My advice is never use pump pliers to wind the piston back in. If its slip, you could tear the rubber dust shield. Far better getting the metal cube winder tool from the car parts shop for a couple of quid. When using the winder tool, fix the caliper back on the base plate, wood behind it so you don't push the caliper off the slider pins, then use the winder tool to retract the piston. We have four rear disc cars to I got a winder set for £20 that covers all cars. For a one off job, Ceretec grease is the best option but a 500g tub of ceramic brake grease is the best option economy wise for a lot of brake jobs. Which ever grease used, give the pad on the piston side a good coating on its back because the piston has to rotate on the pad as well as push it.
so, ive watched a lot of your videos, and learnt a lot. plus saving myself a lot of money. the only problem with this video is that to do the rear brakes on mk4 golf you NEED the caliper tool to get the piston back in. it has to be squeezed and pushed at the same time therefor just rotating it doesn't work. (I cant speak for all cars)
Excellent video. One suggestion, don't let the caliper hang. Last thing anyone wants is for a simple brake job to turn into a more complicating/expensive brake line repair job.
1. Always bleed the caliper when compressing the piston back in. This prevents polluting the ABS/ESC mechanism, and polluting or overflowing the reservoir.. less problem, see ??? Then rotating the piston back in is far easier, and you have less risk of damage there. And with the bleed open, you can do it with long nose pliers in the notches , instead of squeezing the soft alloy piston , with the big multi-wrench, multi-wrecker !, on a surface not designed for tools. Also, don't let calipers hang by their HOSE. The HOSE is plastic and a fault (tear ) can be induced that develops later. This rear piston is light, but the fronts are bloody heavy.
Hey, im a car guy from estonia. And my main cars are all VW's. I just stumbled on your channel and the way you show and speek about how to do it is really good. I came online just incase if there was a trick to buting the piston back in and now i know it has to be rotadet back in. Thank you and i hope to see more of things like that for other VAG group car step by step DIY vidoes from you :) . Sorry about my writeing ;)
Nice guide i'm going to be doing this soon, I've seen on other clips on here they unscrew the Hydraulic brake fluid reservoir cap,and have it loose to release pressure? Is this necessary? Also a good point to mention is caliper pins can seize, and handbrake is stuck on to one side, buggering up the adjustment cables inside the golf - you should do a video on this :) Any replies about if the brake fluid res cap needs to be off b4 doing this job is greatly appreciated !
Great info here again, thank you, saved me so much hassle. Good to know I can change the disc without having to remove the carrier or the handbrake cable.
You should use a torque wrench when tightening bolts. You can easily snap the wheel bolts by using such a long bar. You should make sure the hub is clean of crap and rust before fitting the disc, otherwise the disc may have some slight wobble. You should check that the guide pins are loose and not seized. You did the basics but can be done better.
The two caliper retaining bolts are one-use bolts that should not be reused. Many better sets of brake pads come with them. They are only about $6USD, so don't scrimp. PLEASE do not potentially damage your piston and dust seal by using Channel-Locks to rotate the piston in. The special tool is very cheaply rented at most auto parts stores and many will loan it to you for free if you buy your pads from them. It does rotate and compress at the same time. Yes, do keep an eye on the master cylinder reservoir while compressing the piston back in. If it should happen to overflow, the brake fluid will damage vehicle paint and you could wind up with rust problems. VW recommends against applying grease to the brake-pads. Many brands come with their own self-adhesive anti-rattle/anti-squeal, and that's ok.
You might want to point out that it is not unusual to have to open the brake fluid bleed valves in the calipers in order to get the pistons to compress back in. Simply rotating the piston does fuck all...
Just wanted to say my email starts out Bmac because it's my first and last name put together. and I'm a vw lover. We must be long lost brothers from another mother. So I subbed 😁
Can I ask if you know what order the caliper guide/slider pins should be in. Should the stepped/tapered one be in the top or bottom of the caliper. Thanks
It would have been nice to explicitly mention that you have to rotate the rear brake piston while pushing it in. I did the front brakes on my 99 Jetta and they didn't have screw-in pistons, so I got a nasty surprise here with the rear brakes. Otherwise, very helpful video, thanks
a couple of mistakes: use copper slip on back of the pads not grease tight up wheel nuts opposite not next to each other as this keeps the wheel square to the hub. good easy job ta ;-}
Richard Tattersall Good point relative to wheel nuts, always better balance tightening opposites as opposed to sequence clock/anti clockwise. Be well buddy.
