Dangers of DIY Brake Adjustments
If it’s time to give your car’s brakes some vital repairs, you have two choices: take your car in to a qualified brake specialist or DIY the repairs. How hard could it be to DIY the job? The benefits seem obvious: You’ll save money and money.
But the drawbacks, and even dangers, of doing your own BMW auto repair in Houston are too huge. Here are some of the top dangers of trying to DIY brake repairs on a BMW, or any vehicle for that matter.
Diagnostics
Even if you have some car repair know-how, there are some things that only an expert can do particularly well. That includes diagnosing brake issues. Just because you can identify a certain squeaking noise or can feel difficulty braking, that doesn’t mean that you know exactly which brake pads to replace, whether or not the rotors should be changed, and more. This means that you can diagnose your car’s brake system incorrectly and end up paying unnecessary money to replace parts that don’t need to be replaced. A BMW repair shop can identify the direct causes of brake issues in your BMW, only replacing or repairing parts that absolutely need work done.
Incorrect Parts
The brake pads, rotors, calipers, and other brake parts vary by the model and even year of your BMW. A brake mechanic specializing in BMW repair can find and use the parts that are most appropriate for your vehicle, whereas you might use incorrect parts when you attempt to DIY repairs. This puts you in charge of quality control, parts inspections, and more.
Supplies
If you still think that repairing your own BMW’s brakes is cheaper than taking your car into a BMW service station, think again. Unlike a service station, your home is likely not stocked with any of the parts and equipment necessary for providing high-quality brake services. If you want to DIY brake repairs, you’ll need to keep all of the following parts handy:
- Brake fluid
- Brake pads
- Brake rotors or discs
- Brake grease
- C-clamps
- Car jack
- Jack stands
- Brake fluid bleeder
- Lug wrenches
That means having to shop for all of the above parts, at the very least. By the time you’ve stocked up, you may have already wasted the amount of money you’d need to spend on the best BMW repair by a professional.
Risks
There are more serious risks when working on your own brakes. You can be injured while working with heavy or complex parts, can injure your hands trying to reach hard-to-locate parts, and can even put yourself in danger once you start driving again. If you fail to appropriately fix the problem—often the result of diagnosing your brake system incorrectly—you may continue to drive on bad brakes without even realizing it. If you do a poor job of DIY-ing repairs, you can even make your brakes worse. If you do not properly bleed the brakes, you won’t have a functional brake system. Driving with bad brakes is a dangerous risk, one that can put your life in danger as well as the lives of your passengers and other drivers on the road.
Bemer Motor Cars understands that price can be an issue when taking a BMW in for brake repairs. That’s why we offer BMW auto repair in Houston at great prices with a two year warranty that guarantees lasting quality. You can end up saving money in the long run when you leave your BMW in the hands of trained master mechanics. Give us a call today.