Brake Pad Replacement

[Mrk_Mickey]

Ohhhh right I get it. Lame!

[craig_the_german]

Hi all,
Is it at all possible to push the pistons back without the tool?

Mine will be due for a pad (and rotor) change in the next few months and I don't want to have to buy a special tool to do the job if it can be done without it.
I usually get really good service out of brake pads (my Holden Jackaroo has done 198,000km on the original pads and rotors and still has 50% of the pads left)and this pad change will be the last one before I sell the Golf so if I can do it without the special tool I would like to.

[Peter Jones]

I've done it without the special brake tool.

Unfortunatley for you the tool I used was the even more specialised tool used to remove the oilfiller from an air cooled VW engine. (and the calipers were off the car at the time)

Improvise! Look around your garage and see what you've got that engage the piston, apply pressure to it and rotate it all at the same time.

Just off the top of my head for an example.

you might have an old towball a G clamp and an angle grinder handy.

Take the nut off the towball and attack the nut with the grinder to make teeth on it to engage the piston. Use the G clamp to clamp the nut to the piston and use a big spanner to rotate the nut.(This method is untested because I just dreamt it up based on my hypothetical musings in what you might have in your garage - use it at your own peril.)

Get some Bush Mechanic / McGyver action going on!

Of course you could just buy the tool too.

Pete

[h100vw]

I wound them in with a pair of pliers before buying the real tool. Some slightly pointy ones.

The right tool is great though.

Gavin

[Golf Loon]

2 blokes, one with a g clamp and one with a screw driver and a hammer.

Its possible, but ghetto and you risk cutting the rubber caliper boot, or putting a screwdriver through your hand.

[Blitzen]

I had the same rear caliper type on my previous car...I just used Circlip Pliers to wind in the rear pistons.

[johnvw]

I have recently been made aware of this push and rotate procedure.
Is this required for both front and rear brakes ?
and in particular for Passat 1.8t 1999 and Golf Gti 2007 (both fuel).
Question without notice :
If the piston has to be pushed back (of course) and rotated for the assembly of new pads, why doesn`t the piston jam during braking, does it really unscrew against the brake pad when pressure is applied ???
Regards John

[aprr32]

We just make one ourselves as we wear out one every 6 months.It doesn't have to look pretty,it just has to work.

[h100vw]

I have recently been made aware of this push and rotate procedure.
Is this required for both front and rear brakes ?
and in particular for Passat 1.8t 1999 and Golf Gti 2007 (both fuel).
Question without notice :
If the piston has to be pushed back (of course) and rotated for the assembly of new pads, why doesn`t the piston jam during braking, does it really unscrew against the brake pad when pressure is applied ???
Regards John

Just the back brakes for the tool. You need to set the cutouts across the caliper, parallel with the road. Then the piston ratchets out as the pads wear.

Front just pushed back in.

GAvin