I blew a house having someone helping me bleed the brakes and I cannot find were the leak is coming from. It's the rear passenger side. Do I need to bleed the master cylinder? out just bleed every caliper again? What hoses go to the rear passenger caliper? I can't find the leak
Before compressing brake caliper pistons on any car take off the cap to your brake fluid resevoir, and many cars have these kind of pistons where you don't just compress them or you will fuck them up. Go to your local autozone store and rent the special tool to compress them. Those pistons must be compressed and turned for them to compress. Autozone will give you your money back as soon as you return the tool just ask them about it. That channel locl method will fuck your shit up if not done properly just take the safer route.
Lol yayyy finally read a comment that is in the exact situation as me. Did you ever get it off? I'm thinking maybe our rotors are 172mm while the one in the video is 160mm
BMAC VAGS, I need some advice. Have you ever or seem mods done to rotor spindles? I considering placing a 280 on a 256. I dont want to machine the 280 to 256, would be a total waste.
Can you please make a video on changing the rear brake lines. There's an inner and outer brake line and I can't find them? And also how to find a brake line leak?
Barry Moore If it's not identical, they're similar. There's a reason the brake and muffler shops are always jumping ugly to change your brakes early. It's easy money for them.
Is it so simple in front too? BTW Your channel is amazing! Already subscribed, of course :) EDIT I checked your another video and yes, front is also pretty simple :)
Yes thank you! I thought those spring like things on top went into the brake caliper. I was cussing VW. I should have just watched your video first. So thankful for your video
You can buy led light strips from your local car stores and can u install them in the area where foglights would be installed inside the transmission grill area thanks
I attempted this today for the very first time. I did fine until I tried to put the caliper on the new pads and no luck. I could not turn the piston anymore. I had a neighbor help and he turned it with ease, the caliper fit onto the new pads. (Guess I need to get in the weight room more often lol) Took us 3 hours to do one side. Doing the other tomorrow.
I heard that there's some kind of special tool you need for changing rear brakes. My roommate said you can rent one from autozone and the like. It's meant to help with retaining the hydrolic piston or something so you can get the caliper back on. Is this not true?
love your vids im changing brakes. might sound like a stupid question once ur finished do you just close brake resevour an when u start engine wil brake piston re set itself? an go back to its origional pisition?
themickdon2004 and brake cleaner. Also as I noticed today checking it mine, make sure the location screw is on the existing rotor/ disc, mine wasn't and you need it to line things up, don't do the job unless you got both screws available.
Rotating it alone does not compress the piston back into it. I tried for like 30 minutes. You need to both rotate and compress it with that special tool. That special tool is a damn rip off too. 40 bucks for that shit.
Niko Ramirez I don't think so. Using a C clamp alone wouldn't let it go in and you actually need to rotate as you push. Just buy the proper tool because rotating it does not let it go in at all.
Niko Ramirez For the rears, you see the little cutouts? Some auto manufacturers have put those grooves that require a special brake tool that must rotate and compress the piston or else it won't go back in. My 2011 Ford Explorer XLT requires one just like my friends 2002 Volkswagen Golf. Just watch out for that when doing your own brake job. Search up screw in piston tool.
These videos have saved myself a small fortune, I no longer have grinding brakes... Keep up the good work!
Thats is good to hear, make you subscribe so you can keep up to date with the new videos.
Another job done on the mk4 thanks to BMACVAGS. Simple, straightforward and clear advice, thanks again!
Thanks man!
I'd add in a note to unscrew the brake reservoir when pushing the piston in so not to rupture the system.
Good tip! Very true
I really like how you talk exactly how i needed to hear it..in my language..lol.english..good job..i actually learned from you...thank you sir.
My advice is never use pump pliers to wind the piston back in. If its slip, you could tear the rubber dust shield.
Far better getting the metal cube winder tool from the car parts shop for a couple of quid. When using the winder tool, fix the caliper back on the base plate, wood behind it so you don't push the caliper off the slider pins, then use the winder tool to retract the piston.
