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Urgent help: Unable to compress piston (replacing brake pads)

Ghost GTI

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Cockpit
Car(s)
'19 GTI SE DSG
Need some quick help. I am replacing all my brake pads to ceramic pads to reduce dust. I did front last night without issues. Today I am trying to do rear pads and I am unable to compress the piston enough for the caliper to go back in. The pads have this removable metal plate in the back that once I try to push the caliper back in, they slide and bend. I have tried with all my force to use my caliper tool and it is not doing anything. Any suggestions? Do I need those metal plates on the pads? Thanks guys.

I dont know much but I'm pretty sure there's too much air in it. Any way to remove the air out of the lines without having to dump and replace fluid?
 
Last edited:

Reggie Enchilada

Autocross Newbie
Location
nowhere
Car(s)
yes
Those are anti-vibration pads. Easy solution would be to crack open the bleeder and have a rag wrapped around it to catch the fluid. That should remove the pressure and make compressing the piston easier. Just make sure to re-tighten the bleeder and bleed your brakes once done.
 

OldVWFan

Go Kart Champion
Location
NW Arkansas
Car(s)
17 GTI Sport
By the description of the car you have the electric parking brake? If so, you need the OBD11 or VCDS to retract the piston and reset it after replacing the pads. If not electric parking brake, then the piston need to be turned and it is pushed it which still needs a special tool that you can probably rent.
 

Ghost GTI

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Cockpit
Car(s)
'19 GTI SE DSG

Ghost GTI

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Cockpit
Car(s)
'19 GTI SE DSG
Those are anti-vibration pads. Easy solution would be to crack open the bleeder and have a rag wrapped around it to catch the fluid. That should remove the pressure and make compressing the piston easier. Just make sure to re-tighten the bleeder and bleed your brakes once done.

That'd require me flushing it too? I don't know how much DOT 4 I have.
 

OldVWFan

Go Kart Champion
Location
NW Arkansas
Car(s)
17 GTI Sport
The tool kit you show should do the trick or go to ECS Tuning and look for a specific kit for VW / AUDI. You could try to do it with a pair of long needle nose pliers, but it would be slow and maybe pretty hard. I think the caliper piston has the two recessed round holes. If you open the bleeder to do it then have a catch bottle with a tube to the bottom and filled with brake fluid up past the end and the bottle needs to be vented to atmosphere. Just never let the brake master cylinder reservoir get low. Should not take much fluid out. Refill reservoir at the end if you do it this way. You will push full back to the reservoir if you only use the tool, so some fluid may need to be removed after changing pads.
 

Ghost GTI

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Cockpit
Car(s)
'19 GTI SE DSG
Thanks! So as long as I did not open the bleeder screw, I shouldn't have to bleed it, right? Is there any chance I let air in doing this?
 

OldVWFan

Go Kart Champion
Location
NW Arkansas
Car(s)
17 GTI Sport
If you did not open the bleeder all should be good. Even if you did and fluid came out and you shut it while fluid was coming out you should not have to bleed the system. Highly unlikely you let any air in. There are youtube videos about doing this, one from ShopDap.com if you want to check them out.
 

MonkeyMD

Autocross Champion

jmblur

Autocross Champion
Location
Massachusetts
Car(s)
2017 Golf R
If you did not open the bleeder all should be good. Even if you did and fluid came out and you shut it while fluid was coming out you should not have to bleed the system. Highly unlikely you let any air in. There are youtube videos about doing this, one from ShopDap.com if you want to check them out.

There's always a chance. I had a rear brake pad swap by a VW/audi shop and my brakes got super soft (foot to the floor without much trouble soft). Don't think they cracked a bleeder or anything, but definitely needed a bleed after that.
 

GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
Do you that tool you posted the link to?
Rear calipers need to be turned not compressed.
There is ZERO reason to bleed your brakes for a rotor/pad change

Keep in mind the service interval is 3 years/30k miles IIRC, so he’s probably due for fresh fluid if he’s doing brakes.

Brake fluid is the most overlooked maintenance item I can think of
 

tmw2442

Autocross Newbie
Location
Approved NPC storage contanier
Car(s)
Mk7 R
Do you that tool you posted the link to?
Rear calipers need to be turned not compressed.
There is ZERO reason to bleed your brakes for a rotor/pad change
This contains the correct answer....^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

They need to be turned while beings compressed.


WTF is going on in this thread...lots of wrong infromation....
95235326_1000019506023_9004503943719419904_n.jpg
 

tmw2442

Autocross Newbie
Location
Approved NPC storage contanier
Car(s)
Mk7 R

Ghost GTI

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Cockpit
Car(s)
'19 GTI SE DSG
Yeah I ordered it from Amazon and gonna try it again tomorrow. As of right now, the brake pedal is soft and down to the floor, but I think thats because obviously that piston was pushed out.
 
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