DIY car repair?

August 10, 2007 10:50 AM

Feeling very ambitious and am thinking about a little DIY car repair. Should I really do it?

So! I drive a 2001 Hyundai Elantra and am looking to:

1. change the rotors and pads
2. install new 6x9 speakers in the rear (already have)

If I got buy the repair manual and take my time, is it really that hard? I've already done the pads before, so I know it's not THAT hard. I am good at these kind of things if I take my time...usually.

I've heard that to replace the rear speakers you need a special Hyundai tool and the whole process is super annoying. Will the repair manual tell me how to get to the speakers to replace them? Can I get this tool anywhere? I know best buy charges extra to install these speakers because they're so annoying.

Am I going to fail miserably or come out in automotive victory?

posted by nonstopflights to Travel & Transportation (16 answers total)

Response by poster: ooops. I meant that I already have [purchased] the speakers to install
posted by nonstopflights at 10:52 AM on August 10, 2007

Sounds like you should definitely do the pads. Just take your time. For the rear speakers - most mauals probably won't have any info on this kind of thing. I did find a link describing the process for the 2002 elantra that looks like no special tools would be required, but it could be different on your model. I would go for it, but I love DIYing things and don't mind if they go horribly awry (my last speaker replacement involved a dremel, lots of cutting wheels, and a 1989 volvo).
posted by sluggo at 11:04 AM on August 10, 2007

And also - Here's a possibly helpful Hyundai forum w/a link to Hyundai's factory manuals on this very same task. Good Luck!
posted by sluggo at 11:07 AM on August 10, 2007

My last speaker replacement was similar to sluggo's...

You might consider going to Crutchfield.com and trying to find the speaker install instructions for your car. If you got the speakers there, they'd include pretty good directions for removing the old ones -- might be able to find them on the website.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 11:24 AM on August 10, 2007

If you've done pads before, pads and rotors aren't much harder. You just have to take off the caliper, rest it on an upturned bucket or something, switch out the rotor and put everything back together.
posted by ssg at 12:07 PM on August 10, 2007

A few tennis or racquetballs can also be usable to keep the brake pistons from pushing open - my car doesn't have any room to set them anywhere, I have to wire them to the springs to keep them up and out of the way.

The hardest thing about pads, in my opinion, is being careful not to have a spring clip or two go flying across the garage as you're disassembling things.
posted by phearlez at 12:13 PM on August 10, 2007

If you have good tools it helps. I had a hell of a time getting the caliper loose in an old taurus.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 1:26 PM on August 10, 2007

Good tools are a plus, but usually you just need a basic socket set for this job. Having a knowledgeable friend either on-site or just a phone call away is a good back up plan. One of the first "repairs" I did on a car was replace rotors and pads on the front of a '89 Honda Civic. The hardest thing I remember was the screws holding the rotor onto the the rest of the wheel assembly were hard to unscrew - but a little liquid wrench helped. I'm not sure how your Hyundai is assembled - some cars just have the rotors set over the lug nuts and are held on with the wheel via the lug nuts. If there's no screws holding your rotor on, but it's not just sliding off, it could be rusted to hub carrier...so a whack with a rubber mallet or shoe will help break that rust bond. But I first did this with only oil changes as prior experience and used a Haynes manual.

But the biggest thing you have going for you is you've done the pads before, and that's like 90% of the work of pads+rotors. I feel it's actually very easy to work on disc brakes. Drums are a slightly different story due to fiddly springs and getting stuff to fit back in all assembled.

I can't really say anything about how your speakers are held on...the only good thing about this is you can get half way through that job and still drive the car, unlike the brakes.
posted by JibberJabber at 2:01 PM on August 10, 2007

The two best Elantra forums are ElantraClub.com and ElantraXD.com. I am a member of both, since I have a 2005 Elantra. I also post to Sluggoe's suggestion, Hyundai-Forums.com

Changing the pads is relatively easy. If the rotors are the originals, they might be fused to the hubs; be prepared to use a Sawzall to get them off. Really. Especially if you are in a part of the country that salts the roads.

The speakers are not simple, but do-able.

Some links:

Rear deck removal to replace the speakers.

Yes, people really have sawed their rotors off. free ElantraClub registration required to view

Some information about changing rear brake pads. Fronts are similar but can be compressed with a C-clamp and don't require the special tool. If you have rear drum brakes (i.e., a non-GT sedan), I can dig up some information on that too.

Finally, Hyundai offers free access to WebTech, their online service manual. I wrote a guide on how to register and find the relevant information. Between the owners forums and WebTech, you probably can get all the information you need without spending money on a service manual.
posted by Doohickie at 2:01 PM on August 10, 2007

Hmmm... I think I messed up the ElantraXD link; try this one.
posted by Doohickie at 2:11 PM on August 10, 2007

FWIW, I just changed the pads on my Toyota Matrix and the pads and rotors on my wife's Neon. I find nothing more frustrating in the world than car repair, but I got through this without any major problems.

I didn't have a book, but I watched my dad do the same thing about four years ago. I did, however, need three trips to the store to buy tools.

The Neon's rotors just came right off after I got the brake caliper off the car. No problem whatsoever. I did each car with nothing other than a screwdriver and a socket wrench.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 2:35 PM on August 10, 2007

Some rotors have threaded holes on them that can be used to help free it from the hub. Just thread the appropriate sized bolt in there and tighten until the end of the bolt hits the hub. Tighten it some more, and the rotor should pop off.

Failing that, you can try hitting it with a block of wood or a mallet of some sort.

Also, if you haven't done so already, invest in some Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, or similar penetrating liquid. The bolts holding the caliper on can be stubborn.
posted by Gojira at 2:46 PM on August 10, 2007

Yep... If you check out the Elantra forums, several people talk about what they did and what worked and what didn't. Gojira listed a bunch of good techniques. I'm not saying *everyone* has to cut off their rotors, but I know of one or two cases where this was done.
posted by Doohickie at 4:48 PM on August 10, 2007

Buy a Haynes manual please. It should save you a lot of time, if not this repair then the next. Chilton's are too general, and shop manuals assume you know a lot.
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:49 AM on August 11, 2007

If the car has anti-lock brakes, make sure you follow instructions even more closely. You don't want to damage a wheel speed sensor, or push too much fluid back into the master and cause problems with the ABS computer. Just take your time, don't skip steps - and do this at an hour when someone who is mechanically inclined is awake to take your phone call.
posted by azpenguin at 10:35 PM on August 11, 2007

There is a wheel speed sensor on the front right wheel even if it doesn't have ABS. (It feeds the speedometer.)
posted by Doohickie at 12:31 PM on August 13, 2007