Diagnosing info:
I usually find this in YouTube videos or on auto forums, but every now and then they are written in the manuals.
If you feel a wobble (push in and out) on your brakes, then your drum is warped. If it feels mushy, then there is probably air in the fluid system that needs to be bled.
The manuals and third-party books mentioned are great resources, but YouTube videos and old auto forums are also very helpful. There’s nothing quite like watching someone do the process on video.
Another resource that’s helpful is online auto part wholesale stores like rockauto.com where you can often get parts cheaper. The problem with fixing your own car isn’t usually the parts, but the tools. They are a big up front coat, but pay off in the long run. I like AutoZone tools because they have a lifetime warranty, but they aren’t always the best.
For your squeaky brakes, you can probably fix everything for less than $100 in parts (maybe less than 50 if it’s just the pads that need to be replaced). To do this, you’ll need the following.
Tools (none of these are suggestions, they are random links I grabbed as examples):
a Jack/lift, a hydraulic trolley jack works well
jack stands and wheel chocks (for safety)
a socket wrench and appropriately sized sockets or one of these. One that rachets and extends is nice. Do not get universal sockets, they are garbage. Get 1/2 inch or thicker connections or they will break.
a breaker bar (long connector for sockets). Optional, but very helpful in turning very tight nuts on the wheels.
a big c-clamp to compress the caliper piston (you can get a piston compression clamp, but this is much cheaper)
gloves
calipers (if you want to measure brake drums to see if they need to be replaced)
Parts:
brake pads and hardware (usually some included metal clips) example
drums (rarely need to be replaced, based on thickness measurement)
brake cleaner (only if replacing drums)
if you get into changing the brake fluid, you will need fluid and potentially hoses/attachment parts as those wear down. You don’t usually need anything fancy to bleed them, I use a piece of silicone tubing and a plastic bottle.
Start small and work up in complexity. It sounds like your pads need to be replaced. There is a piece of metal on the pad that starts grinding on the drum when the pads get low, this means just the pad and pad hardware need replaced unless you ignored it for too long. If you ignored it, the drums may need to be replaced too. It’s typical for the brakes to squeak a bit (different sound than the low-pad scraping) after you put new pads and hardware on. There are tricks to fix this if it even happens, but it’s more annoying than harmful and will go away on its own. I won’t tell them here, because it involves grease and I don’t want you to accidentally grease your brakes so they don’t work.
Normal brake service cost from 15 years ago before I started doing it myself: $300-400. Cost from doing it on my own: $30-50 and ~15-30 minutes.
Cost to replace my broken radiator at a shop: $600. At home: $80 and 1 hour outside in frigid winter weather.
Long-term, I think it’s worth learning to do the service yourself, but I’d stay away from more dangerous work like changing your suspension (springs under tension).
General brake pad changing procedure:
put on parking brake, emergency brake/handle brake
put chucks behind tires on opposite side of where you will be lifting. Kick them into the tire so they are snug.
loosen wheel nuts
lift car and place on jack stands (look up how to do this properly)
remove wheel nuts, remove wheel and set aside
loosen caliper nut, lift so it sits out of way (caliper is on a hinge)
remove old brake pad, replace with new pad and hardware
inspect drum and replace if necessary (new drums are greased, you will need brake cleaner to remove this if you are replacing drums)
open hood, unscrew cap to brake fluid reservoir
use c-clamp to depress caliper piston, retighten cap to brake fluid reservoir
reassemble in reverse. When you put the wheel on, get the nuts finger-tight, then lower the car.
right wheel nuts. This needs to be done in a star pattern like you are drawing a five-point star. Do not tighten one and then the one next to it, tighten one, then skip a nut and tighten every other nut. Continue until all are tight while the wheel is on the ground (or it will rotate)
I don’t even want promotions. Make it opt in rather than opt out. I buy things with the expectation that they will just quietly do their job.
Who needs a computer in their fridge anyway? Is the utility worth the materials and add complexity besides to advertisers?
Lets just add laws where if advertisers want something, we always do the opposite.