Hi,
During the annual service at a local VW specialist a few items where picked up as needing attention. One of these as the rear driver’s side brake was slightly binding when the hand brake was released.
Approach
I think Vox has mentioned this a few times that an assessment of the job needs to be undertaken first, i.e. is this something that can be done at home safely and what investment do I need to make in terms of tools and time.
Not just doing the job, but time for research, fault diagnosing and picking up the required parts. Weather is also a key factor as to whether I would do the job myself. If this needed to be done in the middle of winter, I would have given the job to the garage to do as it’s just not practical to it do outside. Also factor in how long you can have the car off the road as the parts provided might not be the right ones.
Three trips to Eurocarparts to get the right once …..Arrrr
As the Eos isn’t our main daily driver and I have access to a drive way and it was warm enough to work outside, so I decided to pick this job up.
This isn’t a full write up, but more of an overview of my approach / fault finding process. As with most things a bit fiddly, and the caliper carrier bolts are a bit of a pain to get at, so its time consuming, but can be done at home. Time wise allow at least 2 hours per side, if you have the right parts. Hindsight is also a wonderful thing …
Symptoms
With the wheel jacked up, other wheels chocked and the car in gear, release the handbrake and spin the wheel. There should be no binding / rubbing sounds and the wheel should spin freely. Mine was making a slight ‘grinding sound’ as if the pad(s) was still in contact with the disc. All other wheels span freely with no problems.
The car isn’t used for many miles per year, and when driven after being laid up for a while (about a week) , a slight grinding sound could be heard from the rear for the first few miles. I had assumed it was some rust that was rubbed off after a few miles. Brake feel and performance was fine
Tools
Usual array / good set of tools / spanners etc.
1/2 inch breaker bar
½ inch Impact spline set (Clarke pro216 , machine mart, £22.00) You need the m14 spline to remove the caliper carrier bolts
Brake caliper re-wind tool – Don’t think about this job unless you have a one, around £15 - £20
Gunson eezibleed kit - makes to job some much easier
Investigation
1. Use jack stands / chock wheels , leave in gear and remove the wheel. Inspect all brake components for condition including the brake lines all the way back to the reservoir. Also check the level . All looked fine
2. Remove caliper bolts by holding the inner bolt and turning the outer, and hang up the caliper. Don’t let it hang down on the hose. Then and remove pads. Both pads looked fine, with an even amount of wear, the disc also looked fine , with a slight lip on the inside face towards the hub , as if the pad was not making full contact with the disk. see PIC_1. There was no evidence of overheating on the disc or pad
3. Inspect the caliper for leaks and conditions of the rubber boot . Clean with an old tooth brush to remove all muck / brake dust
4. Overall other than being mucky and need of the good clean and re-grease and a slight lip on the disc all looked fine / within spec , see PIC_2
5. The slider bolts were also moving fine , and the boots looked ok , i.e. no splits
6. Clean and re-grease parts as needed including the pad carriers , see PIC_3 which shows what grease I used
7. Clean the caliper carrier where the pad carrier sits . see PIC_4. Use a file to remove the rust etc.
8. Remove the reservoir cap. You may made need to remove some fluid as you need to push the caliper piston back and need to allow for this fluid to get pushed back into the reservoir
9. Use the re-wind tool (clock wise) to push the caliper piston back, this was very difficult to do , very stiff
10. Re-assemble , replace wheel press brake pedal a few times and test
11. Result , same problem
Conclusion
As the pad wear was even , and other than a slight lip on the inner surface of the disc all components were ok / within spec . Nothing really stood out as to the cause. The caliper did seem very stiff when pushing it back , but I didn’t have a frame of reference i.e. was the other side just as stiff.
After a bit more research / googling I undertook the following
1. With the wheel removed , release the handbrake cable , check the cable isn’t stuck, push caliper back in , reassemble and re-test
2. Same result , slight binding
3. Re-attach handbrake cable
This test was done to eliminate the handbrake as the cause
Next steps
At this point I had two options, replace the caliper leaving the pads and disk as is .
