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Drum brakes on cars have now become very rare with almost all the new types being rolled out with the superior disc brakes. Although there are many cars out on the road that still use drum brakes, the other reason why people still use them is probably because of the cost factor. In any case if you are about to change your car drum brakes from your local mechanic, be prepared to shell out anything over $200. Well, there is another alternative you have to save more than 50 percent of this money; do it yourself. It is simple, and with some practice you should be able to do it very easily. What you Need? Having the correct spanners for your operation is very important. This will ensure that you operate safely without damaging your car or yourself. Most tools that are required can be easily found in your default car tool kit. You will need to have the car manual for reference on your hands. The other things you need include new brake fluid according to your car specifications and the drum brake you want to install. This is how you get started- Before you take off the drum brakes you will need to drain the brake fluid. This can be easily done but be sure that you do not spill it and dispose it in an environment friendly procedure. Raise the car with a jack. Take care that the jack is steady by all means and not malfunctioning. Although you can do this job alone having someone watch you over is a good precautionary measure. Once the car is up you will need to remove the wheel. With the wheel out, you can now see the wheel disc along with your braking unit. Drum brakes are usually attached around the disc wheel with the help of five or more springs and clips. Removing these will free the drum and you can now remove it. However, this may pose some problems as the drum will not come off easily most times. You might have to budge it out of its place. Once the drum brake is out you now only need to replace it with the new ones you want to install. While installing the new ones take care that they are clean. You can use a brake cleaner at this point and make sure that you have used it on all the brake mounts and contact places. Install the new brake shoes and have them correctly positioned with the backing-plate. Now reattach the springs and the clips, and any screws you might have unscrewed, finally putting on the brake springs. Next, you will now need to refill the brake fluid that you drained with the new one. When this is done, your job is almost complete. Before your move your car, repeatedly press the brake pedal to achieve an optimum braking pressure with the brake fluid. Test your brakes now before you get on the road. Instead of changing all the drum brakes at once you can instead change one at a time over a few days. This way you can be sure to have some backup safety in case the new ones fail or are not installed correctly.