You may have heard the advice that you should replace all four of your car's brake pads at the same time, but is that really necessary, or overdoing it?

The quick answer is no: You don't need to bleed your brakes if you change your brake pads properly. However, there are some good reasons why you should. Let's start with the concept of brake bleeding ...

You approach a traffic light, tap the brakes, hear a shriek that sounds like a screaming fox, and suddenly your day gets interesting. The shop says you need new pads at all four wheels. You're ...