Fabia vRS: how to change rear discs and pads

[mathepac]

... I take it your disc survived this abuse okay and is not going to eat the new pad?

Yes the disc seems fine thanks. We did a visual and quick thickness check - on the disc that is, I'd have failed - before installing the new pads; so far so good.

[BlackFR]

Thanks guys, everything went ok with the change only thing I needed that wasn't on the tools list in the original guide was a torx driver to get the small bolt that holds the disc to the hub off. I also used a length of tubing and a syringe to pull a wee bit of brake fluid out of the reservoir as the pistons were wound back in.

[rum4mo]

Thanks guys, everything went ok with the change only thing I needed that wasn't on the tools list in the original guide was a torx driver to get the small bolt that holds the disc to the hub off. I also used a length of tubing and a syringe to pull a wee bit of brake fluid out of the reservoir as the pistons were wound back in.

Torx head on the disc retaining screw, what will the little rascals think of next - maybe one of these nice five sided security heads! Syringes - ah they are quite handy to have around for lots of things - as long as you remember to clean them out quickly so that they are available for the next time - and have not just sort of melted. Good for blowing air for dusting purposes too - if you can't fit the turkey baster in!

[BlackFR]

Well the sticky tape anti squeal didn't last long! Back to nice squeaky brakes again now.

[montybaber]

hi all thought i would add some stuff

firstly although i really didnt think it would the disk will come off/go back on without removing the carrier (it is sooo tight)

I recommend borrowing an impactdriver to take out the disk retaining screws (even if you think they will undo, just bash them to undo them to be on the safe side, you dont want to wreck the heads.

sod buying a caliper wind back tool, use a g clamp along with a small set of gland pliers, keep pressure on the piston whilst turning (clockwise) with the gland pliers...wasnt too bad at all.

id recommend clamping the brake lines and cracking the bleed nipples as winding back the piston is not good for the abs seals

i recommend removing the anti squeal clips and cleaning them up etc, this along with copper slip on all parts (obviously not some lol) will give you silent brakes

[Jim H]

I spoke to someone from EBC yesterday when ordering front pads and he said the rears were a pain in the bum to fit because you have to put the calliper back on (once wound back) you measure the the gap with feeler gauges, then take it off and re-adjust them. I guess this is only relevant to his Audi A3 and not Skodas.

EBC pads don't come with new guide pin bolts, so I guess a bit of medium strength Loctite thread lock on the old bolts will do.

[chimpy]

Ask a silly question, but should the pistons in the rears be turned clockwise to get them back in?

I ask 'cos my rear discs had been griniding for a while and last week I finally got round to changing them. I knew the pads were ok wear-wise cos' I'd had the wheel off a few weeks ago but for the price I though I might aswell change them anyway.

So went up to the local motor-factors to buy the proper re-wind tool but the guy who runs it lent me his draper cube socket. Sound I thought, saved £20 there. When I got round to winding the pistons back in I found the tool didn't quite fit correctly but I got them turn ok because I'd put plenty of WD on.

But as much as I could turn them easy enough, I couldn't get them to go back in despite all my huffing and puffing, so In the end I changed the discs but just cleaned the old pads up, re-surfaced them and put them back in.

So was I turning them the wrong way or is there a knack to it? or should I just have 3-shredded wheat before the next time I try.

Cheers.

[giandougl]

Hello One & All,
Just thought I'd add recent photos taken, to show Laser 1314 right-hand wind-back tool in action.
Fabia VRS O/S rear caliper in view.
Will mention calipers each side are both clock-wise rewinds.
After unbolting inner carrier (see photo) and lifting-back out the way, remove the two little shims the pads ride on, this will allow the disc to be removed without anymore stripping.
It's a tight wrangle but it's possible without any fear of damaging disc.
Best regards. IAN. 12/04/2009

Edited 1 June, 2015 by giandougl

[aurelrica]

hi i've put back thepistons widowt a tool. use a big bolt (i've used a 22mm diameter, aprox 1 inch) and two big plates. while putting with the bolt a litle presure to the piston go and spin a litle bit the piston then put a litle pressure again and spin the piston.... again and again untill is in. sorry for my bad english but see the pictures and you'll undarstaind what i mean...