Thinking here was the caliper was not retracting when the brake pedal was released , hence the binding and disc and pads were in spec. As all other wheels were fine / no problems and VCDS didn’t report any problems I assumed that the other parts of the brake system were fine. Option two was to replace the disc and pads , re-test to see if the lip on the disc was the problem. If I still had the problem replace the caliper.
To try and confirm it was the caliper, I removed the caliper again , hooked up a bleed tube and pushed the caliper piston back with the bleed nipple open . Fluid should gush out and the piston move freely . Mine didn’t . At this point I suspected it was the caliper at fault, but not 100% sure
In the end I went with replace disc and pads , no improvement so replaced the caliper. I used Eurocarparts of this and it took three goes to get the right parts. The best option if not using the dealer / TPS is to take to parts with you if you have the option to check for size / fit . Remember to fit disc and pads in axle pairs i.e. if you replace one side you have to do the other to ensure even braking.
Caliper replacement (the hard bit)
1. To replace the disc you need to remove the caliper carrier . There are two bolts on the back of the hub and it’s only the carrier part that is threaded so it’s almost impossible to get penetrating fluid in as its blocked by the disk. A few people have said you can remove the disk with it in place but it wasn’t possible
2. Remove the wheel arch liner and mud flaps if fitted , this gives enough room to feed the socket and bar in . Some people have removed the bottom nut on the shock to get more room but I didn’t need to
3. Insert the socket and make sure its home and flush as these are tight and rusted in and you don’t want to snap the head off. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough room to get an impact gun in
4. PIC_5 shows the carrier removed and the bolt location, give these and the bolts and carrier a good clean , brass wire brush works a treat
5. The disc is held on by a single screw which once removed the disc should drop off , if not tap with a rubber hammer
6. Clean up the hub and smear the surface with copper grease. Just a little but make sure it’s even and spread out
7. Clamp off the rubber brake hose and remove the caliper
8. You need to pre bleed the caliper first , i.e. fill it with fluid, just attach a hose to the bleed nipple, open the nipple and pour in till it drips out the bottom.
9. I had the remove the metal pipe that connects the caliper to the rubber tube so this needs to be filled up as well ( as best you can) see pic_6
10. It’s a right pain to refit and I found that starting the thread on the caliper first then the hose , and then tighten up just a fraction on each one in term worked best
11. Clean your disk and refit
12. Refit carrier , 90 Nm + 90 degrees
13. Re-grease all moving parts and refits pads . I had to file the ears of the pad to make sure they moved freely, i.e. just file the paint off the ear a little until you get free / limited resistance in the holder
14. Bleed to brakes using a one man system . This is so much easier than get a helper to push the pedal. Top up fluid if needed pic_7
15. Check your work / torque / have a last look around
16. But a bin bag over the brake and refit the wheel arch liner / mud flap – this stops all the crud dropping on your new brakes
17. Replace brake disc and pads on the other side. As a side note the caliper piston was so much easier to push in compared to the other side
18. Refit wheel and reservoir cap
19. Start engine and press the brake pedal 7 / 8 times and make sure your get an increased resistance
20. Go for a test run to bed the brakes in , can take 100 / 200 miles of slow speed / slow braking / also check hand brake
21. Re-test after a few weeks and brakes are bed in to make sure the wheel spins freely
22. As a side note there is not point testing after refitting new disc and pads as they will slightly catch / bind until they bed in
Summary
Hindsight is a lovely thing, and it was difficult to get a confirmed diagnosis that it was just the caliper at fault. I think might have been able to get away with just replacing the caliper, but better safe than sorry . Remember The brake system is in two parts the wet side , brake fluid and grease , and the dry side , disc and pads and never should the two meet !
I did notice that a fair few bushes are on their last legs , so looks like these is the next job … Any one had a good at replacing the suspension bushes ?
