i haven't worked on brakes before. i'd like to replace my pads and at the same time paint the calipers. is this realistic for someone new to brakes? what's the general procedure?
also, any recommendations of aftermarket pads?

 

Are you sure you want to play with the brakes if you don't know what you're doing? Not to sound mean, but that's one of the most important parts to a car... the ability to stop.

For pads, I recommend the Porterfield R4S ( http://www.porterfield-brakes.com ). They dust a lot, but are very good.

 

naw, you don't sound mean kev. actually, that's why i was asking. i can take the wheels off and i don't know if painting the calipers required a whole more than that. curious.
as for the pads, a couple of my college buddies work on their own cars and they say it's a snap. they sad they would help me out, but i don't even know if all disk brakes are basically the same mechanism, or if each manufacturer goes their own way. probably buy the pads and have a shop do it for me.