The vehicle is an Octavia 1.9TDI yr 2000

I want to remove the rear drums to check/clean brake shoes.

Could somebody advise how this is done ? I've worked on a lot of cars in my time and from what I can see it looks like a similar set up as on an old Ford Orion, ie. prise off metal cap and remove central nut. Drum/hub assembly is then removed. If this is the case then what is the procedure to reset wheel baring end float ? Or perhaps there is no adjustment ?

I've never taken my drums off, but I'd be surprised if you had to take the wheel bearing apart & take the hub off. I think I'd have noticed when I had the back wheels off mine if there was no way to get the drum off on its own.

I'd expect the drum to come off the hub. There may or may not be a countersunk screw holding it on. It might be stuck on fairly well, though.... Gentle persuasion from a soft hammer may help, or a proper puller of some sort

I could be wrong though - that's just a gut feel based on experience of other cars.

The more I think about it, the more I think I might well be wrong... It's bolts, not nuts, for the wheels isn't it? And I don't particularly remember the bolts going through the drum into a hub behind - but maybe they do....

Either way, most cars have some way of checking the lining through a hole in the backplate (probably with a rubber plug blocking it off). But then I may well be wrong about that too!!!

Hopefully someone else on here knows what they're talking about...

Undo the countersunk screw, line up one of the wheel bolt holes with the adjuster. Flick the adjust upwards with a screwdriver, pull drum off.

Thanks for the response. I'm glad I didn't persevere trying to pise off the central disc/cap.