AUDI A3 TDI Rear Brakes (a beginner's guide)

[@mumtazzafar5696]

I rounded off these boots with my scanners as they had been there.for ages. In the end I took it to a mechanic I was so frustrated because I could have that this job myself Great video Harvey keep them coming

[@HatBoyHarvey]

It is good to stay on top of mechanic jobs on the car on a more regular basis, brakes are one area that benefit from routine maintenance/strip-down: sooner rather than later. The rear brakes on these cars are susceptible to corrosion in bad climates such as the UK :-)

[@schoolofhardshitboxes4147]

Q¹q​@@HatBoyHarvey

[@HatBoyHarvey]

@schoolofhardshitboxes4147 :-)

[@stulees4269]

Thanks mate, just changed discs & pads on my 05 a3, O/s piston was a nightmare to wind back in but a bit of persistence & a few swear words & jobs a good un, cheers

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Glad to have helped you back on the road :-)

[@GBRsolomon]

Very helpful, thanks buddy. I usually prefer to loosen the wheel bolts before jacking the car up. Doing it while the car is off the ground relies on the handbrake holding the wheel in place and doesn't always work. Good video, I like the clear concise commentary :)

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Glad you found it helpful and liked it, thank you for your comment it helps me try to make better videos. Yes loosening the wheel bolts before jacking is also good, just whatever you prefer. In this case I use the jack to just take the weight slightly before breaking the bolts loose. I find that this method helps stabilise the car a bit and as long as the tyre has enough contact with the ground it works well.

[@markblackman2542]

He did loosen the wheel nuts , before raising the car !

[@GBRsolomon]

@@markblackman2542 You're right, not sure what I was on when I watched this!

[@rosscheshire5768]

Cheers Harvey, really good video just done my pads and discs today and your video really helped me out. keep it up 👍

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thanks Ross Cheshire, that is great to know my vid helped:-)

[@joe854]

Thankyou for this video, did my rear discs and pads today and this guide really helped.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Glad to have helped

[@paulsikora5623]

great content ive a 8P A3 1.6tdi sportback,this video will help me change my A3 brakes.😉

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Good luck, hope it all goes well, any issues let me know :-)

[@paulsikora5623]

@@HatBoyHarvey thanks.i love all your A3 8P content,all the best m8 . 😉

[@samisnake]

really good video, was indepth, great work. only thing id mention is that you forgot to take off the backing paper for the sticky back on the pads.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Very good point, sticky pads are designed to stop brake squeal caused by the pads vibrating against the disc usually under light braking, but can include heavy braking. Not all pads come with these so making sure all braking parts are completely free moving without any corrosion and applying copper ease dampens down brake squeal and stops the pads from ceasing by importantly allowing a small amount of cushioned float within the carrier. Some calipers use shims for this purpose which also should be clean and free running. There are also many other anti-squeal compounds available and not limited to one product or method alone. I have shown the method I prefer to use which has proven to be effective.

[@paulm3965]

Excellent report very informative. Thank you

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :-)

[@philorr1597]

excellent video, very informative and clear

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thank you very much, glad you liked it :-)

[@jrewillis]

Fantastic video. Super helpful for my A1 👍

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thank you so much, most appreciative, glad it will be helpful :-)

[@paddrivers]

I use a small paint brush to apply the copperslip and the you don't get grease everywhere.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Yes, thanks 'Phild' that is a great tip; a small brush would do the job well.

[@SqueekyBums]

I favour an old toothbrush.

[@krzysztofwozniak7262]

I love cooper grease in brakes :D

[@dbbyleo]

Great video. Thanks for making it. I just purchased a 2011 Audi A3 TDI. Looking for how-to’s so I can do these maintenance items myself. Question: you mentioned the handbrakes are self adjusting? Can they be adjusted manually if needed? My hand brakes seem to go up too high... to the point it bumps into the center console. The center console can live up and down (obviously) but it’s a nuisance to having to keep readjusting the center console. I don’t imagine they designed the hand brake to bump into the center console every time it’s engaged. So I think my handbrakes need adjusting. As it is, even when I have it engaged and pulled up as high, the brakes aren’t full engaged. On a slight slope, that car will still rest on “park” gear, not on the hand brake. I hate the “grindy thud” I hear when I shift out of park.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

I would look at the whole cable to see if it is moving freely, if it is then the self adjusting part may need freeing up, if not then the cable. Also the cable can be adjusted at the handbrake end under the centre console, but this is mainly to balance each side, but if the cable has stretched this can be tightened up :-)

[@YamahaManR1]

What did you do with the handbrake cable

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Replaced it, kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHmVf2Cfhtdki5I

[@irishRocker1]

lol was looking up audi a3 brake pad replacement and see you have an SV650S in your intro, as do I.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

This was my early attempt at an intro when I thought of doing motovlogging, have revised it sinse and yes they are great bikes. Hope the video helped with your brakes:-)

[@super-sim1665]

Had two rear caliper seize and the cable can seize they are nasty things. If you push the piston in watch out for overflowing the brake fluid tank.