We have four rear disc cars to I got a winder set for £20 that covers all cars.
For a one off job, Ceretec grease is the best option but a 500g tub of ceramic brake grease is the best option economy wise for a lot of brake jobs. Which ever grease used, give the pad on the piston side a good coating on its back because the piston has to rotate on the pad as well as push it.
Your accent and teaching methods both kick ass.
so, ive watched a lot of your videos, and learnt a lot. plus saving myself a lot of money. the only problem with this video is that to do the rear brakes on mk4 golf you NEED the caliper tool to get the piston back in. it has to be squeezed and pushed at the same time therefor just rotating it doesn't work. (I cant speak for all cars)
jay f Yeah my buddy had a fuckin nightmare doing his B5's back brakes. Broke a damn C-clamp lol (he didn't have the piston presser)
You don't NEED the tool but it's a lot easier if you got it.
You can use a winding clamp
Well done, BMAC .. thank-you! Your step-by-step explanations, stable camera work, and uncluttered narrative are perfect.
Thanks for making this awesome video. It's exactly what I need.
Excellent video. One suggestion, don't let the caliper hang. Last thing anyone wants is for a simple brake job to turn into a more complicating/expensive brake line repair job.
Very simple mate thank you
Thanks for the video's. I use them to help me do the work on my mk4. *thumbs up*
Do you need to undo the brake fluid reserve so the piston goes back in?
1. Always bleed the caliper when compressing the piston back in. This prevents polluting the ABS/ESC mechanism, and polluting or overflowing the reservoir.. less problem, see ??? Then rotating the piston back in is far easier, and you have less risk of damage there. And with the bleed open, you can do it with long nose pliers in the notches , instead of squeezing the soft alloy piston , with the big multi-wrench, multi-wrecker !, on a surface not designed for tools. Also, don't let calipers hang by their HOSE. The HOSE is plastic and a fault (tear ) can be induced that develops later. This rear piston is light, but the fronts are bloody heavy.
Hey, im a car guy from estonia. And my main cars are all VW's. I just stumbled on your channel and the way you show and speek about how to do it is really good. I came online just incase if there was a trick to buting the piston back in and now i know it has to be rotadet back in. Thank you and i hope to see more of things like that for other VAG group car step by step DIY vidoes from you :) . Sorry about my writeing ;)
Another brilliant video!! Can you do one on bleeding the brakes?
Nice guide i'm going to be doing this soon, I've seen on other clips on here they unscrew the Hydraulic brake fluid reservoir cap,and have it loose to release pressure? Is this necessary?
Also a good point to mention is caliper pins can seize, and handbrake is stuck on to one side, buggering up the adjustment cables inside the golf - you should do a video on this :)
Any replies about if the brake fluid res cap needs to be off b4 doing this job is greatly appreciated !
Great info here again, thank you, saved me so much hassle. Good to know I can change the disc without having to remove the carrier or the handbrake cable.
You should use a torque wrench when tightening bolts. You can easily snap the wheel bolts by using such a long bar. You should make sure the hub is clean of crap and rust before fitting the disc, otherwise the disc may have some slight wobble. You should check that the guide pins are loose and not seized. You did the basics but can be done better.
I was thinking the same way
How about you do your own channel 😂
Very good video. Straight to the point and simple. Saves me alot of money
The two caliper retaining bolts are one-use bolts that should not be reused. Many better sets of brake pads come with them. They are only about $6USD, so don't scrimp. PLEASE do not potentially damage your piston and dust seal by using Channel-Locks to rotate the piston in. The special tool is very cheaply rented at most auto parts stores and many will loan it to you for free if you buy your pads from them. It does rotate and compress at the same time. Yes, do keep an eye on the master cylinder reservoir while compressing the piston back in. If it should happen to overflow, the brake fluid will damage vehicle paint and you could wind up with rust problems. VW recommends against applying grease to the brake-pads. Many brands come with their own self-adhesive anti-rattle/anti-squeal, and that's ok.
Thank you man :-))
Use axle stands mate that could so easily have fallen of the wheel change jack.
David Harvey that’s y he placed the tyre so it would act as secondary safety measures not everyone has jack stands
You might want to point out that it is not unusual to have to open the brake fluid bleed valves in the calipers in order to get the pistons to compress back in. Simply rotating the piston does fuck all...
