Your brake system is the most important component of your car.

It doesn't matter if the car won't go, but it certainly does matter if the car won't stop. Damage and injury to yourself and others is not worth the risk.  Because brakes seem to always work, it is easy to forget about them and take them for granted, but one day you might need to do a serious stop and that isn't the time to find out that they could use some maintenance.

Fortunately most brake maintenance can easily be done at home with no special tools needed.