Rear Barke Pad Change, as difficult as haynes makes it sound ?

[TheMadhatter]

My rear brake pads on my 02 130TDI sport need changing. I have done this job on several cars including my last car, a Skoda octavia and I have the calliper wind back tool.

I had a look in the manual and all seems fine until re adjusting the hand brake. This looks like a nightmare of a job to do as you have to get right under the car, remove a heat shield and work around the exhaust oh and yes remove the arm rest/hand brake surround. I have a bad back so working inside the car is no appealing

The question is if I am just renewing the pads will I really have to go through all the stress of adjusting the handbrake ? If so I will pay some one else to do it

[Crasher]

Dead easy if you have the wind back tool. You have done similar, you should have no problems.

[Cylon2007]

Easy peasy, did mine the other weekend. There is no need to get under the car.

Once you have the wheel and caliper off, unship the handbrake cable at the caliper end, wind the piston all the way back in (do the usual clean/lube) fit new pads and put the caliper back on and reconnect the handbrake cable. Now do the other side (don't apply the brakes at this stage) once you have both sides done with the new pads in and the caplipers bolted back on and handbrake cables attached pump the brakes a few times to move the pistons back out enouh to get the pads against the disks then apply the hand brake, it self adjusts.




as at aside I did the pads on mine as the rear nearside brake was dragging, looking through the wheel all Looked OK so I took the wheel and cailper off the have a look

Pads from the right side



look fine to me, loads of life left

Pads from the left side



seems whoever fitted the pads and disks (at a guess 5K ago) got the end of the inside left pad hung up on the end of the caliper carrier. Fortunately it hasn't damaged the disk so £24.99 later and the brakes are fine

[TheMadhatter]

Thanks for the replies guys, I could not beleive you would need to fiddle with the cable adjusters under the car.

One other quick question. Manual states that the calliper pinch bolts must be renewed with the pads. When I did this on the octavia they came with the new pads. However when I phoned GSF to check whether the bolts came with the pads for the passat they said no. So if if they are right where can you get them from ?

Still 50/50 on whether to do this myself as the local independent only wants £57 to do the job, cheaper than going to the physio lol I remeber last time I took the wheels off I had to get my mate to come round with his airgun to get the bolts of after breaking to sockets, and nearly my hand.

[Cylon2007]

When I went to Halfords to get pads there was a choice of Halfords own at £22.99 no bolts supplied or Ferodos at £24.99 with new bolts supplied guess which I got?

[caldirun]

The cable adjustment proceedure is only needed if you replace the cable, and it is a pita, pads are no problem and cable auto-adjusts.