Dude you are the best your videos help alot. Plz do a led light strip install how to lol!
Which ones would you like to see installed?
Thank you for this well done video. It was very helpful.
Thanks man helped A LOT!
I just want to say a big thankyou BMAC VAGS your vids have helped me so much, ive learnt a lot from them, cheers mate!
+PEEK A BOO Thank you for supporting me :)
Just wanted to say my email starts out Bmac because it's my first and last name put together.
and I'm a vw lover.
We must be long lost brothers from another mother.
So I subbed 😁
I am so glad i can help
Can I ask if you know what order the caliper guide/slider pins should be in. Should the stepped/tapered one be in the top or bottom of the caliper. Thanks
It would have been nice to explicitly mention that you have to rotate the rear brake piston while pushing it in. I did the front brakes on my 99 Jetta and they didn't have screw-in pistons, so I got a nasty surprise here with the rear brakes. Otherwise, very helpful video, thanks
Safety first, thats the only tip that you need. Good Luck
Good video but you need do one about tightening the cable after you have changed the breaks
a couple of mistakes: use copper slip on back of the pads not grease tight up wheel nuts opposite not next to each other as this keeps the wheel square to the hub. good easy job ta ;-}
Richard Tattersall Good point relative to wheel nuts, always better balance tightening opposites as opposed to sequence clock/anti clockwise. Be well buddy.
I blew a house having someone helping me bleed the brakes and I cannot find were the leak is coming from. It's the rear passenger side. Do I need to bleed the master cylinder? out just bleed every caliper again? What hoses go to the rear passenger caliper? I can't find the leak
Before compressing brake caliper pistons on any car take off the cap to your brake fluid resevoir, and many cars have these kind of pistons where you don't just compress them or you will fuck them up. Go to your local autozone store and rent the special tool to compress them. Those pistons must be compressed and turned for them to compress. Autozone will give you your money back as soon as you return the tool just ask them about it. That channel locl method will fuck your shit up if not done properly just take the safer route.
Muchas gracias
So no need to open bleed valves?
I really appreciate that :)
Thanks for uploading these man they've helped me out alot
Nice trick, sneaking the rotor out from behind the caliper bracket without touching it. I need to try that next time.
don't forget vw's don't have studs. that's a gamechanger.
Thank you very much for posting this. Very helpful!!
Top videos from you mate, clearly filmed and described.
Excellent tutorial
15 mm for the inside caliper bolt
BE a good idea to grease the sliders. Especially in areas of bad weather.
My disc isn't sliding on like yours, any tips as I'm struggling to get the 14mm spline bolts undone!
Lol yayyy finally read a comment that is in the exact situation as me. Did you ever get it off? I'm thinking maybe our rotors are 172mm while the one in the video is 160mm
BMAC VAGS, I need some advice. Have you ever or seem mods done to rotor spindles? I considering placing a 280 on a 256. I dont want to machine the 280 to 256, would be a total waste.
THX Super support video. This equivalent for Bora 1.6 77Kw ?? And detect break sensor ? thx. Edie Czech Republic. You super videa. Good job.
Can you please make a video on changing the rear brake lines. There's an inner and outer brake line and I can't find them? And also how to find a brake line leak?
Ta fella. Just checked here to see if there were any nasty surprises to look out for before I start changing my disks today! Again.. Thank you :-)
Guys, anyone know Is it the exact same rear brake system for a Mk V jetta (2005-2010), ? thanks
Barry Moore If it's not identical, they're similar. There's a reason the brake and muffler shops are always jumping ugly to change your brakes early. It's easy money for them.
Is it so simple in front too?
BTW Your channel is amazing! Already subscribed, of course :)
EDIT
I checked your another video and yes, front is also pretty simple :)
Yes thank you! I thought those spring like things on top went into the brake caliper. I was cussing VW. I should have just watched your video first. So thankful for your video
Hi great video is this the same way to change vw passat 2003 rear brakes and rotor discs to and once again great videos thanks regard
I have a question inside the caliper there is a black seal that I broke I little when I was rotating back. Do I need to change that rubber?
