Just did brakes on the Beetle : P.I.A.

[hygieneboy]

I just got done doing my brakes. What a hastle. My old Honda's brakes were much easier. The rear calipers were nearly impossible to rotate and compress simultaneously. There was also some funny electronic wear indicator on the front driverside brake pad. My replacement pads did not have this electronic plug so I just cut it off and spliced the two wires together. All seems well so far and no funny lights have popped up on the dash cluster so I think I'm good. Anybody else have similar fun experiences to share?

[noR]

It's worth it to get the brake tool they're not so bad then.

Now getting out that passenger side motormount was no fun. Jack motor up, undo bolt, drop motor, undo other bolt, jack motor up cause I didn't see how to get to the bolt... try try try, drop motor, try some more, jack up as far as possible; remove socketwrench and fit the socket on by hand, then put the wrench in place and turn it w/the very tip. heheh. Somethin' like that; that was just punishment.

[Too Cold NB1.8T]

As noR said, you should get the required brake tool.

I've done brakes on these cars with the tool and it's a piece of cake.

[speedie]

Get the tool man your life is much easier...and make sure your pad has the sensor plug-in before ordering. Did you replace the one time use bolts on the rear caliper (recommended in Bentley manual)?

[hygieneboy]

I did not even know about the sensor plug until I was half done with the brake job. I started on the right side first. I have the Haynes manual and it didn't say anything about the sensor plug or a "one time use bolt" . The rear caliper bolts look to be very high grade and they work just fine used again. My replacement pads had no sensor but all else was identical to OEM. I just spliced the two wires togeter and it seemed to work fine. All said and done with front and rears pads replaced for $40 from Autozone. I also gave the rotors a good sanding to remove a little glaze that had built up. The bug was definately less mechanic friendly than my old cars( all Japanese).

[Too Cold NB1.8T]

Splicing the pad sensor wires together just fools the system and takes the sensor out of the loop -no worries- but if you do this, you just need to check your brakes periodically for ware to make sure that they don't start digging into your rotors.

[noR]

I'd also suggest covering the splice w/shrink-tube. I had just left mine out and after a while(months) the wires came apart.

You did good man. Yeah, I dunno about any 1 time use bolts, I reuse all my bolts on the brakes.

[hygieneboy]

I covered the splices in 5 layers of electrical tape.

[Too Cold NB1.8T]

I didn't mention insulation because I feel that this should go without saying but yes, I recommend always "soldering" connections and using high quality heatshrink tubing to insulate the areas.

[John Koch]

Originally Posted by hygieneboy

I just got done doing my brakes. What a hastle. My old Honda's brakes were much easier. The rear calipers were nearly impossible to rotate and compress simultaneously. There was also some funny electronic wear indicator on the front driverside brake pad. My replacement pads did not have this electronic plug so I just cut it off and spliced the two wires together. All seems well so far and no funny lights have popped up on the dash cluster so I think I'm good. Anybody else have similar fun experiences to share?

I use the kits from VW to replace pads front and rear. It comes with everythng that's needed that VW recommends be replaced. It has lubricant and the correct backed pads for the front, new guide pins, ect. These pads have extremely quick grab initially and for a couple to 3 or 4 quick stops before any fade is detected. Great for around town and freeway driving. This use of these kits assure that the correct type pads and parts are available when replacing the pads. They seem to last a good while too. JK

[hygieneboy]

I bet you at least tripled my $40 total bill though.