- #163 of 174
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Re: 07 Wolfsberg Jetta Rotors [rhys5]
by thess02
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Oct 12, 2009 (7:10 pm)
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Replying to: rhys5 (Aug 25, 2009 1:52 pm)
Well I just replaced the rear brake pads on my 07 Jetta at 56,770 miles. The left inside pad was down to 5mm. Minimum pad thickness according to VW is 2mm. I went with pads from Autozone for $21.00 for both rear wheels. These are OEM equivalent and seem fine so far...quieter than the original pads actually....and stop just as well as the originals. The rotors were fine. The Autozone pads carry a lifetime warranty by the way...when they wear out I get a new set...free of charge. I did not replace the caliper bolts as specified in the manual though. The bolts looked perfect. They are not self-locking however and require reapplication of blue loctite on the threads prior to reinstallation...which I did accomplish. The factory brake kit comes with new bolts (loctite pre-applied) and shims for $66.00. I changed them a bit early..could have gone another 10,000 miles...but the entire job took less than 1 hour. Inspect your own and change the pads yourself.
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- #164 of 174
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Anyone have collateral damage due to the heat buildup?
by 07wolfie
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Oct 22, 2009 (12:09 am)
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Same story, '07 Jetta 2.5 MT. From the beginning, I noticed excessive dusting at the rear wheels, but didn't really start paying close attention until about 5K miles. After a highway drive, you could feel the heat radiating from the back wheels from a foot or two away. I actually burned my hand touching the outside of the alloy wheel! The front wheels and even rotors would be cool to the touch. It doesn't take an ASE certification to know that the rear pads are dragging on the rotors. Geniuses at two dealerships gave me the standard line, "Oh, sure, that's normal." [For context, I had taken my car back 3 or 4 times for several other problems (two different interior rattles, speedometer inaccuracy) and was assured of their normalcy. Since then, Volkswagen has issued TSB's on both of those problems.] As a general rule, unless the car is actively engulfed in flames, your problem is going to be explained as "normal operation".
I'm now at 17K miles, and the rear pads are ready for replacement and the rear rotors are starting to warp from the heat. I'm not optimistic about my chances of having the stealership do the work under warranty, and I'm planning to do it myself. However, I'm wondering if anyone has seen issues related to the heat buildup at the rear wheels- wheel bearing seals/grease problems, boiled brake fluid, etc.?
There's something else I've been wondering, and maybe someone here has some insight. I'm always baffled by how much effort the dealerships put into TURNING AWAY work... Do they make less money on warranty repairs than cash repairs?
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- #165 of 174
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Re: Anyone have collateral damage due to the heat buildup? [07wolfie]
by jeffyscott
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Oct 22, 2009 (6:20 am)
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Replying to: 07wolfie (Oct 22, 2009 12:09 am)
Yes, VW pays them less than you do. It was implied to me that it is something like maybe about 1/3 less per hour for labor. I believe the basis may be VW pays only for the direct cost of having the work done, they are not paying for the service dept overhead (at least not via the hourly labor rate).
So maybe if the dealership has idle techs, then they may want the work but if they are backed up with regular customers, maybe not??? I've never had a VW dealer tell me something was not a problem when I had a potential warranty issue and we had a couple pretty costly repairs as well as several small issues.
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- #166 of 174
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Re: Anyone have collateral damage due to the heat buildup? [07wolfie]
by thess02
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Oct 22, 2009 (5:45 pm)
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Replying to: 07wolfie (Oct 22, 2009 12:09 am)
I just replaced the rear brake pads on my 07 Jetta. I never noticed any heat issues with the brakes. The left rear pads were wearing slightly faster than the right rear pads....down to 5mm thickness. I just went ahead and changed them. Bought a set at Autozone OE equivalent rear pads for $21.00. Good semi metallic pads with a lifetime replacement warranty. They wear out...you take the old pads in...exchange for a new set. The pads at the dealership were $66.00 here in South GA. You do get new caliper bolts and shims with the dealer kit....but not with the Autozone pads. I reused the original caliper bolts which looked perfect and applied new blue loctite. These are not self locking bolts so if you reuse them...you must reapply the loctite. I think the problem with the rear pad wear is actually being caused by the calipers. The parking brake rotates a threaded piston within the hydraulic caliper piston and I noticed a bit of roughness in the left rear caliper on my car. If you are familiar with rear disk brakes you know the parking brake piston needs to be turned in to gain clearance for the new pads. That's where I noticed a bit of roughness...rotating the piston in. I did not remove the rubber dust seal to look further though. My pads were not dragging as yours seem to be.....thats why you had heat buildup. I did notice my parking brake cable was initially improperly adjusted. Look at this area too....I readjusted the clearance on mine. Get yourself a manual...the brakes aren't difficult to work on.
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- #167 of 174
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Re: Early brake pad wear 2008 jetta [joejoe8]
by thess02
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Oct 26, 2009 (11:42 am)
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Replying to: joejoe8 (Aug 25, 2009 10:24 am)
I'm surprised you or your mechanic didn't notice brake pad wear before the pads were worn to metal. Check pad wear every 10,000 miles max. I believe new pads start with 13mm of pad material and the manual specifies minimum pad thickness at 2mm. New lifetime pads at Autozone cost $21.00...for both rear wheels.
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- #168 of 174
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rear brake calipars
by madfisherman
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Nov 24, 2009 (7:41 am)
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- #169 of 174
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rear brake calipers
by madfisherman
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Nov 24, 2009 (7:45 am)
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trying to change brake pads and can not get the piston to collapse. Tried turning and pushing but will not move. Even tried to loosen the bleeder and still will not move. any suggestions???
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- #170 of 174
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Re: rear brake calipers [madfisherman]
by thess02
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Nov 24, 2009 (8:34 am)
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Replying to: madfisherman (Nov 24, 2009 7:45 am)
What needs to happen is the inner piston needs rotating in for the rear brakes which I will assume you are attempting the pad change. You will need a rear disk brake service kit that has the tool and adapters to do this. I bought a complete tool kit at Harbor Freight for a bit more than $20.00. The piston for the parking/emergency brake extends by rotating. You need to rotate this inner piston back in to gain room for the new pads. Do you have a shop manual?
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- #171 of 174
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Re: rear brake calipers [thess02]
by madfisherman
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Nov 24, 2009 (10:00 am)
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Replying to: thess02 (Nov 24, 2009 8:34 am)
After a long cool down and a sandwich I saw that the piston was cocked. I was able to straighten and use a screw driver and channel locks to screw back and make room for the new pads. thanks for the advise. madfisherman
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- #172 of 174
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Rear brakes
by thess02
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Nov 24, 2009 (4:23 pm)
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madfisherman, If you need info out of the Bentley manual, let me know. I picked up rear pads at Autozone for $21.00 with a lifetime replacement warranty. They work well and are a bit quieter than the oem pads.
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