Contents: Removal ↓ Installation ↓
Removal
Loosen the wheel bolts, lift the car from the front, and remove the wheels.
Caution: If the brake pads are to be re-installed, their location must be marked before removal. Swapping the pads, for example, swapping the outer pad with the inner pad or moving the pad from the right wheel to the left wheel and vice versa, is not allowed. Changing the location of the pads may result in uneven braking action. It is recommended to use only genuine VW/AUDI brake pads. The front brake pads must be replaced as a set, even if only one pad has reached the wear limit.
Use a SW13 ring spanner to loosen the mounting bolts.
Note: The bolts are self-locking, so a relatively high torque must be applied to release them. Pay attention to the different lengths of the bolts and put them back in their original places when installing.
Remove the brake hose holder from the wheel hub bearing housing.
Move the caliper away from the brake shield at the bottom (arrow) and remove it.
Hang the caliper on a wire to the body.
Note: The support should not just hang down; the brake hose must not be stretched or twisted.
Pull the brake pads out of the brake shield guides.
Remove the brake pad retaining springs.
Installation
Caution: When the brake pads are removed, do not depress the brake pedal, otherwise the piston will be pushed out of the caliper body.
Clean the guide surfaces or lining areas of the pads with a suitable soft metal brush or wipe with a cloth soaked in alcohol. Do not use solutions containing mineral oils or tools with sharp edges.
Before installing the pads, examine the brake discs with your fingers to check for nicks. Discs with nicks can be ground down (workshop work), depending on whether they are thick enough.
Measure the thickness of the brake discs, see below.
Check the dust caps for cracks. Replace damaged caps immediately, as penetrating dirt will quickly damage the caliper seal. In this case, the caliper must be removed and disassembled (workshop work).
The brake cylinder piston is pushed back into the cylinder using a return device. A hardwood rod can also be used for this purpose (with a hammer handle), however, special attention must be paid to the piston not being skewed and to the piston surfaces and dust cap not being damaged. To facilitate installation, first insert the inner brake pad and attach the caliper. Instead of the outer brake pad, insert the tire iron and press the caliper outwards, while alternately attaching the tire iron from above and below. This will press the piston of the wheel brake cylinder into the caliper. Rest the tire iron on the brake disc in the area of the brake shield.
Note: To avoid damaging the brake disc, be sure to place a wooden lining underneath.
Attention: When installing the piston into the cylinder, the brake fluid from the brake cylinder is squeezed into the expansion tank. Monitor the fluid level in the tank and, if necessary, suck out excess fluid with a siphon. To suck out, use a bottle that was used to remove air from the hydraulic system, or a plastic bottle that has previously only come into contact with brake fluid. Do not use bottles intended for drinking liquids! Brake fluid is poisonous and should never be sucked out by mouth through a hose. After replacing the brake linings, the brake fluid level in the expansion tank should also not exceed the "Max" mark, since the fluid expands when heated. Brake fluid flowing out of the tank gets under the master brake cylinder, destroys the varnish coating and leads to corrosion.
Note: If the brake linings are heavily worn, check the ease of movement of the piston. To do this, insert a wooden block into the caliper and ask an assistant to slowly press the brake pedal. The brake cylinder piston should be easily pressed out and back in. During the check, another caliper should be installed in its place. Make sure that the piston is not pressed out completely. If the piston is difficult to move, the caliper must be repaired (workshop work).
The brake pad retaining springs must be replaced. New retaining springs are usually supplied with the brake pads. Insert the retaining springs so that the shorter part faces inward.
Insert the lower retaining spring into the brake shield. Attach the upper spring and insert the inner brake pad into the brake shield from the side above the retaining springs. The inner brake pad has a reduced working surface.
Insert the outer brake lining into the brake shield.
Place the brake shield on top of the caliper and push it down from below.
Caution: Press the caliper against the brake shield so far that the mounting bolts can be inserted. If the caliper is over-tightened during this operation, the springs holding the brake pads may become deformed. This may cause noise when braking.
Treat the mounting bolts with a product to prevent them from loosening, insert them and tighten them to 25 Nm. The longer bolt is usually inserted from above.
Attach the brake hose holder to the wheel hub bearing housing.
Tighten the wheel. Lower the car and tighten the wheel bolts crosswise to 110 Nm.
Caution: Press the brake pedal firmly several times until you feel a strong resistance. This will center the brake pads and position them according to the operating conditions.
Check the brake fluid level in the expansion tank and, if necessary, top up the tank to the "MAX" mark.
New brake pads should be carefully worked in by repeatedly braking the car from a speed of 80 km/h to 40 km/h by lightly pressing the brake pedal. Allow the brakes to cool between braking operations.
Caution: On a section of the road up to 200 km long, braking to a complete stop must not be undertaken.
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