Fabia vRS: how to change rear discs and pads

[Xavier]

Ok ladies and gents, although this is quite a simple job once you know how to, I consider myself reasonably mechanically minded, but still needed to resort to the Master!

So when I came round to changing the second disc / pad, I thought I'd take some photos as I went along and post a guide how to do this.

Of course, usual disclaimers apply, you can use this as a guide, but I'm not responsible for your own actions

Tools required:

• socket / security lock socket adaptor to remove wheels
  
• 13mm socket
  
• 15mm open ended spanner
  
• Medium to large crosshead screwdriver
  
• Hammer
  
• Caliper rewind tool is highly recommended. Can be purchased from Halfords for £20. If using the Laser one, you'll need a 24mm open ended spanner and a 19mm socket for the end (I think it's 19mm).
  
• WD40 to aid rewinding the caliper

First, take the wheel off.

Once removed, you'll be presented with the old discs / pads.

Removing the Calipers / pads

Now, fortunately, you don't have to remove the whole brake assembly, you can just remove the calipers (thanks Ross!)

Using the 13mm socket, undo the bolt at the back, top and bottom (1). You may need the 15mm spanner in (2) to stop the whole thing turning.

With the bolts removed, you can slide the calipers away from the disc. Go gently because you don't want to stress the brake lines hoses.

Once the calipers removed, remove the brake pads by sliding them to the right, away from the disc. They are kind of spring loaded held into place by the two metal platey thingies.

With the calipers out of the way, it can be worthwhile supporting them with a cable tie or box underneath not to stress the hoses too much.

Removing the disc

Now remove the small countersunk screw holding the disc against the hub. Once that is removed, the disc should come free from the hub. However, it's highly likely that with a small amount of corrosion, it's semi-welded on. Take the hammer, and tap around the extruded hub part. Eventually, the disc will unstick from the hub.

Remove the disc from the hub. It can be quite tight with the carriers still in place. Slide the disc to the left, away fom the carriers and pull. It does just squeeze past

Now's a good time with a wire brush to brush around the carriers and hub plate, removing surface rust.

Preparing / rewinding calipers for new brake pads

Unlike the front brakes, the piston moves in and out whilst rotating, so you can't just push the piston back into the caliper with a G-clamp or pliers.

Squirt a bit of WD40 on the outside of the piston. There's a rubber expansion tube that keeps most of the dust out, and that's where you should aim for. I tried to screw the piston back in without WD40, but it's very stiff and nigh impossible. With a bit of WD40, it seemed to help

If you have the laser caliper rewind tool, you'll notice the shiney plate at the end has two notches sticking out. These line up with a couple of recesses in the piston. Put the tool in place, with the U-shaped bracket in place, squeezed in and held against the other end of the calipers (where the outer disc pad is supported). Unscrew the intermediate part until the U plate is tight against the external-facing part of the caliper. Now holding the whole assembly in place, turn the thread clockwise to rewind the piston back into the caliper housing. I didn't take any photos here but the instructions supplied with the rewind tool are fairly self-explanatory, and the terminology for the parts are better explained. (I'll edit my wording when I get the instructions out of the boot of the car )

I actually found it useful to part-screw the caliper housing back onto the carrier to allow getting a proper purchase on the rewind tool without the whole assembly rotating in your hands

Photo below shows piston rewound back in caliper housing

Assemble back together

Take the new disc, and give it a good wipe to remove the protective film / grease it's coated in. Insert it back against the hub, feeding the right hand side through the carrier. Again, it may be a bit tight. You can put a bit of grease on the inside of the plate where it mates against the hub to assist.

Rotate the disc until the countersunk hole lines up with the thread on the hub and screw back in the little screw.

New pads

New pads should come supplied with two 13mm bolts. These have the loctite blue gluey bit on the end to hold the bolts firmly in place.

Place the pads in the carrier, against the disc, front and back. The pads may have a double-sided tape, so you can remove the paper protecting the sticky surface if it's there.