Spin the cylinder in clockwhise way..

[colby]

Hi From Malaysia again, these is a good tread... but i just wonder if my Fabia 1.4 16V from disc pads can we have OEM brand.. buying from ORI quite expensive in Malaysia... or can we get other model car like Audi A3 or even VW any model that can fit into my Fabia... as now in Malaysia most outsider car mod they sell more on VW & Audi... Skoda in Malaysia was not so popular... Help of the advise is much appreciated...

From Colby

[x_boxer_x]

i had a MOT today and was on the rollers my one break is stronger then the other! any idea how to get them the same? pads and discs are good. calipers also. maybe i have to get them bleeded again?

[x_boxer_x]

Hi From Malaysia again, these is a good tread... but i just wonder if my Fabia 1.4 16V from disc pads can we have OEM brand.. buying from ORI quite expensive in Malaysia... or can we get other model car like Audi A3 or even VW any model that can fit into my Fabia... as now in Malaysia most outsider car mod they sell more on VW & Audi... Skoda in Malaysia was not so popular... Help of the advise is much appreciated...

From Colby

i have audi calipers on my fabia, straight of an audi s3

[slow_matt]

Just did mine today, guide was helpful.

I bought the rewind tool, they're now £32.99 from halfords, but sooo worth it if you value you knuckles, pliers time etc!

Just one thing, be careful on the thickness of the 15mm for the caliper sliders. A pedal spanner from a bicycle would be perfect bought the one from the halfords pro spanner set is too thick.

Thanks for the thread.

[mark106mark]

great guide, managed to do it without the calliper tool in the end aswell

[Maieth]

Good to have a walk through, thanks Xavier.

A heads up for anyone else doing this job, it is possible to buy an alternative tool for rewinding the piston - a small cube with a pair of extruded nubs on each side that fit different pistons. Like this:

http://50.6.106.226/picit/

Be aware though, this DOES NOT FIT the vRS piston. None of the nubs are wide enough apart. Had to go back to the motor factors to get the proper rewind tool. So much easier with it though.

[ACSC]

Did my rears this afternoon, guide was very handy, many thanks!!

ACSC

[Ader1]

This is an excellent thread.  Could somebody point be towards the correct ype of rewind tool I need to purchase?  There are a few linked below on ebay:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R1.TR6.TRC1.A0.H2.XCaliper+rewind+tool&_nkw=caliper+rewind+tool&_sacat=0

 

Don't really want to have to spend £30 + at Halfrods.  Thanks.

[AaronMountford1990]

Invaluable guide just finished putting brembos on mine! I did need a rewind tool I tried without as I was informed it is possible without but I couldn't budge it.

[DRJ]

Thank you Xavier for your excellent analysis of the rear brake replacement procedures needed for a Fabia vRS. I hope you don't mind me posting more pictures...

 

I had an advisory at last year's MoT in July and at the subsequent yearly service elsewhere about corroded rear brakes - so thought it was about time I got them sorted out before this year's equivalents.

 

I looked at the standard Skoda maintenance price list which seems to be very confusing. It has Fabia, Other Models (not Fabia or vRS) and vRS in three ascending price categories. But is a Fabia vRS in the Fabia section or the vRS section, which is universally much more expensive? Research elsewhere suggested that the rear brakes might be in the Fabia bracket rather than the vRS one, but I was still looking at a potential £199 cost (£249 if in the vRS bracket).

 

I suspect the local garage which does my MoTs could have come up with a somewhat cheaper price than that, but it would still be well over £100 I reckon. So after researching the cheapest place to buy the Laser 1314 caliper retractor and checking out the prices of the parts at Eurocarparts.com I decided to have a trial disassembly.

