Rear brakes need replacing.

[RF 4MOTION]

I just had my 3rd (47000 km) service in a 2008 V6 Wagon and was told my rear brakes need replacing, they have worn out and will be over $1000 to replace rotors, pads and oil/flush etc.??? Surely this is too soon, I have had many cars, Merc, Subaru WRX, Volvo and never had to do this in the cars history, usually 3yrs/60000 kms. Has anyone had similar brake wear?

[Caddyman]

don't know if it is related, but I just had my Caddy serviced, and the workshop said that my rear brakes will need looking at next service, which will be 90,000km. I questioned the front brakes, he said that all of the golf 5 and 6 based cars seem to wear out the back brakes first. This is certainly in opposition to all my previous cars where you would do three times as many KM on rear brakes as the fronts.

Matthew

[Greg Roles]

At my 60k service done by the exceptional Jmac up here in Brisbane he commented that my rear discs are at about 80%, and that the VW's 'stop on the rear first". On checking it the fronts did indeed look fine, and the rears had a decent groove on the discs. In a more powerful, heavier Passat it wouldn't be out of the question to have them go at your stage, especially if you are driving in start stop traffic a lot. Obviously if you go genuine Vw you are going to pay an immense premium, and there are a LOT of options at less cost which I will be looking into instead. Perhaps consult an independant VW specialist down your way, and see what they can do for less dollars yet give similar or better performance.

[brad]

VW apply the rear brakes first to minimise nose dive, hence the rears wear out quicker, especially if you do a lot of light applications.

How many mm did they say was left? New is 9mm IIRC so they'd need to be less than 2mm thick to go metal-metal before the next service (ie: it probably looks worse than it is). The workshop will take the cautious route because customers really get the poops if their cars go metal-metal between services. NB: if the rotors do need replacing then you may as well drive them until they go metal-metal, no point trying to save them for machining.

How old is the car? Fluid flush is every 2 years regardless of mileage, so not really needed if it's recently been done.

$1000 just for 2 rear rotors & a set of brake pads seems steep, even for a VW and generally you get 2 sets of pads to 1 disc rotor but a lot of the workshops refuse to skim them these days.

If you are happy to go aftermarket then see this thread you should get out of it for <$450 for parts & even the most sloth-like mechanic would take significantly less than 2 hours to get the job done.

If you look in the recomended repairers thread there are a few independants in MEL. Or if you want to stick with a dealer, ring around for prices - I think you'll find that $600 just for rears at a dealer is achievable (still a rip though).

[Rob Burns]

The handbrake on the rear has to be put back with a computer before the pistons can be pushed back. This means that only certain places will be able to replace the pads on your car, not just any idiot with tools. Penny pinching with brakes seems a little silly though. I know the people who ride in my car are worth a lot more than a couple of hundred dollars. Same thing goes for tyres (actually more important as they're the only part of the car that touches the road.

[hooba]

I just had my 3rd (47000 km) service in a 2008 V6 Wagon and was told my rear brakes need replacing, they have worn out and will be over $1000 to replace rotors, pads and oil/flush etc.??? Surely this is too soon, I have had many cars, Merc, Subaru WRX, Volvo and never had to do this in the cars history, usually 3yrs/60000 kms. Has anyone had similar brake wear?

'

I hear you mate, here's a previous thread on exactly the same topic not that long ago. You'll see that you did well getting 47000km out of it.

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f27/new-pads-rear-discs-r36-after-35000km-47234.html

[brad]

The handbrake on the rear has to be put back with a computer before the pistons can be pushed back. This means that only certain places will be able to replace the pads on your car, not just any idiot with tools. Penny pinching with brakes seems a little silly though. I know the people who ride in my car are worth a lot more than a couple of hundred dollars. Same thing goes for tyres (actually more important as they're the only part of the car that touches the road.

Can you explain the handbrake thing a bit more or give me a link? I wasn't aware of this (never paid attention to Passat brakes previously).

I'm not sure why you'd classify saving ~$400 on brakes & probably getting a better final result as "penny pinching".

Generally OEM brakes are a compromise as the pad compound and disc material is formulated as a "one size fits all". By working with a brake specialist you can often tailor a pad & rotor combination that better suits your needs and saves several hundred dollars as well. It's not a case of spending less money & getting an inferior to OEM result. In fact I generally find that OEM brake equipment to be grossly overpriced & inferior in performance.

[RF 4MOTION]

Its not the dollars that concern me, I thought I may be getting ripped another one as the kms and time are so short. It seems others have had this problem too. The service guy explained the same way, softer pads and rotors that provide better stopping power (and mega brake dust). To do the job including new brake oil and flushing the system is approx $1200. Up until now I thought the servicing costs were quite reasonable.

[barrenjoey owl]

Its not the dollars that concern me, I thought I may be getting ripped another one as the kms and time are so short. It seems others have had this problem too. The service guy explained the same way, softer pads and rotors that provide better stopping power (and mega brake dust). To do the job including new brake oil and flushing the system is approx $1200. Up until now I thought the servicing costs were quite reasonable.

Just be greatful that you don't have a Renault, Clio 18ks new brakes required, Senic 22ks new brakes required.

dealer said that euro brakes are very soft.

[Umai Naa!!]

Speaking as a service technician in a VW dealer, yes, Passats do tend to wear the rears early. Anywhere between 45-60,000klms is normal. Depending on rotor thickness, if they're low they should be replaced, and do tend to wear as much as the pads. This is also normal. Don't bother with a brake fluid flush, unless it hasn't been done in the last two years. On top of this, the VW diagnostic computer IS required to retract and reset the pistons in the calipers. I have no idea what what a pair of calipers are worth, but I doubt they'd be cheap, given that they incorporate the electronic handbrake, so don't attempt to push them back in with any other method, as even pressing the button to release them, doesn't retract them all the way.

[RF 4MOTION]

I thought I would update you guys on my rear brake situation. Booked it in to be done with another VW dealer, got a call a few hours later to say I dont need replaced, that was done last service, then got a call later in the day to say I dont need the rotors replaced, they had lost 2mm and still had 5mm to go before needing to be replaced... bad news was they couldnt get the pads off (having trouble with the electronic program that seperates them?). Kept loaner overnight, picked it up next afternoon for a total bill of just under $400. It pays to get second opinions.

[Mountainman]

Just be greatful that you don't have a Renault, Clio 18ks new brakes required, Senic 22ks new brakes required.

dealer said that euro brakes are very soft.

+1 there. My mates Peugeot 306 XSi required new front pads and discs after 12,000km of quiet driving. Cost $700 each time until he woke up and went aftermarket. Must be a French thing.