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Questions about caliper bolt/rear pad replacement

2K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  crew217 
#1 ·
I'm pretty inexperienced at working on cars and am attempting to change the rear pads on my 03 Passat 1.8. There is no Haynes manual for my model so I got the closest one (97-2001).
A couple of questions: Is the brake pad change procedure still the same as the one in the manual? It says that whenever you change the pads and remove the caliper alingment pin bolts that they need to be replanced with new ones, is this true? It says I need to lossen the emergency brake line before I start, do I? Is this something I should even attempt?
 
#2 ·
Same . . . . I didn't loosen the line. I just use a little bit of loctite blue on the threads and re-use the bolt. Do so at your own risk but I've done about 6-7 rear brakes and have never replaced the bolt. Nothing has happened so far.
 
#5 ·
1) Do not attempt to retract the rear pistons without the proper tool.
2) The only reason to use new bolts is that they come pre-treated with thread locking compound. As Crew217 said, a little LocTite on the old bolts will do the same thing for you.
3) I did nothing with the parking brake when I changed my rear pads.
 
#6 · (Edited)
question guys, I am changing mine next week. Liberty VW threw in new bolts for me. Anybody know what the torque spec is for those bolts? Does the tool from autozone work without modification? I read somewhere tha the bits that fit inside the caliper aren't quite the right size for the VW caliper.
 
#7 ·
I had the backs changed last Thursday. I noticed afterwards that the pads and rotors were warmer than the fronts, but I think that's part of the bedding in process. All I've done to bed them in is to brake gently. Gave me a great excuse to go on a couple of drives (I just got back from a quick trip to Scotland!)

I think they're good for normal use now, as there's no squealing. However, the handbrake has a lot of travel for some reason, but I think I'm right that it will self-adjust in time.
 
#12 ·
Maderan said:
I'm pretty inexperienced at working on cars and am attempting to change the rear pads on my 03 Passat 1.8. There is no Haynes manual for my model so I got the closest one (97-2001).
A couple of questions: Is the brake pad change procedure still the same as the one in the manual? It says that whenever you change the pads and remove the caliper alingment pin bolts that they need to be replanced with new ones, is this true? It says I need to lossen the emergency brake line before I start, do I? Is this something I should even attempt?

if your going to start your own repair work on a B5..do your self a BIG favor, get a bently..you can spend a C-Note on the paperback or you can get a cdrom from Bimmerparts.com for around 75 beans.....the torque specs..mega exploded views...i keep a haynes for my MK II jetta, that works good enough,but for a complex ride like a B5....its WAYYYYY too easy to screw things up bigtime!and another tip...if you have a digi camera take pics as you go...so you can see exactly how things came apart!Good Luck!
 
#13 ·
theSkunkworks said:
if your going to start your own repair work on a B5..do your self a BIG favor, get a bently..you can spend a C-Note on the paperback or you can get a cdrom from Bimmerparts.com for around 75 beans.....the torque specs..mega exploded views...i keep a haynes for my MK II jetta, that works good enough,but for a complex ride like a B5....its WAYYYYY too easy to screw things up bigtime!and another tip...if you have a digi camera take pics as you go...so you can see exactly how things came apart!Good Luck!
I disagree. I have had both and feel that the haynes is good for 100% of routine repairs. I actually prefer it over the bentley because the information is better presented. They haynes also has torque specs & etc.

Either way for $13, the haynes is a steal.
 
#14 ·
my prob with the haynes/chiltons is that the pics they use just arnt that good...fine for most issues, but too vauge....alot of topics covered in the haynes is just text...allmos al the things covered in the bentley are accomponeed by exploded views,along with all the tech bulitans,the Mega detailed wiring bluprints...the price of a haynes is good if you want to use a repair manual for a year car thats different from the one your working on.....
 
#15 ·
Both the Haynes and the Bentley prescribe releasing the parking brake before working on the rears. JohnE, you may have stretched your parking brake cables if you truly "did nothing with the parking brake when [you] changed [your] rear pads."

Both books also outline adjusting the parking brake cables after replacing the rear pads. It's not tough, but you need to be clean when you start since it begins inside the car underneath the rear of the center console. No one wants brake dust inside the car! It's a good idea to begin the parking brake adjustment before the rear pad replacement if you're thinking you need to adjust it (ie: the lever travels too much for comfort.)

It's not difficult, but a creeper will help. Once you've replaced your rear pads, you continue by locking the brake lever in place with a screwdriver. This can be done by removing the rear ashtray assembly. Next, the heat shield undreneath the brake lever is removed from the car revealing the pairs of adjusters. Remove the locking clip. Tighten (shorten) the adjusters until they go no further. Replace the locking clip and heat shield. Remove the screwdriver from the brake lever and put the ashtray back. Done.

And I'll close with an encouragement to bleed your brakes in order: right-rear, left-rear, right-front, left-front. It's not hard and there are writeups with illustrations that will really help. If your DOT3 brake fluid is more than two years old, do a full flush and fill because the stuff breaks down with age. If you're running DOT4 or greater, the lifetime drops to a year.
 
#16 ·
Scotaku said:
If your DOT3 brake fluid is more than two years old, do a full flush and fill because the stuff breaks down with age. If you're running DOT4 or greater, the lifetime drops to a year.
????? DOT4 lifetime is only a year? Are you serious? So every year with 4 you have to flush? Good thing I just did it...I had NO idea! BTW Scotaku, did your bro like the roof rack?
 
#17 ·
Maderan said:
if I don't have a piston retraction tool can I use a c-clamp?
I have used a large C-Clamp successfully to retract the rear piston (also had a proper retractor handy) - didn't work quite so well with the front though. Make sure its one with a rotating "head" ...
 
#18 ·
Scotaku said:
... JohnE, you may have stretched your parking brake cables if you truly "did nothing with the parking brake when [you] changed [your] rear pads."
Thanks for the tip, but I don't believe I did the parking brake system any harm. This is another good argument for changing pads early; I changed mine when they still had 25 to 30 percent of their original thickness remaining. My parking brake lever comes up the same relatively small distance as ever.

Scotaku said:
... If your DOT3 brake fluid is more than two years old, do a full flush and fill because the stuff breaks down with age. If you're running DOT4 or greater, the lifetime drops to a year.
Tell me more; is DOT4 more hygroscopic than DOT3? This is the first I have heard of this particular distinction between DOT4 (which I thought was required in these cars) and DOT3. I use Valvoline Synpower and change it every two years ("by the book"), but I am quite open to new information and recommendations.
 
#19 ·
John_E said:
Thanks for the tip, but I don't believe I did the parking brake system any harm. This is another good argument for changing pads early; I changed mine when they still had 25 to 30 percent of their original thickness remaining. My parking brake lever comes up the same relatively small distance as ever.



Tell me more; is DOT4 more hygroscopic than DOT3? This is the first I have heard of this particular distinction between DOT4 (which I thought was required in these cars) and DOT3. I use Valvoline Synpower and change it every two years ("by the book"), but I am quite open to new information and recommendations.
I wouldn't worry about the parking brake considering the way you remove it places more stress on the brake line than the actual brake cable. Also I too have never heard of Dot 4 requiring greater intervals than DOT 3. Doesn't matter since I change twice every year.
 
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