Regards
During the annual service at a local VW specialist a few items where picked up as needing attention. One of these as the rear driver’s side brake was slightly binding when the hand brake was released.
Approach
I think Vox has mentioned this a few times that an assessment of the job needs to be undertaken first, i.e. is this something that can be done at home safely and what investment do I need to make in terms of tools and time.
Not just doing the job, but time for research, fault diagnosing and picking up the required parts. Weather is also a key factor as to whether I would do the job myself. If this needed to be done in the middle of winter, I would have given the job to the garage to do as it’s just not practical to it do outside. Also factor in how long you can have the car off the road as the parts provided might not be the right ones.
Three trips to Eurocarparts to get the right once …..Arrrr
As the Eos isn’t our main daily driver and I have access to a drive way and it was warm enough to work outside, so I decided to pick this job up.
This isn’t a full write up, but more of an overview of my approach / fault finding process. As with most things a bit fiddly, and the caliper carrier bolts are a bit of a pain to get at, so its time consuming, but can be done at home. Time wise allow at least 2 hours per side, if you have the right parts. Hindsight is also a wonderful thing …
Symptoms
With the wheel jacked up, other wheels chocked and the car in gear, release the handbrake and spin the wheel. There should be no binding / rubbing sounds and the wheel should spin freely. Mine was making a slight ‘grinding sound’ as if the pad(s) was still in contact with the disc. All other wheels span freely with no problems.
The car isn’t used for many miles per year, and when driven after being laid up for a while (about a week) , a slight grinding sound could be heard from the rear for the first few miles. I had assumed it was some rust that was rubbed off after a few miles. Brake feel and performance was fine
Tools
Usual array / good set of tools / spanners etc.
1/2 inch breaker bar
½ inch Impact spline set (Clarke pro216 , machine mart, £22.00) You need the m14 spline to remove the caliper carrier bolts
Brake caliper re-wind tool – Don’t think about this job unless you have a one, around £15 - £20
Gunson eezibleed kit - makes to job some much easier
Investigation
1. Use jack stands / chock wheels , leave in gear and remove the wheel. Inspect all brake components for condition including the brake lines all the way back to the reservoir. Also check the level . All looked fine
2. Remove caliper bolts by holding the inner bolt and turning the outer, and hang up the caliper. Don’t let it hang down on the hose. Then and remove pads. Both pads looked fine, with an even amount of wear, the disc also looked fine , with a slight lip on the inside face towards the hub , as if the pad was not making full contact with the disk. see PIC_1. There was no evidence of overheating on the disc or pad
3. Inspect the caliper for leaks and conditions of the rubber boot . Clean with an old tooth brush to remove all muck / brake dust
4. Overall other than being mucky and need of the good clean and re-grease and a slight lip on the disc all looked fine / within spec , see PIC_2
5. The slider bolts were also moving fine , and the boots looked ok , i.e. no splits
6. Clean and re-grease parts as needed including the pad carriers , see PIC_3 which shows what grease I used
7. Clean the caliper carrier where the pad carrier sits . see PIC_4. Use a file to remove the rust etc.
8. Remove the reservoir cap. You may made need to remove some fluid as you need to push the caliper piston back and need to allow for this fluid to get pushed back into the reservoir
9. Use the re-wind tool (clock wise) to push the caliper piston back, this was very difficult to do , very stiff
10. Re-assemble , replace wheel press brake pedal a few times and test
11. Result , same problem
Conclusion
As the pad wear was even , and other than a slight lip on the inner surface of the disc all components were ok / within spec . Nothing really stood out as to the cause. The caliper did seem very stiff when pushing it back , but I didn’t have a frame of reference i.e. was the other side just as stiff.
After a bit more research / googling I undertook the following
1. With the wheel removed , release the handbrake cable , check the cable isn’t stuck, push caliper back in , reassemble and re-test
2. Same result , slight binding
3. Re-attach handbrake cable
This test was done to eliminate the handbrake as the cause
Next steps
At this point I had two options, replace the caliper leaving the pads and disk as is .
