself, too.

But it turns out that the back has drums and shoes. I knew that, but I didn't really think much of it. I could do drums and shoes...but for some reason my car requires some kind of special tool to get the springs that hold the shoes in place out. I don't have that tool, and I don't feel like spending $100 to get it when I can just pay someone else to do the brakes.

So I am taking it to work tomorrow to give it to a guy I work with for the night. He's an ASE Certified Mechanic...has been forever...and he's also a workaholic. This works out great for people that know him who need car repairs or maintenance...he ALWAYS charges very little money for the labor, because he feels that he's basically just doing something that he loves. He did the front brakes on Cathy's Civic a few months ago for like $30. That's pretty cheap. I figure he'll charge me about $100...but that's because he had to go buy the shoes, also. When he did Cathy's Civic, we had already purchased the pads. I just couldn't get the caliper off because of where one of the bolts was located...it turns out you need a breaker bar or an impact driver to get that bolt off, anyways, so even if I could have reached it I wouldn't have been able to finish the job.

But anyways, he said he'll bring it back up to work on Sunday. So hopefully on Sunday I'll have new brakes!!! And no grinding sound!!!