So much for moderns

[Jon Tilson]

I had developed a sort of grudging admiration for our Mk5 Golf Tdi, mainly due to its ability to cruise quietly at the usual and return about 54 mpg.
It also rides okay and goes round corners quite well too as our recent jaunt to Scotland proved. I enjoyed the usual Cock Bridge to Toumintal road
over the cairngorms...one of my favourite bits of road anywhere...but then I started getting an odd grating noise which I put down to a stone behind a disk shield.

Turns out the rear pads are well past the sell by, and the rear caliper has a seized handbrake lever and needs disks too.

Went to the local GSF and did the whole lot....disks and pads both ends, which comes out at about 150 or so. Not so awful you may think...then comes the palava of fitting same. Well the usual run of youtube vids pre-warmed me and I already have the pad wind back tool so it should be a doddle.

Not so....first off was the M14 spline tool needed for rear caliper carrier bolts. Why FFS. I would think a nice 17mm or 19 mm bolt would do the job just as well...
4 tool stockists and an hour in traffic later and relieved of 18 quid I had the Machine Mart set...just for VW's it says in the package. The tool is quite long
and after much grunting and heaving I managed to crack one bolt 10 degrees...but no more. And the other, well the tool is so long it fouls the suspension and needs a u/j...and at that torque I just dont fancy it.....

Oh well may as well strip out and free the caliper then....ha yes you could fit new seals and clean the piston but there is NOTHING in all of net land that deals with a seized handbrake lever. Oh and in getting it off the usual union binds on the pipe and shears it...just like a dolly rear wheel cyliinder. At least the cable comes off fairly easily.

So there we have it....a Saturday down the toilet and the job not done....or worse than if I hadnt started it. And Ive got to buy a new caliper too....Will it come with the brake pipe....I somehow doubt it don't you?

I could have done 2 dollie brake overhauls in the same time....(if I could get decent disks of course)

Jonners

[geeksteve]

I find with VW stuff, the older the better. I have a 1996 Golf and that's a pleasure to work on (and only uses mildly-stupid allen key bolts for the rear callipers). I made the mistake of offering to do the alternator on a 2005 (I think) Passat, never again! Involves removing most of the front of the car - and that's only really due to poor bolt access. Never again..

S

[trackerjack]

The blue oval is just as bad.
Dianes "office" for AA driving school is a Fiesta 1 litre Titanium ecomech or some stupid name.
Many of these cars suffer a fault within the first 5 thousand miles and the throttle housing sends a message to shut down Which the car does.
Dianes car has covered just 1 K and showed an engine fault that Ford had to clear and re programe the ECU.
These modern cars are just not going to last and are throw away items
They are supposed to do 65 mpg with a pupil lucky to better 30 mpg.

Folk worry about supermarket bags..............oh please.

[george]

we have had delivery of fiat doblos and have had issues with dpf's coming back in with 300 mls some more and having to regen some have been so bad they need cleaning before regens we have a manufacturers built in option to regen makes it easier if brought into the workshop on time but there you go a complete hash and as ours are stop start (another pain switched off) the wrong vehicle spec for us I think

[Jod Clark]

I had developed a sort of grudging admiration for our Mk5 Golf Tdi, mainly due to its ability to cruise quietly at the usual and return about 54 mpg.
It also rides okay and goes round corners quite well too as our recent jaunt to Scotland proved. I enjoyed the usual Cock Bridge to Toumintal road
over the cairngorms...one of my favourite bits of road anywhere...but then I started getting an odd grating noise which I put down to a stone behind a disk shield.

Turns out the rear pads are well past the sell by, and the rear caliper has a seized handbrake lever and needs disks too.

Went to the local GSF and did the whole lot....disks and pads both ends, which comes out at about 150 or so. Not so awful you may think...then comes the palava of fitting same. Well the usual run of youtube vids pre-warmed me and I already have the pad wind back tool so it should be a doddle.

Not so....first off was the M14 spline tool needed for rear caliper carrier bolts. Why FFS. I would think a nice 17mm or 19 mm bolt would do the job just as well...
4 tool stockists and an hour in traffic later and relieved of 18 quid I had the Machine Mart set...just for VW's it says in the package. The tool is quite long
and after much grunting and heaving I managed to crack one bolt 10 degrees...but no more. And the other, well the tool is so long it fouls the suspension and needs a u/j...and at that torque I just dont fancy it.....

