Hit the Brakes with Varacchi

First and foremost, I am not a "car guy", I've never been a "car guy", and I don't think "car guy" will ever be used to describe me. I change a tire with some skill, but beyond that, the extent of my car knowledge is limited. I've never even changed my own oil.

So with that inexperience stacked against me, of course my first attempt at car repair would be the brakes. You know, the part of my car that could easily kill me and others if I did it poorly. I didn't start small, changing my windshield wipers or replacing my spark plugs. No, I dove in head-first and went after the brakes.

I enlisted the help of my brother-in-law, who is absolutely a "car guy."  I ordered a brake kit online, and we got to work.

Flashback to last Saturday, while we were on our way to his friend's house (another car guy, where they keep all their tools and whatnot). We're driving up Route 9 in Freehold, and my brakes just completely gave out. Fun times!  I believe my exacts words were "Uh, my foot is completely on the floor, we should probably pull over."  We ended up having the car towed to the house, at which point my bro-in-law discovered I didn't just need brakes, I had busted a caliper. At this point he was pretty much speaking Wookiee, but I knew it was bad news.

Flashforward to this past Saturday, armed with pads, rotors and a new caliper. A few hours later, I drove my car home with nice new brakes!