The two 15mm bolts ( (2) in the photo further up) are spung outwards, away from the caliper housing. Make sure they are not stuck.

Puting the caliper housing back on, with the piston rewound, it will go on without any problem, but you may have to push the 15mm bolts inwards to compensate for the lateral movement now you have meaty new pads on

I found the caliper housing needed a bit of persuasion to line up the holes with the carriers for the two 13mm bolts. Of course, use the new bolts supplied with the pads. It may get quite tight as you screw them back on; this is normal. Just make sure the thread is lined up - you don't want to cross-thread the calipers!

And voilà

Worth mentioning that once complete, it's worth pumping the brakes a few times before driving off; be VERY CAREFUL because the pads need to settle and the brake pedal will probably go to the floor without much braking power. I forgot to pump them initially and nearly knocked my old man's bike over :eek:

A big to Ross for your help mate. Much appreciated

If anyone has any comments, please feel free. I'll ammend the guide accordingly

[VRStu]

Would have been nice to remove the protective film from the new disks before you started :P

Could have given things a bit of a clean by the looks of it too!!

Have things improved since you fitted them?

Good to see a guide up though

[Tech1e]

Glad to be of technical service

All looks pretty good to me accuracy wise, top job.

And Stu is right, new discs should be throughly de greased prior to fitting.

[devonutopia]

Added to favourites for use in a week or so.

[Xavier]

Would have been nice to remove the protective film from the new disks before you started :P

Could have given things a bit of a clean by the looks of it too!!

Have things improved since you fitted them?

Good to see a guide up though

Protective film :confused: You almost had me worried for a second :P At least, I didn't paint them

Worth mentioning that once complete and you drive off, be VERY CAREFUL because the pads need to settle and the brake pedal will probably go to the floor without much braking power. Nearly knocked my old man's bike over :eek:

Also, the handbrake has no bite at all because it needs to settle in a bit. Once bedded in, it will improve, but again, I'd leave the car in gear for the first week or so.

I desperately need to bed them in quickly so the handbrake has a chance of passing the MoT :eek:

And a big to Ross for his assistance. Maybe I can get you a babygrow or something

[Tech1e]

Its nowt to do with the fluid settling.

The piston is all the way retracted and the pads are not mating with the disc so you have to pump the pedal until they contact. This is also why the handbrake wont work fully. Also the handbrake mechnism inside the caliper doesnt adjust fully until you have done a few miles.

[ncarring]

Next time, start the engine and pump the pedal a few times before setting off. You will feel it firm up quite quickly. You can remove the rustproofing with some white spirit or similar to avoid getting a nice sticky burnt on coating on the pads.

[piv34uk]

As said before remove the protective film from the discs before fitting as it will clog the new pads up:rolleyes: Touch of copper grease would not have gone a miss either;)

Always pump the brake pedal several times before driving off to give yourself a solid pedal and after several miles apply the handbrake to set its level.

For more techie minded people the brake pipe should be clamped off and the bleed nipple undone before winding the piston back in

HTH

Phil Top job Xav though:thumbup:

[Tech1e]

For more techie minded people the brake pipe should be clamped off and the bleed nipple undone before winding the piston back in

News to me.

[piv34uk]

News to me.

:confused: Come on Ross, any brake work involving pushing of pistons back results in any "crud" that was lurking around being pushed back into the system, i was always told to clamp the pipe and undo the bleed nipple to allow such "crud" to escape into a bleed bottle....

Perhaps its just my old school way but i never seem to get probs with brakes unlike some people

Phil:)

[Tech1e]

Crud? You mean crud going back past the seal and piston into the fluid?

Dont really see it myself, but like you say its probably from your old schooling on Morris Oxfords and things

[Xavier]

As said before remove the protective film from the discs before fitting as it will clog the new pads up:rolleyes: Touch of copper grease would not have gone a miss either;)

Always pump the brake pedal several times before driving off to give yourself a solid pedal and after several miles apply the handbrake to set its level.