 

I got as far as taking the caliper off and decided to go the whole hog, so after checking MachineMart had the Laser 1314 in stock I went out and bought it. It was £20.39 - would have been £19.99 at Screwfix but it's an order-only item there. Then I did an online Eurocarparts order (£65.78 for Bosch parts including a can of brake cleaner) and went and collected it. (Both trips on the motorbike since the caliper was still off)

 

I then followed Xavier's routine almost to the letter. A few comments:

 

Additional tools required:

 

A pair of kneepads - essential for several hours kneeling!

A T30 Torx screwdriver to extract the disc retaining screw (not sure what he used the "Medium to large crosshead screwdriver" for, apart from as a lever)

Axles stands - it appears Xavier was using the standard jack - even though you're not working underneath the car I'd be wary of doing this sort of manoeuvre without some better support - and the spare stand comes in useful!

 

Comments on the procedure:

 

Getting the OS caliper off needed a LOT of levering - very reluctant. The NS one was easier and came off with only light leverage.

Getting the brake pads out - both OS and one NS - needed the screwdriver to lever them out.

The OS disc merely needed 4 taps with the hammer to loosen it - the NS one needed 7.

The caliper bracket slightly prevents the disc from coming off easily.

Retracting the caliper pistons was easy - with the tool! Would really have struggled without it.

Wasn't sure precisely what to use to defilm the new discs (though they didn't seem to have a film on anyway!) - I used my trusty Eau Ecarlate Mutli Purpose "Dry Clean" Stain Remover - a very effective solvent I use for a variety of uses.

The caliper bracket makes it difficult to get the new discs on - I had to resort to rubber-hammering them - note marks on new discs in photos.

 

 

I did the OS first being very methodical and constantly checking the instructions. Then I timed the NS one, and with a few brief rest breaks and including washing the inside of the wheel it took 40 minutes.

 

I turned the engine on and pumped the brakes for quite a while to get the pedal firmer, then went out on a test drive of nine miles including some rapid stops. Everything seems fine and the discs are now looking like "normal" again!

 

 

Before I started (the marks around the wheel-arch are reflections...) - note although that looks like gravel it's actually tarmac so the axles stands don't sink in:

 

 

The state of the existing - note the groove around the holes which wasn't on the new discs:

 

 

Caliper removed and supported on the spare axle stand which was perfect for the job - pads removed:

 

 

Disc removed:

 

 

Caliper tool in action - having the caliper on the axle stand meant it was easy to hold it firm for spannering the tool.

 

 

Very poor closeup!:

 

 

Caliper retracted:

 

New disc installed

 

 

Comparison new>old. The old pads had a lot of life left in them (after 51k miles and eight years I presume) but were very grooved at the outer edge where they're been worn away by the rust buildup:

 

 

New pads installed - makes it easier to remove the adhesive backing if you fold the end down before fitting:

 

 

Ditto:

 

 

Caliper refitted:

 

 

Finished:

 

 

The Laser 1314 tool:

 

 

Ditto:

 

 

So at a cost of around £86 all in, I saved at least £113!

 

 

EDIT - picture orientation - Photobucket!

Edited 30 May, 2015 by DRJ

[AaronMountford1990]

Thank you Xavier for your excellent analysis of the rear brake replacement procedures needed for a Fabia vRS. I hope you don't mind me posting more pictures...

 

I had an advisory at last year's MoT in July and at the subsequent yearly service elsewhere about corroded rear brakes - so thought it was about time I got them sorted out before this year's equivalents.

 

I looked at the standard Skoda maintenance price list which seems to be very confusing. It has Fabia, Other Models (not Fabia or vRS) and vRS in three ascending price categories. But is a Fabia vRS in the Fabia section or the vRS section, which is universally much more expensive? Research elsewhere suggested that the rear brakes might be in the Fabia bracket rather than the vRS one, but I was still looking at a potential £199 cost (£249 if in the vRS bracket).

 

I suspect the local garage which does my MoTs could have come up with a somewhat cheaper price than that, but it would still be well over £100 I reckon. So after researching the cheapest place to buy the Laser 1314 caliper retractor and checking out the prices of the parts at Eurocarparts.com I decided to have a trial disassembly.

