# Help - vw jetta rear brake replacement



## vwcarlover (Jul 6, 2017)

Hello All,

Let's get right to it. I am currently replacing my 2012 VW JETTA rear brakes and have come across some issues. After realizing I needed a special tool to put the piston back in I now came across another issue. The caliper will not align with the bolt to put everything back. One thing to note. While we were initially replacing the brakes, me and my dumb buddy decided to press the brakes while we were changing the brake pads. We thought it would relieve some pressure since at the time we didn't realize that we needed a special tool to get the piston all the way back. I am not sure if that is why I can't align them now? I have the brake pads on and the only thing left is to align the caliper so i can finish installing these bad boys. any thoughts? Really appreciate any and all insight.

Thank you in advance


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## Thy_Harrowing (Dec 7, 2014)

Yes when changing brakes on any vehicle you will always need to retract the piston so that you can fit it over the new pads which are wider. There are two ways to retract the caliper piston and you MUST be certain to use the right method. Some pistons can simply be pressed directly back in to place. This can be done with any number of tools to get the job done as long as they can exert enough force to push the piston in without physically damaging the exterior of the caliper. This can be accomplished with a large C-clamp, or if you don't know what exactly that is then I'd recommend just going the easy route and grabbing one of these at Autozone or Pepboys or wherever is closest for $10 (https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/8805221/00026). The other type of piston reset method requires winding the piston back into place. These pistons typically have 2 little circlular spaces on the face of the piston. These are meant for you to be able to fit a tool into them to wind the piston backward into the caliper. This is an example of the toolkit that you need to do that. You just need to find the disc with the two posts on it that has the correct spacing to fit into the two circular spaces on your piston face and then use the other tool in the kit to wind the piston back in. (https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct...6JEV1GcG1ofyZZrwMT0NDblw&ust=1499564987827833)

I changed brakes on a buddies 2013 VW Jetta a little while back and I'm 99% sure his calipers needed to be winded back in so that is likely what you'll need to do. BUT if you don't see those circular spaces on the piston face meant to receive the disc with the two circular posts then DO NOT try to wind the piston back in by any other means. Trying to wind a piston that isn't supposed to be is bad and likewise trying to just press in a piston that is supposed to be winded back in IS VERY bad. Use the right tools and you'll get the job done right. You can rent that tool kit for winding the piston back in from Autozone. You pay for it at first but then return it and get ALL your money back.



> The caliper will not align with the bolt to put everything back


Not sure what you mean by this but if all you mean is you can't get the caliper back over the pads then, yeah, that's just because you need to reset the piston. Everything will go back together fine after that. Since it seems you're new to wrenching let me just caution you on one thing. DO NOT overtorque (overtighten) bolts when putting stuff back together. I don't have the torque specs on hand for those caliper/slide pin bolts but they are definitely not more than 30 lb-ft which isn't a lot. when you get the piston lined up and put the slide pins/bolts back in just make them nice and tight plus a quarter turn and that's it. Also clean and regrease the slide pins (those little cylindrical rods with grease on them that go into the top and bottom of the caliper). Clean them well and give them a fresh coat of full silicone grease (don't just use any old grease auto grease).



> me and my dumb buddy decided to press the brakes while we were changing the brake pads


You should probably be fine. There is a slight chance that when you did that you over-extended the piston which has a chance to be bad for the internal piston seal but as long as the dustboot on the outside of the caliper is doing it's job keeping contaminants out of the piston bore itself the the seal should be fine inside. I imagine the pedal went straight to the floor with little effort when you use it with the caliper off the pads... when the pedal is extended that far a seal in the master brake cylinder can similarly extend over a surface it does not reach under normal braking effort/conditions while operating the vehicle and if that surface has any grit/buildup it can damage the master brake cylinder seal. The chances of either of those things having happened are relatively low and if your brakes operate find after you finish the install and there is no leaking of brake fluid from the calipers or the brake master cylinder then nothing bad happened. 

So get the tools, finish up the job, and don't forget to bed the pads in properly after install (see link below). Then report back and let us know how it went (if you want).

https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=6446_6443


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## radlynx (Jan 4, 2007)

watch this one so you have some idea.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uEgOqKAVBr8

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


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