Oh well may as well strip out and free the caliper then....ha yes you could fit new seals and clean the piston but there is NOTHING in all of net land that deals with a seized handbrake lever. Oh and in getting it off the usual union binds on the pipe and shears it...just like a dolly rear wheel cyliinder. At least the cable comes off fairly easily.

So there we have it....a Saturday down the toilet and the job not done....or worse than if I hadnt started it. And Ive got to buy a new caliper too....Will it come with the brake pipe....I somehow doubt it don't you?

I could have done 2 dollie brake overhauls in the same time....(if I could get decent disks of course)

Jonners

I have had exactly this with a Audi A3 (Turbo Quattro too, just to add more stuff that's in the way) and ended-up removing the complete rear uprights, then getting the spline bolt out with an airgun (same Machine Mart tools) and doing the whole lot off the car. A lot of work to change rear pads (good job I foud the screwed rear wheel bearings at the same time really). For your calipers, try Bigg Red in Worcester. They will have the complete kits for doing the calipers http://biggred.co.uk/ and you'd have them on Tuesday of ordered on Monday. Excellent people.

we have had delivery of fiat doblos and have had issues with dpf's coming back in with 300 mls some more and having to regen some have been so bad they need cleaning before regens we have a manufacturers built in option to regen makes it easier if brought into the workshop on time but there you go a complete hash and as ours are stop start (another pain switched off) the wrong vehicle spec for us I think

DPFs are not suitable for vehicles that make stop/start journeys, it seems ridiculous that emission regs mean that manufacturers are forced to sell vehicles that are completely unsuitable for their intended use.

[SprintMWU773V]

I don't know why so many cars have rear discs fitted, they crud up and cause troubles. My Mazda has rear discs and they are renowned for causing handbrake issues. My old Focus had drums and in the 140,000 miles it did I never had any issues with the shoes or drums, they weren't even changed.

My 'Modern' has caused me no problems, gives me well over 60 to the gallon consistently. The downside is that being a BMW means that no one lets you out of junctions, oh and even having ditched the run flats the ride is a little firm. Still it's nice to drive and was cheaper than a New Ford Focus which is what I actually intended to get!

[matt of the vivas]

Rear calipers are a common Mk4 / Mk5 fault sadly..
No, it wont come with the metal pipe - but i have a flaring tool here, if you get stuck, let me know what length the pipe is and what end fittings you need and i can make and post you one next day...
Matt.

[george]

unfortunately we don't have any say in the type of vehicle our leaders procure ..we know , they don't
but even with the option of regens without using witech (only available to us) it's still not fit for purpose

[Jon Tilson]

I might go 2nd hand just to get the pipe.

Its a short little thing with some nasty curves. I'll try my own cunifer and draper flare tool but not optimistic.

Caliper on and then off to the garage to loosen the caliper bolts for me on the lift is the current plan. The way the rear discs look the new pads
wont last long....so it has to be done.


Or I could just set fire to it....

What flare tool do you have Matt?

Jonners

[Jod Clark]

http://www.sears.com/laser-4048-brake-p ... 986276908P

I have this one Jon, send me details of what you need and I'll pop a pipe in tomorrow's post.

[matt of the vivas]

What flare tool do you have Matt?

Jonners

http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Pipe-Flari ... tAodyFoAVQ

This one - i find it excellent on or off the car.
Matt.

[Jon Tilson]

Thanks for the kind offers guys....

Wow Jod that is some expensive kit...or was the price edited for a laugh...

I might also try a local VW dealer for just the pipe...

Jonners

[yellowmitch]

sykes pickavant flaremaster 2 is the best tool money can buy. flares steel on the car easily.

[Jon Tilson]

Have found the Jod linked tool at a much more reasonable price if you are a proper establishment.....

I do max 5 pipes a year so cant really justify it....

I'll stick with the one I have for now....

Jonners

[Jod Clark]

I didn't pay anything like that price for it!