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Many cars these days have such thin rotors that they like to replace them with every brake job. That may be the reason for the assumption that you would need them.
Both shops told me I needed 2 new calipers and I didn't understand this. They said it wasn't a good idea to get just 1 side done. I'm not a mechanic but I do understand some of how this works, and I couldn't see how if it's the same part, why I'd need to replace the side that's working fine. I can understand pads, so they wear even... So I found this thread while looking up info online.
After reading this post I took it to the dealership (it's out of my way or I'd have tried this sooner) and here's what happened.
I take it in, ask for a brake inspection and I'm told it'll be $52 if they do the inspection but don't find anything (They wave this if you schedule service). The tech comes to me while I'm walking around the lot and said he can save me some money, and shows me the brake pads are "OK", as they're visible w/o taking off the tires. I asked him to drive it around the lot and he immediately put it up on a lift after hearing the noise.
He and his manager come back in about 15-20 min and say that they've already ordered parts, and all I need to pay for is pads. The drivers rear caliper is defective and caused the pads to wear faster on that side. They also ordered a new rotor as it was metal on metal. All covered under warranty as some other posts in this thread pointed out. With the pads, it came to $58
Some other good info....on most VW cars with brake sensors, it's only telling you the status of the front brakes. That's ironic as it's pointed out in this threat many times the rears do go faster.
I'm now at 17K miles, and the rear pads are ready for replacement and the rear rotors are starting to warp from the heat. I'm not optimistic about my chances of having the stealership do the work under warranty, and I'm planning to do it myself. However, I'm wondering if anyone has seen issues related to the heat buildup at the rear wheels- wheel bearing seals/grease problems, boiled brake fluid, etc.?
There's something else I've been wondering, and maybe someone here has some insight. I'm always baffled by how much effort the dealerships put into TURNING AWAY work... Do they make less money on warranty repairs than cash repairs?
So maybe if the dealership has idle techs, then they may want the work but if they are backed up with regular customers, maybe not??? I've never had a VW dealer tell me something was not a problem when I had a potential warranty issue and we had a couple pretty costly repairs as well as several small issues.
I spoke to the Service Manager and Customer Relations for VW and they do not want to take ownership of this problem. I think if enough customers file complaints maybe they will do something about it.
Never again will I get a Volkswagon vehicle!
Talk to a lawyer and see if they can excersize the lemon law because the dealer will not help you other than to change your brakes until you warranty expires.
I have gone back and forth with the VW Customer Care and the local dealer and while the dealer thinks this is 'normal', even Customer Care says they should not be wearing at this rate. In less than a year of owning the car and a total about about 10000 miles I have had to service the rear pads and rotors twice. I have also called out of town dealers and spoken with their service departments and everyone is saying this wear is happening too fast.
After taking in the car the second time and being told the same problems were happening, I decided to take it to a private mechanic for a second opinion. He said that the wear is happening too fast, but he couldn't find any problems. He checked the e-brake as well, and said everything was fine.
Unable to find any problems, I had the private mechanic change the pads and resurface the rotors, which totaled $171 while the local dealer's quote was $462. We also agreed that after 5000 miles I would bring the car back to the private dealer to check the wear. He also told me he was putting harder pads on as well...
I can't believe what an awful experience I have had with this car and dealer. I love the car, but can't stand this issue with the breaks. I talked to the service manager at the local dealer and he gave me a big story about how VW changed to the softer pads because of rear brake noise. These softer pads solved the break noise issues, but at the expense of shorter lifespan.
A day has gone by since replacing the pads, and now I can hear more brake noise than before, which I guess gives some support to the story of softer pads being used to combat brake noise. One thing though that has not ceased is heat from the rear brakes. The entire time I have had the car the rear brakes get extremely hot to where I can warm my hands from about 2 feet away. I really feel that there is an issue with the emergency brake...
There has been a suggestion that cars with the alloy wheels that get washed or rinsed with a high pressure wand (eg. coin op wash) are prone to having the factory lubricants (from Mexico) "blasted" off the brake hardware which causes binding of the calipers. Not sure if this is fact or not but it sort of makes sense.
There is a specific procedure which includes using a special tool to "screw in" the piston of the rear calipers ALL THE WAY. (this causes the "reset" to happen).
Then, after reassembling, use foot pedal ONLY to firmly seat the pads against calipers. ONLY THEN should the emergancy brake lever be applied 8-10 times to set the internal components of the caliper.
If you are lucky, you may be able to perform a "reset" and reinstall your existing pads.
If, in the past, somone has not used the special tool to screw-in the piston while replacing pads, the internal componets of the calipers may be damaged. In this case, new calipers are the only option.
Another possibility is that you have emergancy brake cables which are sticking.
In any case, you need to do something right away... allowing the brakes to drag and create the kind of heat you are talking about will certainly damage the rear bearings.... creating even more expensive repairs.
I regulary "test" my brakes to see if they are dragging. There are 2 tests
1) at a stoplight, see if the car rolls easilly when the brake-pedal is released
2) Feel the lugnuts for "heat".
I get about 80K miles out of the factory pads. At that point, I installed Zimmerman rotors and ATE pads. My brakes are severly powerful now. Almost like airbrakes.
Also, how exactly do you avoid (or at least limit) the expense involved with replacing the pads on this vehicle. I am not mechanically inclined and would have to take it to someone else for repair.
Thanks!!
Since you are buying used one, you could always take it to someone and have them check the brakes before you buy.
It is not fair to call it a "problem" when the brakes wear down just like they are supposed to.
When I squirt my windshield with windshild-washer, the level of the fluid in the resivour goes down.... Is that a "problem"?
Today, my car is 22K and my rear brakes started to make noise and I do NOT use E-brakes at all! I visually checked them and they are nearly 100%, while front brake pads look like only 15% worn out! I called the same dealer, asked them "what the heck?" they said," it's totally normal, front and rear are 40 to 60 percent wear out... while the actual situation is 15-85. I reminded him what i was told before the purchase, he said no it's not true, rear pads usually 18-25K, while front pads usually needs to be changed at 28-35K.
I have changed the brake pads first time on my honda at 70K!!!. Yes you saw it right. 70K miles, and first time since purchased brand new.
VW warranty seems do not care about this issue and push you to go to dealer, dealer says this is normal. I saw one st.p.d says pads are wear parts. It is not the problem that pads are worn out. IT IS THE PROBLEM that they are NOT normally worn out. Even how they claim it to be 60 to 40% wear out rate. I think this is even a bigger issue than Toyota problems and VW needs to have a recall for this.
Does anybody know if there is any class action suit against VW about this case?
That's a good one . Did you not recognize this for the B.S. or stupidity that it is? Of course, no car has a recommended interval for this, you replace the brakes when they wear out. The miles can vary by a huge amount, as it is a function of how often you apply the brakes, not how far you go.