Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 1992 Toyota Tercel which has never given me a moment's trouble. I have more than 100,000 miles on it, and I've never even had it serviced. Risky, I know, but in retrospect, nothing has ever gone wrong! Until now. The brakes are GONE. The least expensive estimate is $500 for all four wheels. Here's my question. How easy would it be for me, a woman, to fix the brakes myself (with help with the muscle work from my husband, who, incidentally, has replaced his love of horsepower with a love of RAM)? I know my way around cars a bit. I have installed an in-line fuel filter on a '76 Nova and replaced thermostats in cars ranging from a Willys Jeep to a Pontiac Grand Prix. I have never fixed brakes, though. I'd like to save the labor charges. Should I try it? -- Bede

Tom: Bede, I would guess from your question that you are an absolute, world-class cheapskate. Am I right?

Ray: This, from a man who would reuse his toothpaste if it were possible to separate it from his spit.

Tom: Seriously, Bede. You've gone 100,000 miles and haven't spent a penny on this car. Now, THE most important safety feature on the car -- the brakes -- are shot, endangering you and everybody you drive past on the road, and your biggest concern is saving a few bucks?

Ray: I'd have to agree. While it's not impossible for you to do it, a complete brake job (pads, rotors, possibly calipers) on a modern car is a significant step up, mechanically, from throwing a fuel filter in a '76 Nova. And, more importantly, the stakes are a lot higher.

Tom: Right. If you screw up the fuel filter, the worst that will happen is that the car won't start. If the brakes don't work, the car won't stop! It's just not the kind of job you want to do for the first time unsupervised.

Ray: So, you should just swallow your pride and pay a trained mechanic the $500 to do the brake job professionally. And do it immediately. If your brakes really are completely "GONE," (and they probably are after 100,000 miles), you may be the next thing to go! *** Donít get stuck with a lemon. Read Tom and Rayís guide, "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Things Detroit and Tokyo Donít Want You to Know." Send $3 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope to Used Car, PO Box 6420, Riverton, NJ 08077-6420. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

Changing your oil regularly is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your car, but how often should you change it? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1999 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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