For more techie minded people the brake pipe should be clamped off and the bleed nipple undone before winding the piston back in

HTH

Phil Top job Xav though:thumbup:

I wasn't too worried about the film, partly because I was tired, and partly because it was the rear brakes. Had it been the fronts, I would have given them a good clean. I reckon it will burn off pretty soon though. Will do a couple of high speed runs, and brake / use handbrake lightly to bed them in

There was a load of copper grease still on there, and the disc happily rotated around the hub, thanks to the previous owner

I did a search on Brisk, and remember seeing a post by Denis and it was mentioned that no need to bleed the brakes :confused:

[ncarring]

There's no need to bleed the brakes if you haven't touched the fluid. You should, however, monitor the level in the reservoir as you wind the piston back in, as it could overflow all over your nice engine bay paintwork (unless you follow Phil's suggestion and push the fluid out through the bleed nipple).

Personally I'm always worried about clamping brake hoses. Since most of them either have wire reinforcement, or wire outer sheaths, the potential for permanently mis-shaping them is fairly significant, I would have thought.

[Xavier]

Thanks for the suggestions though, I feel like a numpty now

I have modified original post, so hopefully, when I do it next time, I'll do all the bits right first time

[piv34uk]

:thumbdwn: I never mentioned bleeding the brakes :confused: I only suggested undoing the nipple to allow the piston to push back easier, far simpler to allow fluid out here than push it out of the top of the reservoir....

Ross i may have 10 years on you but my training was on RS`s and cossie powered cars:P Phil

[Xavier]

:thumbdwn: I never mentioned bleeding the brakes :confused: I only suggested undoing the nipple to allow the piston to push back easier, far simpler to allow fluid out here than push it out of the top of the reservoir....

Ross i may have 10 years on you but my training was on RS`s and cossie powered cars:P Phil

Sorry Phil. I didn't mean bleed the brakes, I meant bleeding the excess fluid through the nipple.

[jinxy72]

bleeding the brakes isnt a bad idea anyway .... cleans the brake lines out and youll be topping up with nice clean fluid ... which alot forget to change when self servicing.

[M12MKD]

Just to say a thank you to TFboy! I found this really helpful when fitting new discs and pads today.

Things I learnt after doing the first side, WD40 is the best friend you will ever have. And on another note the original "mooing" noise from when the car was new has come back after looking at the old disc and looking at the new one I think its caused by the disc slightly rubbing against the capiler, anyone else found this or should I be worried?

[cav-mad-gav]

GRRRRRRRR how bloody hard are the pistons to psuh back in!

I WD40'd it up and still couldn't budge it back in at all!

I've had to abondon hopes of change the pads today and have re-fitted the very worn old ones.

Help anyone? pics of how to hold and which way to twist would be good.

[mluton]

GRRRRRRRR how bloody hard are the pistons to psuh back in!

I WD40'd it up and still couldn't budge it back in at all!

I've had to abondon hopes of change the pads today and have re-fitted the very worn old ones.

Help anyone? pics of how to hold and which way to twist would be good.

Did you use a piston wind back tool ?

[cav-mad-gav]

Also, what is the wire/sensor that goes into the middle of the hub?

Edited reply:

No. I havn't got a toll but would have thought you can do it without one??

[ScoobyChris]

No. I havn't got a toll but would have thought you can do it without one??

It's much much easier with one. Only a few quid at Halfords....

Wire sensor is ABS sensor IIRC.

Chris

[cav-mad-gav]

of corse ABS.......duuuuuuuh silly me lol

few quid, just looked and its £20! not paying that....i'll just nick my cousins.

cheers for that though.

has anyone actually managed to reqind them by hand then?

[cheezemonkhai]

You have to use a wind back tool as they "screw" back in rather than just push in.

[john_grant358]

This is a very good thread, it will come in handey im sure when i have to replace mine!

Thanks again!

John