Fabia vRS: how to change rear discs and pads

[cav-mad-gav]

Did it today, one side was very hard to start rewinding but mostly okay.

Just a note though. I dont see how you managed to bolt it back to the housing while re-winding it?

[ultra_joel88]

copper grease on the pads needed?

[Tech1e]

just use a g clamp to push the piston in . as good as anything

Not on the rear you cant, do that and you will bugger the ratcheting mech for the handbrake. The piston needs to be turned back in.

[ultra_joel88]

should you put some copper grease on the back of the pads?

[jasc1988]

YES!!

Just done this today on a Polo Gti, same setup. Had to buy a rewind tool though :(

I copper greased everything too LOL

[Conshine]

Thats a great guide, mine are just about shot, as are the front ones.

Do the front calipers just push back in or are they screwed too? don't want to screw the rears in correctly and mess up the front ones?

[cav-mad-gav]

fronts will just push........i say just but i actually mean they will fight you and hurt you! lol

[Isabella219]

thank you for sharing...

[Spanner]

What can I clean the new discs with that i'm likey to have in the house? I can't imagine i have meths in the house!

Is it worth just washing it in, like wheel cleaner, washing up liquid? Might just stick them on with cleaning them.

[matchmaker]

I've just done it on my Octy - only difference is that because the Octy vRS rear discs are ventilated you have to remove the caliper carrier as well. This needs an 8mm hex head socket as the retaining bolts are ****ing tight!

I found it easier when winding the pistons back to crack open the bleed nipple a bit (using a one way bleed tube of course )

[Spanner]

:weeping::arge: Dont believe it ! I couldn't remove the old discs, No matter how many times i hit, or soaked it in WD40. Looks like the shield on the inside isnt removable either so cant really hit from the other side to help dislodge it. And i took a day off to do them. Sod it, I dont care any more i'll leave it till the service at the end of the year.

[VRStu]

With the caliper removed it should give you good access to whack the back of the disk with a nice lump hammer. Always worth rotating the disk and hitting it evenley around the circumference. A couple of thwacks on the front won't go amis too, it all helps to loosen the rust.

Remember to have some Wet & Dry and a wire brush to give the hubs a good clean before re-fitting the disks.

[Spanner]

Yeah, though with the brake hose and handbrake cable still attached i couldnt really move it too far out of the way. Though it was more of an end on hit than a hit directly from behind. Mostly tried hitting the front and side of top hat section. I tried what i could!

I was using a rubber mallet but even tried some gentle taps with a metal one just to try and help to seperate the disc.

[VRStu]

I was using a rubber mallet.

That's your problem - You need something like a builders club hammer, something with a bit of presence about it. You need to hit it, not tickle it.

[Tech1e]

I clout em with a 3lb copper/hide mallet

[Spanner]

Christ! Is there a wheel hub left to mount to? Not to mention the bearing!

Everything i've read made it sound so easy.

Ok, Ta

[Tech1e]

The trick to being a technician is not knowing how hard to hit it, but where.

[VRStu]

The trick to being a technician is not knowing how hard to hit it, but where.

And if that doesn't work then you hit it hard.

[mathepac]

Thanks for a very useful "how to guide".

Last night when parking the car, I heard an ominous grinding noise from the rear. As it was dark and wet, and I was tired, I took a chance and bought a set of replacement pads from my trusty local motor-factors at lunch-time. These are the ones, Ferodo part-number FBD 1083, complete with 4 x 13 mm Loc-tite treated bolts :

Being brave (stupid ?) , I decided to start work after my tea at 7:00 pm just as it started to rain:eek:.

It took an hour to rewind the NS rear piston into the caliper and it took liberal applications of good old WD40, the use of my round-jawed vise-grips and help from my neighbour (who only called in to borrow a foot-pump, lol) to get the busturd to move. Once we got the the new pads into the NS, the OS was a doddle.

Piccies of the old pads below. I suspect the NS piston had seized in the caliper, and there was next to zero (as in no) friction material left on either pad.

NS pads on the left, OS pads on the right.

Do I win a prize for the worst pads ever taken off a Fabia?

Just back from a de-glazing / bedding in run and the difference in the braking is truly amazing. So much for the rear brakes on Furbies being there just as decorations - they do a fair amount of slowing down work (as against braking with bits of shiny metal).

Edited 1 October, 2008 by mathepac

[sifelicia]

As already stated you can use a G-clamp to "wind" the pistons back in or another way is to use a pair of circlip plier's with the 90 degree nose pins.

This will take longer but it will work:thumbup:

[mathepac]

As already stated you can use a G-clamp to "wind" the pistons back in or another way is to use a pair of circlip plier's with the 90 degree nose pins....

Thanks, but I tried both as well as the Draper wind back cube mentioned above and the piston refused to move until I grabbed it with the vise grips and gave it a good to-and-fro twisting after allowing the WD40 to do its magic. Welded is the term I might use.

I had to re-install the caliper temporarily, bolting the upper mount with an old 13 mm bolt to the lower carrier in order to get some purchase.

Seems fine now though, no sign of binding or rubbing and the brakes are exceptionally good.

[rum4mo]

As already stated you can use a G-clamp to "wind" the pistons back in or another way is to use a pair of circlip plier's with the 90 degree nose pins.

This will take longer but it will work:thumbup:

That is a kind of dangerous statement, if you changed it to read, "use the long nosed pliers etc to screw the piston back fully (?) on its thread then gently use a G-clamp to push the piston back in" . Using a G-clamp to wind the piston back in to the correct position is going to cause problems as the piston is threaded and has the handbrake actuator screwed into it. You never want to push a "nut" back down over a "bolt" - it needs turning!

[rum4mo]

Thanks, but I tried both as well as the Draper wind back cube mentioned above and the piston refused to move until I grabbed it with the vise grips and gave it a good to-and-fro twisting after allowing the WD40 to do its magic. Welded is the term I might use.

I had to re-install the caliper temporarily, bolting the upper mount with an old 13 mm bolt to the lower carrier in order to get some purchase.

Seems fine now though, no sign of binding or rubbing and the brakes are exceptionally good.

Probably the piston windback tool works better in this situation than the magic cube, also, if you reverse the windback adaptor you can use that tool to retract the front pistons - using it just as a press. I take it your disc survived this abuse okay and is not going to eat the new pad?

[BlackFR]

Great guide, changing the rear pads and discs on the Ibiza tomorrow with OE items:

1J0698451P Pads

1J0615601 Discs

What is the purpose of the double sided tape that is on the back of the pads? Is it to bond the pad to the piston? If so I presume adding copa slip it a bad plan as it with cancel out the adhesive properties of the tape?

Also in the box with the pads are some other bits of tin that aren't in the pics above, are they anti squeal shims?

Presumably all will become clear when I get started:)

[rum4mo]

Yup as I said on the other forum, the sticky tape is anti-squeal, are the other bits of tin not the pieces next to the bolts, these springy bits of stainless steel will act as extra damping springs to stop the pads clanking and the bonus is that they will help keep the pad/fist nice and free to move across the calliper fixed part.

Using Copaslip on the sticky tape section will not be useful, so keep the lid on the tin - unless you want to look ahead and treat the hub/disc contact area with a very small ammount of Copaslip, as well as the disc/wheel contact points - once again just a very thin layer. Remember to clean all the dust out of the calliper and its mount with something like a (used!) toothbrush after wetting all this area with brake cleaner - try not to breathe in the brake dust - it makes a mess of your hankerchief, and what you can't blow out will make a mess of your lungs!

Edited 3 October, 2008 by rum4mo