# Rear Brake Calipers Fix



## jorge r (Apr 27, 2006)

When in need to fix a leaking caliper, have you replaced it with a new one, with a rebuilt, with a used one, repaired the leaking caliper with new seals or and piston?


----------



## germancarnut51 (Mar 23, 2008)

You're supposed to replace or rebuild the brakes on both sides of the car at the same time, whether you buy new, rebuild, or buy used replacements.

If the dust boots are ripped, the calipers are leaking from the piston cylinder seals, I'd go with new seal kits in my existing calipers. 

If the calipers are heavily corroded, leaking from the parking brake mechanism, have frozen parking brake mechanism/s, I'd probably buy a pair of used calipers with working parking brakes, and install seal kits myself.


----------



## jorge r (Apr 27, 2006)

Thanks, I allways like your answers GCNut. I ask around shops and they say they just replace the seals. Bentley says don't bother replacing the seals, to just get new or rebuilt ones. I went looking at junkyards but all calipers were gone for GLs at the time. I saw a good used set of corrado discs I may go back and snag. My rear bearings are 244k, yellowed, and still rolling. Darn childsupport has me on a low budget.


----------



## germancarnut51 (Mar 23, 2008)

I've had good luck visiting the local PickAPart and Ecology yards out here in the Inland Empire. Ecology prices are slightly higher, but the cars are not as picked over.

I can usually find decent rear calipers, but the selection seems to be cyclic for some reason. Sometimes there are lots of MKIIIs and sometimes I can't find any. I offered to find Bugmeister (another vortex member who is in AUS) some front VR calipers and carriers when there were a bunch of them in the yards, and a couple of weeks later when he sent the money they were all gone.

The biggest problem I've found with rear calipers is that about 1/3 of them have problems with the parking brake mechanisms. So, now, I caheck them before I even take them off the car when I'm in the yards.

Don't forget that the rear calipers on many Passats, and some Audis are also the same.

I have an orphaned used left rear caliper with carrier that I got from a PickAPart. I was planning on installing on the 97 Jetta GT I'm fixing up (I found a tear in the right side caliper dust boot, and someone used pliers on the piston, so I'm not going to rebuild it). I picked up the extra pair of calipers because they looked good, and the ones that were on the Jetta GT were ugly. The parking brake works fine, and this left side rear caliper could be installed without rebuilding. If you need the left side, I could sell you this orphan if you're interested. The right side caliper is in great condition, other than the trashed piston. If you have a good piston from the calipers you're replacing, you could rebuild the right caliper (caliper carrier is also missing, as I used it with another caliper).

If you can drive out with your bad caliper/s off the car, I could take the piston from one, and reassemble the right side caliper with new seals while you wait (I have a caliper seal kit on the shelf here, as I bought a spare last time I was ordering).


----------

