Can someone please give me a quick run-down on how brakes work and what are the components at work?

My brakes work fine however my mechanic told me I need brakes 'all around'. I'd like to do this myself since I've changed brake pads in the past and he's charging me 350 to install what seem like cheap pads and discs -- so what kind of work into changing disks and pads on my own?Can someone please give me a quick run-down on how brakes work and what are the components at work?
Changing brake pads is not very difficult at all. You have to make sure you have a good level place to do the work. I would do the front pads first, then the rear. Depending upon your vehicle make and model, it may take a special tool to remove the caliper bolts, but essentially you open the hood, remove the cover from the brake fluid container. You do this because when you compress the old pads, the fluid will need somewhere to go, so opening the cover of the fluid reservoir insures that it can overflow if needed.



Remove a wheel, loosen the lower caliper bolt, flip the caliper forward, compress the pads against the caliper cylinder - you can use a %26quot;C%26quot; clamp or a brake pad compression tool (a few bucks), remove the old pads, put in the new pads (be sure to apply grease to the pad shims), put the caliper back into place, tighten the bolt, put the wheel back on, go do the other side.



When finished with the front, pump the brakes a few times to set the calipers tight against the rotor. Go do the back in the same way. Replace the cover to the fluid reservoir and you're done!



It should take no longer than a couple hours tops. Can someone please give me a quick run-down on how brakes work and what are the components at work?
When you depress your brake pedal, your car transmits the force from your foot to its brakes through a fluid. Since the actual brakes require a much greater force than you could apply with your leg, your car must also multiply the force of your foot. It does this in two ways:



Mechanical advantage (leverage)

Hydraulic force multiplication Can someone please give me a quick run-down on how brakes work and what are the components at work?
A $20 Chiltons or Haynes manual at your local autozone will give you step by step instructions.

With pictures.