 

I got as far as taking the caliper off and decided to go the whole hog, so after checking MachineMart had the Laser 1314 in stock I went out and bought it. It was £20.39 - would have been £19.99 at Screwfix but it's an order-only item there. Then I did an online Eurocarparts order (£65.78 for Bosch parts including a can of brake cleaner) and went and collected it. (Both trips on the motorbike since the caliper was still off)

 

I then followed Xavier's routine almost to the letter. A few comments:

 

Additional tools required:

 

A pair of kneepads - essential for several hours kneeling!

A T30 Torx screwdriver to extract the disc retaining screw (not sure what he used the "Medium to large crosshead screwdriver" for, apart from as a lever)

Axles stands - it appears Xavier was using the standard jack - even though you're not working underneath the car I'd be wary of doing this sort of manoeuvre without some better support - and the spare stand comes in useful!

 

Comments on the procedure:

 

Getting the OS caliper off needed a LOT of levering - very reluctant. The NS one was easier and came off with only light leverage.

Getting the brake pads out - both OS and one NS - needed the screwdriver to lever them out.

The OS disc merely needed 4 taps with the hammer to loosen it - the NS one needed 7.

The caliper bracket slightly prevents the disc from coming off easily.

Retracting the caliper pistons was easy - with the tool! Would really have struggled without it.

Wasn't sure precisely what to use to defilm the new discs (though they didn't seem to have a film on anyway!) - I used my trusty Eau Ecarlate Mutli Purpose "Dry Clean" Stain Remover - a very effective solvent I use for a variety of uses.

The caliper bracket makes it difficult to get the new discs on - I had to resort to rubber-hammering them - note marks on new discs in photos.

 

 

I did the OS first being very methodical and constantly checking the instructions. Then I timed the NS one, and with a few brief rest breaks and including washing the inside of the wheel it took 40 minutes.

 

I turned the engine on and pumped the brakes for quite a while to get the pedal firmer, then went out on a test drive of nine miles including some rapid stops. Everything seems fine and the discs are now looking like "normal" again!

 

 

Before I started (the marks around the wheel-arch are reflections...) - note although that looks like gravel it's actually tarmac so the axles stands don't sink in:

 

 

The state of the existing - note the groove around the holes which wasn't on the new discs:

 

 

Caliper removed and supported on the spare axle stand which was perfect for the job - pads removed:

 

 

Disc removed:

 

 

Caliper tool in action - having the caliper on the axle stand meant it was easy to hold it firm for spannering the tool.

 

 

Very poor closeup!:

 

 

Caliper retracted:

 

New disc installed

 

 

Comparison new>old. The old pads had a lot of life left in them (after 51k miles and eight years I presume) but were very grooved at the outer edge where they're been worn away by the rust buildup:

 

 

New pads installed - makes it easier to remove the adhesive backing if you fold the end down before fitting:

 

 

Ditto:

 

 

Caliper refitted:

 

 

Finished:

 

 

The Laser 1314 tool:

 

 

Ditto:

 

 

So at a cost of around £86 all in, I saved at least £113!

 

 

EDIT - picture orientation - Photobucket!

 Totally had no idea there was adhesive on the pads - doh! 

 

Could swear mine didnt. But the calliper should hold the pads on regardless one the assembly is fitted.

[DRJ]

The caliper will hold them in place but there's reference earlier in the topic to this being an anti-squeal-type measure.

[Jrgen]

Great guide, with very informative pictures!

 

Just one question: What are you're options on the level of difficulty of doing this job yourself? Is it an appropriate learn by doing job for a newbie or is getting into it without any prior mechanic experience a bad idea?

[designosaur73]

This guide was a massive help - first time I've worked on a car in years as I've got out of the habit, but managed to change the discs and pads without major trauma! And including purchase of tools and supplies, cost me £51 all-in (fitted cheap-ish discs and pads as I'm selling the car). 

[lesliebanks]

thanks for all the comments, will hopefully do this job when the wind back tool arrives

thanks everyone