I am intending to remove the disc brake pads on my 1.9Tdi Fabia and have bought the Haynes Manual.It states that if the rear pads are removed for any reason the guide pin bolts need to be removed and new ones must be fitted.This seems a bit dramatic.Is it really neccessary as I only want to clean and ensure good operation, and I would have to buy a set of pads which are not yet needed but contain these bolts.

i think they only need replacing because they have a thread locking compound on them , which is obviously removed when the bolts are took out , so a dab of thread lock on the bolts when you refit them should surfice IMO

Thanks for the info Rik,that makes sense and I will do it.The reason for my query is that I recently bought my 02 Estate from original owner with genuine FSH and dates of services confirming mileage at 35K.I received all service invoices with the car and was surprised to see that as a result of sticking rear pads it had new pads and discs fitted at 30K.I am surprised this happened and discs were required,hence my intention to remove,clean and refit although pads show little wear.

nema

Thanks for the info Rik,that makes sense and I will do it.The reason for my query is that I recently bought my 02 Estate from original owner with genuine FSH and dates of services confirming mileage at 35K.I received all service invoices with the car and was surprised to see that as a result of sticking rear pads it had new pads and discs fitted at 30K.I am surprised this happened and discs were required,hence my intention to remove,clean and refit although pads show little wear.

nema

as the rear brakes do so little work , what tends to happen is that the slides where the pads sit rust , then pads seize on this rust , then because the pads don't touch the discs , the discs start to corrode , hence the need to replace pads and discs

One other reason for reusing the original bolts - after applying some medium strength loctite (blue), is that if you ever end up buying Textar or ATE brake pad kits from motor factors, they still seem to with an earlier design of the bolt, not the later design with the relieved area at the bolt head. My wife's 03 Polo has always had, from new a problem with one or the other or both internal return lever springs not fully releasing the rear brakes - I've bought Golf external springs to help them back, but have not tried to use them yet. Nowadays, as others have said, it is mainly lack of regular maintenance that seems to cause the ocasional hot smells from the rear brakes - then they get immediate attention!