You can buy led light strips from your local car stores and can u install them in the area where foglights would be installed inside the transmission grill area thanks
you can heard your back from picking up your wheel spanner. press it down from top to bottum
Highly informative. So there's no need to remove the caliper support bracket in order to get the rotor out ? Cheers !
same thing happened to me the other day, never mind..
Thanks. the same procedure for my jetta mk4. from Guatemala.
He cut off the caliper mounting bracket. This is not how to it.
Very well done
Bro I love the intro music 🎶👍🏻 awwww lol
can i install slotted rotors in the rear ???
Yes you can
awesome so the calipers do have the clearance
do you mean vented disc?
BMAC VAGS
yes
+chupamishuevos303 you will need to run GLI calipers.
what about the factory screw that holds the disk on?
What about them?
Dude every vid you do is awesome. I've used every single one of your vids. Great work.
Bosh! Quick refresher and im done. Cheers man.
I attempted this today for the very first time. I did fine until I tried to put the caliper on the new pads and no luck. I could not turn the piston anymore.
I had a neighbor help and he turned it with ease, the caliper fit onto the new pads. (Guess I need to get in the weight room more often lol)
Took us 3 hours to do one side. Doing the other tomorrow.
Grease on the bk of the pads ?????????? . Any manufacturer or any good mechanic will tell you keep grease away from the whole breaking system
GAZGIT Anti-seize is always highly recommended, but definitely not straight grease yeah.
I heard that there's some kind of special tool you need for changing rear brakes. My roommate said you can rent one from autozone and the like. It's meant to help with retaining the hydrolic piston or something so you can get the caliper back on. Is this not true?
yeah, it is the tool he's using at 3:08 - you can buy one off Ebay too
love your vids im changing brakes. might sound like a stupid question once ur finished do you just close brake resevour an when u start engine wil brake piston re set itself? an go back to its origional pisition?
You have to pump the pedal so the pistin can find its range
Do you not need to bleed the brakes at all?
What is the tool numbers ?
Good man - thanks for taking the time!
your gloves failed!!! 😂😂😂
Good video top job thanks 👍
The seal alround the piston
That is good to hear :)
your the man dude honestly!
thanks for great video
Thanks for that great video!
One thing though, when you tightening ypur lugs
Make sure you do it in a star pattern.
Will do
great video thanks man
Thanks!
Wow, didn't mention anything about the ABS sensor which is a crucial part of the braking system.(I would think)
Good video, thank you!
Ur vids r the best on you tube
buen video!! saludos desde Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico!!!
no torque wrench bro?
this dude is awesome
ok thanks for that
really helpful vid!
Top man
Great video! I can't wait to do this on my baby. Can you kindly list the tools you used to change the rotor and the pad. Thank you
wheel brace - HAMMER ( if rotors are rusted/seized on ) 16MM spanner / - 13 socket / 1/2 " drive / Philips head screwdriver / copper slip for the pads -
Thank you my friend.... I'll be doing this during the thanks giving break
themickdon2004 and brake cleaner. Also as I noticed today checking it mine, make sure the location screw is on the existing rotor/ disc, mine wasn't and you need it to line things up, don't do the job unless you got both screws available.
Sam Minshall and also piston tool, to push back the piston inside brake caliper.
Thank u a+++
You made my life easier today! Thank you and don't stop what your doing, great work.
Thanks for the support, have you subscribed??
Thank you
no problem
Thanks man!!
no problem
Rotating it alone does not compress the piston back into it. I tried for like 30 minutes. You need to both rotate and compress it with that special tool. That special tool is a damn rip off too. 40 bucks for that shit.
A "C clamp" works just as well for a quarter of the price.
Niko Ramirez I don't think so. Using a C clamp alone wouldn't let it go in and you actually need to rotate as you push. Just buy the proper tool because rotating it does not let it go in at all.
I'm no professional, but using a C clamp has always worked for me?
Niko Ramirez For the rears, you see the little cutouts? Some auto manufacturers have put those grooves that require a special brake tool that must rotate and compress the piston or else it won't go back in. My 2011 Ford Explorer XLT requires one just like my friends 2002 Volkswagen Golf. Just watch out for that when doing your own brake job. Search up screw in piston tool.
+Niko Ramirez American cars usually don't have special calipers like euro cars do.
Man put some new gloves on 😂