rear brakes already?

[boosted beetle]

Had the beetle at dealer for an oil change and they said the rear brakes are gone and quoted me $450 for the work. Never gone through brake pads that fast (60k) on a car before especially a manual I hardly use the brakes lol. Haven't got under there to look for myself can you even see the pads to measure how much is left? And the dealer said you can't just do pads have to do calipers and rotors the whole nine yards is this true? Was hoping to do pads myself and turn rotors if possible but VW confuse me

Thanks!

[cep]

Yes you can replace just the pads. The pads will cost you probably anywhere from $40 on the low end to whatever you want to spend. You need a tool to compress the calipers but it is not expensive, either.

DIY: Rear Brakes

At 60K, I would put on nothing put pads. If it needs them at all.

[simonsi]

Originally Posted by boosted beetle

...And the dealer said you can't just do pads have to do calipers and rotors the whole nine yards is this true?

Ha!! No it isn't true. Calipers should last the life of the car, rotors should last 2-3 sets of pads.

[kaiser]

rear brakes wear fast on these cars, and no you don't need caliper unless there is something wrong with them.

[noR]

Either you let the rear pads get VERY BAD.

Or you're being taken for a ride.

There is no reason you should have to replae calipers unless they were damaged. If you still have ANY pad left, the calipers should be FINE.

Take your bug somewhere else for a 2nd opinion.


That said, DO NOT TURN YOUR ROTORS. OEM vw rotors are brembo. They're ... a little odd. Similar to candy, they're hard on the outside and soft on the inside. If you get the rotors cut, you may very well find yourself blowing threw them VERY FAST indeed. [Hey maybe that's what happened in the first place.] ... I know first hand. As I had mine cut, replaced the pads w/redbox pads. And then completely trashed my rotors within 10K.

And be sure to get a tool to compress/rotate that rear caliper... you can't just use a c-clamp on it, the piston must be turned as it's compressed.

[miffmole]

noR, you mentioned a tool available for $7 to compress/rotate the rear caliper. Where can I find that?
Thanks.

[simonsi]

Originally Posted by noR

There is no reason you should have to replae calipers unless they were damaged. If you still have ANY pad left, the calipers should be FINE.

The calipers should be fine even if the friction material on the pad is worn away completely, the rotors would be trashed but the calipers should be fine.

OP - You should only need a new caliper if one binds or leaks fluid. Assuming both calipers are free to move then they can be replaced singly - unlike rotors and pads that should only be changed as an axle set on both wheels.

[noR]

Originally Posted by miffmole

noR, you mentioned a tool available for $7 to compress/rotate the rear caliper. Where can I find that?
Thanks.

Surely wasn't me. I bought a $40 one myself.

I heard rumor there was a cube/tool from autozone that'd work, but i didn't have any luck w/that myself.

And harbor freight may carry something, but I'm not sure about that either.

I got my rear brake tool from parts4vws.com

[miffmole]

Originally Posted by noR

Surely wasn't me. I bought a $40 one myself.

Sorry, I guess I misunderstood. This is the quote I was referring to:

Originally Posted by noR

You should buy the $7 tool for the rears and do it yourself of course. Why would you want to pay someone hundreds of dollars for a brake job?

[wawalker]

Originally Posted by noR

Surely wasn't me. I bought a $40 one myself.

I heard rumor there was a cube/tool from autozone that'd work, but i didn't have any luck w/that myself.

And harbor freight may carry something, but I'm not sure about that either.

I got my rear brake tool from parts4vws.com

I tried that cube tool--it is way too difficult to use. I've use the metalnerd tool and it's kinda clunky too IMO given that you almost need 3 hands.

This is what I have now: Home Page > Search > Brake Tool > ES#9747 Brake Caliper Piston Tool - PBK-11PCS

I bought the same set at Autozone around 8 years ago, under a different name, for quite a bit less and it works extremely well. edit: That price at ECS appears to be very good right now--Autozone is more!

60K is normal for rear brakes on a NB--both mine needed it around that time, my GTI got done around 75K, and my wife's Jetta has had new rears 2x and 1 front by mid-80ishK miles

[miffmole]

Thanks Bill.
I think I'll get the ECS tool along with some Red Stuff pads. They should be good, shouldn't they?

My front pads look pretty good at 51k. They must have been changed before I bought my NBC at 26k.

[wawalker]

Originally Posted by miffmole

Thanks Bill.
I think I'll get the ECS tool along with some Red Stuff pads. They should be good, shouldn't they?

My front pads look pretty good at 51k. They must have been changed before I bought my NBC at 26k.

Probably not--I had 97K on my TS when I sold it with the original fronts still having life left.

[boosted beetle]

Thanks! got the new pads going to put them in this weekend after i finish rebuilding the turbo and putting the head back on my old 5.9l cummins! still had some pad left rotors and calipers look fine.