Rear pads v electric handbrake - alternative solution?

[Nimby]

Yes I know the official way to release the electric handbrake to change rear pads requires a VCDS or  OBDeleven (expensive) or there's the 12v battery / remove motor and unwind the Torx head method, either of which seem a bit of a faff.

 

But I just tried something that seems to work - if you have a level driveway and plenty of room:

- turn off auto-hold

- drive very slowly along driveway,  turn off engine and roll to a standstill

- engage Park / low gear

 

You are now safely stopped and the auto handbrake is retracted (proved by pulling the manual lever - you hear the handbrake motor engage the pads).

 

I'll attempt the actual job when the weather is warmer.

[BoxerBoy]

I often park at my door with the parking brake OFF. To stop the pads sticking.

 

Especially when car will be idle for a few days.

 

Not that I intend to play with my brakes in near future.

[ApertureS]

This will not work!

 

2 reasons - when you put the handbrake on/off you retract the motor a couple of rotations, enough to release the pads, a few mm of movement.

 

when it’s done electronically with a diagnostic tool it can rotate 10-30 times to fully retract the screw piston.

you aren’t going to be able to move the piston back anywhere near what you need to if you do it with your method.

 

The second issue is, it doesn’t take much for the car to decide to put the handbrake on for a number of reasons, either crushing your hand or popping the piston out and making a mess of everything.

 

 

unwinding the piston manually is also a bad idea that many DIY people do, the car now doesn’t fully know where handbrake on and off positions are and you either get too much binding and wear the motor out, or too little clamping force and the handbrake doesn’t do much.

 

I never get why so many people try to cut corners with brakes 

[Summerhillred]

ApertureS, I would have to disagree there. I've changed 3 sets of rear pads on Superbs with electronic parking brakes.

Each time I've disengaged the parking brake, switched ignition off and wound the piston back, replace pads, engage handbrake. 

Never had a problem with the piston returning to its proper place or piston popping out.

There is of course the other method of removing the electric motor and then pushing the piston

[Nimby]

It sounded like the motor ran for some time engaging the handbrake; normally you don't hear it as the engine is running. So I'd just assumed it was fully retracted.

I'd disconnect the battery or pull a fuse to stop anything happening while the caliper is off the disk.

 

@Summerhillred - when you say "wound the piston back" do you mean push back with a lever or clamp? I know some designs do have to be wound (ie rotated) back with a special tool but not VAG ones?

 

Anyway if it doesn't work it's still a lot cheaper buying pads + OBDeleven than paying a garage. It just seems wrong that you need a special tool to replace a consumable item when they could so easily add a retract function as standard.

[Summerhillred]

@Nimby. I've done it both ways. I've wound it back with the caliper tool thing (not sure of technical name) and I've also just pushed it back with a g-clamp.

 

Never had a problem either way. I may consider disconnecting the battery in future though.

 

I agree that changing pads/discs should be easier for the owner instead of forking out possible £100s to a garage

[Nimby]

I guess you could pull off the connector to the motor (not sure how fragile the clips are) rather than disconnect the battery, but then you may as well use the 12v method as per Youtube.