Brake Disc Guard

[Niall]

....I seem to have detached the offside rear brake guard within the last two days(the large dinner plate sized piece of metal that sits behind the disc and is really good at trapping stones - ideal on the "off road" model :wonder:).

The rattling is driving me slightly mad as it is now bouncing around after every pothole. What's the craic to get it sorted? Has a weld failed or is it bolted on?

The local Hi-Q have offered to sort it (got them to chuck it up on the lift for a lunch break diagnosis) but obviously they don't know the intricacies how it's put together, until they start taking it apart, which I'm slightly uncomfortable with. I'm due a timing belt/haldex oil/wheel swap/service (:'( What are savings for?...) at the local dealer within the next month anyway, so I may leave it till then and turn the stereo up a notch, unless it's a relatively simple fix!?

Hoping the great Briskoda font of knowledge has the answer?

Cheers,

Niall

[mikey vrs]

I wouldnt leave it "flapping about" as you say but id take the wheel off & see if it can be removed easily,if so take it off then ask dealer to replace it when they do the service etc,ive seen them corrode & come loose but i would expect yours to be corroded(could be wrong though) they are usally held onto the hub by bolts/screws.

[Hauptmann]

The shield fitting is 'conventional' - 3 or 4 bolts into the bearing housing. You would probably have to remove the disc to get the bolt out, but other than that its pretty straightforward. Very strange that this could come loose. There are no welds to fail, its just a pressing. I would take the wheel off and inspect - it might not be what you think it is.

[Grizzle]

Please don't tell me your taking it to Border Skoda for a service?!!

[Niall]

Please don't tell me your taking it to Border Skoda for a service?!!

Nope, West End Garage Broxburn - great guys. Helps that I work from our Edinburgh office on "Service Days"!

Niall

[agentz]

Nope, West End Garage Broxburn - great guys. Helps that I work from our Edinburgh office on "Service Days"!

Niall

Just had my car serviced at West End and they were on the ball as usual Always friendly and helpful. Must remember to pop in tomorrow and pick up the touch up kit they ordered in for me.

[Mute]

Nope, West End Garage Broxburn - great guys. Helps that I work from our Edinburgh office on "Service Days"!

Niall

Niall you could hacksaw or tin snips what's left of it off and safely run without it. Fitting a new one is a hub off job, so that'd be a new hub bearing, more likely a new hub because they don't sell seperates I don't think.

I've no idea how one of these fails. There's not much left of the rear ones on my old golf but that's just rust eating them.

[rwbaldwin]

Niall you could hacksaw or tin snips what's left of it off and safely run without it. Fitting a new one is a hub off job, so that'd be a new hub bearing, more likely a new hub because they don't sell seperates I don't think.

I've no idea how one of these fails. There's not much left of the rear ones on my old golf but that's just rust eating them.

It certainly is hub off job for the Mk1 as the hub bolts pass through it.

On the Mk2, there are separate bolts for the shield and it looks like the hole is big enough to get it over the hub. I have never had to replace one but I have seen shield bolts come loose.

[scottishscout]

I'm glad others are having good service from West End in Broxburn, but after they destroyed my hub while fitting a bearing I steer well clear of that place. It wasn't the first problem I'd had with them, they had supposedly replaced the coil packs on my Mk 1 4x4 only for one to fail a few weeks later, at which point they said it was a known problem with the original coils, but when I reminded them they'd replaced them a few weeks earlier all went quiet!!

Maybe they had a rouge mechanic but it was the attitude of the brothers that seem to run the garage that really annoyed me.

[Mute]

It certainly is hub off job for the Mk1 as the hub bolts pass through it.

On the Mk2, there are separate bolts for the shield and it looks like the hole is big enough to get it over the hub. I have never had to replace one but I have seen shield bolts come loose.

Ahhh, fingers crossed then :-) hopefully pretty cheap to fix then, thanks for this

but it was the attitude of the brothers that seem to run the garage that really annoyed me.

Don't say that, they're supplying my next car, due in about 10 days :-) Stuart seems really nice so far, not really dealt with anyone else though

[Niall]

The rattling got the better of me, I couldn't wait till service time next month, so I took the wheel off last night for a closer look!!

Basically the guard is held on by 3 bolts screwed into the hub assembly behind the disc. All the bolts were still in tight, the guard though had come away at each bolt point and was now free-floating as much as it could around the hub assembly.

I don't have the tools to remove the disc so instead grabbed some Parks' cable cutters I have for servicing the bikes and set to the guard with those. It wasn't pretty, but with a bit of butchering and carefully applied BFI I managed to remove the guard in about three pieces without damaging the nearby cables and hoses. When wiggling/yanking/bending/butchering it was clear that the metal used doesn't take well to severe bending forces/constant movement around the same point. Doesn't take much to force a shear on a "fold line". My guess is that the guard material has sheared around the botholes and there's still 3 small rings of guard between the bolts and the face of the hub assembly.

It's needed bent back before many times to release trapped stones (something someone else has mentioned recently and I've mentioned before), and I wonder if this has weakened the lower mount, which once failed then increased the vibrations of the guard on the other mounts, until they all failed?

Still, it's nice and quiet now at low speeds on farm tracks again rather than sounding like someone slapping the underside of the car with a baking tray.

Niall

[nicanon]

Just had this problem on my 57 VRS estate after 75 000 miles. As above, the shield had fractured at the three bolt fixing positions. Perfect circumferential fractures in what looks like aluminium alloy about 1 mm thick. I have never previously bent the shield to remove stones - a quick jolt into reverse has always settled that. Before I realised what the problem was I was sure kids had put stone down the tailpipes into the large final chamber of the exhaust system.

To cure the problem ( a constant rattle and occasional scraping sound ) I used a diamond dremel wheel to cut through the shield at the narrowest position ( at 9 pm as you look at the wheel ), then bent and folded back the upper part of the shield until it was free enough to yank it off downwards. I removed the caliper, pads and disc to make the job easier. The hub would have to be parted to replace the shield.

Anybody know if there are any long term adverse issues of running without the shield ?

Nic

[Nick P]

I've had no shields front or back since June. Not experienced any problems.

[vRS_Pagey]

I've had no shields front or back since June. Not experienced any problems.

After fitting S3 front brakes the front guard is now a smaller circumference the the discs so pointless, and my rears look awful so the guards will be removed when I get my refurbed calipers on. tbh I think they are a pain, driving the other day and all of a sudden there was a horrendous squealing, I honestly thought the engine was going to fall out, when I pulled over there was a small pebble caught between the disc and guard.....

Regarding fitment, the hub doesn't need to come off as the guards aren't a solid circle but have a gap so once unbolted they can slide out.

@ Niall, I have a couple of spares sitting in the garage if you want them for beer tokens? Alternatively they aren't silly money or run with out!

Digressing - @ Nick, where did you get your signature picture done?

[Nick P]

We were just messing about in Meadowhall car park with an SLR and a diy car rig for it made out of a tripod and some floor tile suction cup lifters. Should do that again some time.

[vRS_Pagey]

We were just messing about in Meadowhall car park with an SLR and a diy car rig for it made out of a tripod and some floor tile suction cup lifters. Should do that again some time.

I don't suppose you have any pictures of the rig? I assume that was all photoshopped out of the picture....?

[Nick P]

Yeah, the legs of the tripod are photo-shopped out, but the rest of the image is untouched. The illusion of speed is kind of cool - it was only done at low speed. I can't remember the name of the guy that brought the rig. John999boy might.