Thinking here was the caliper was not retracting when the brake pedal was released , hence the binding and disc and pads were in spec. As all other wheels were fine / no problems and VCDS didn’t report any problems I assumed that the other parts of the brake system were fine. Option two was to replace the disc and pads , re-test to see if the lip on the disc was the problem. If I still had the problem replace the caliper.
To try and confirm it was the caliper, I removed the caliper again , hooked up a bleed tube and pushed the caliper piston back with the bleed nipple open . Fluid should gush out and the piston move freely . Mine didn’t . At this point I suspected it was the caliper at fault, but not 100% sure
In the end I went with replace disc and pads , no improvement so replaced the caliper. I used Eurocarparts of this and it took three goes to get the right parts. The best option if not using the dealer / TPS is to take to parts with you if you have the option to check for size / fit . Remember to fit disc and pads in axle pairs i.e. if you replace one side you have to do the other to ensure even braking.
Caliper replacement (the hard bit)
1. To replace the disc you need to remove the caliper carrier . There are two bolts on the back of the hub and it’s only the carrier part that is threaded so it’s almost impossible to get penetrating fluid in as its blocked by the disk. A few people have said you can remove the disk with it in place but it wasn’t possible
2. Remove the wheel arch liner and mud flaps if fitted , this gives enough room to feed the socket and bar in . Some people have removed the bottom nut on the shock to get more room but I didn’t need to
3. Insert the socket and make sure its home and flush as these are tight and rusted in and you don’t want to snap the head off. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough room to get an impact gun in
4. PIC_5 shows the carrier removed and the bolt location, give these and the bolts and carrier a good clean , brass wire brush works a treat
5. The disc is held on by a single screw which once removed the disc should drop off , if not tap with a rubber hammer
6. Clean up the hub and smear the surface with copper grease. Just a little but make sure it’s even and spread out
7. Clamp off the rubber brake hose and remove the caliper
8. You need to pre bleed the caliper first , i.e. fill it with fluid, just attach a hose to the bleed nipple, open the nipple and pour in till it drips out the bottom.
9. I had the remove the metal pipe that connects the caliper to the rubber tube so this needs to be filled up as well ( as best you can) see pic_6
10. It’s a right pain to refit and I found that starting the thread on the caliper first then the hose , and then tighten up just a fraction on each one in term worked best
11. Clean your disk and refit
12. Refit carrier , 90 Nm + 90 degrees
13. Re-grease all moving parts and refits pads . I had to file the ears of the pad to make sure they moved freely, i.e. just file the paint off the ear a little until you get free / limited resistance in the holder
14. Bleed to brakes using a one man system . This is so much easier than get a helper to push the pedal. Top up fluid if needed pic_7
15. Check your work / torque / have a last look around
16. But a bin bag over the brake and refit the wheel arch liner / mud flap – this stops all the crud dropping on your new brakes
17. Replace brake disc and pads on the other side. As a side note the caliper piston was so much easier to push in compared to the other side
18. Refit wheel and reservoir cap
19. Start engine and press the brake pedal 7 / 8 times and make sure your get an increased resistance
20. Go for a test run to bed the brakes in , can take 100 / 200 miles of slow speed / slow braking / also check hand brake
21. Re-test after a few weeks and brakes are bed in to make sure the wheel spins freely
22. As a side note there is not point testing after refitting new disc and pads as they will slightly catch / bind until they bed in
Summary
Hindsight is a lovely thing, and it was difficult to get a confirmed diagnosis that it was just the caliper at fault. I think might have been able to get away with just replacing the caliper, but better safe than sorry . Remember The brake system is in two parts the wet side , brake fluid and grease , and the dry side , disc and pads and never should the two meet !
I did notice that a fair few bushes are on their last legs , so looks like these is the next job … Any one had a good at replacing the suspension bushes ?
Regards