[@priveprive5315]

without Bridge the M14 spline bolt is very difficult to remove

[@Iamtherealsun]

dont forget to properly break in the new brakes!

[@Thegoodlifebruh]

Changed mine today, pad is scraping the disc - I’m thinking I didn’t push the piston back in far enough is that possible?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Check if you have assembled everything correctly, if you have then press on the brake pedal hard a few times to see if will settle and release evenly from the disc. You might have to do it with the wheel on. It shouldn't stick badly anywhere. Sometimes as long as you installed correctly running the car a bit can act to settle or bed the pads in, but not if there is a fault.

[@jakewright5229]

Very good in-depth video! I've got a 2009 A3 2.0tdi Cr140. I've done my fronts. But my rear discs do not just come off at an angle, am I doing something wrong or are some of them different carriers and I'd have to undo the dread M14 splines? Thank you.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thanks Jake, glad youliked my video and have done your front brakes. If your rear brake discs don't come off after you have taken the caliper off, then you will need to take the carrier off. Always re-new these bolts as they are stretch bolts. New bolts come with the correct threadlocker (correct torque setting also needed). I would recommend Soaking the original bolts with penetrating fluid overnight and using the correct M14 spline tool and a bit of heft to remove them, they are usually tight.

[@jakewright5229]

@@HatBoyHarvey Ahh, okay. Thank you for the advice. Wish me luck haha.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

I'm sure you will be able to do it. Take your time and make sure your spine tool is on firmly and you wont need luck.

[@sirbacharach1]

Fantastic video, I'll save this as I'll be fitting discs and pads shortly to mine. Need to also sort the handbrake out, it's rubbish.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thank you for the appreciation, Hope it helps you fit your discs and pads. Make sure all the handbrake components are cleaned of muc/crud/rust and free up the moving parts and it should all work fine (handbrake auto-adjusts itself)

[@rudeboymd]

Do you have to remove the 3M sticky back before putting in pads? A little unsure as what they are for.

[@yt240robert]

Yes, he forget this. 3M pads are for avoid any noise.

[@nickpetrov8045]

Hey, how do I find the correct size for the winding tool? Is is a big problem if the tool I buy isnt the exact diameter? Thanks for the guide!

[@HatBoyHarvey]

The one I used on this car was just a standard universal VAG tool (32.5mm pcd, 5mm pins and 45mm od). If yours has large calipers fitted to some fast models they maybe different. As long as the pins fit and it goes in the caliper, which they usually do it should be fine. If in doubt strip down the brakes, measure it and nip to the shop :-)

[@nickpetrov8045]

@@HatBoyHarvey Thank you. I have an a3 1.9tdi 2008 so I am going to go with a standard one, shouldnt be a reason to not be standard.

[@kevo4738]

An the dust shields be replaced without taking the hub off?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

yes at a push, but you need a good purchase on the bolts and they will be inevitably rusted proper! I did a video on this somewhere, I'd give you the link, but my computer is down at the moment (Think it's my HDD) I used a 1/4" wrench with the socket hammered on :-)

[@kevo4738]

@@HatBoyHarvey thanks

[@HubschHubsch]

Why did my caliper sieze its so hard twisting it? How to fix it any other type of clamming equipment?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Wind back tools are all similar and there isn't one that makes is easier that I know of. These are prone to seizing and are normally hard to wind back initially then should ease as you wind them in. If it becomes very hard to wind back - by all means have a go to free it up (pump them back out and wind back in a number of times), but my advise is: if the caliper is old then replace it. it is cheap and easier to do that. I've spent hours freeing these up for them to only last a couple of weeks more!

[@HubschHubsch]

@@HatBoyHarvey thankyou for ur fast reply, i will certainly do that

[@krzysztofwozniak7262]

Good job anyway. Try ceramic grease in future. Cheers

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Thanks, I may just try the ceramic grease again. I seem to remember using it a long longtime ago, but not sure why I never took to it as on paper it should be better :-)

[@Nigel_S452]

@@HatBoyHarvey some ceramic grease damages rubber bushes, you need to be careful where it goes, nothing wrong with what you did with the copper slip

[@pauldavis3904]

Good video but i wouldnt say to start kicking the wheels when its only on a scissor jack. Ive seen them slip many time. I wouldve had the axel stand in before i finished removing the wheel.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Well spotted, it does seem to look that way, although I can see a stand in place when I manage to get the wheel off. At 2:23 there is a cut and then 2:27 you can see that the yellow axle stand is missing just as I kick the wheel which is where I cut out the bit where I put the stand in place. I should have made it clearer that the stand was in place. Thanks for the comment :-)

[@ghgmx9752]

Just fitted new discs and pads to the rear on an 09 a3 cabriolet Audi and it looked like the old pads had a sensor on and the new pads didn't?? Cant seem to find sensord rear pads online.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

I don't believe that model has rear brake wear sensors (unless it is a very top spec/powerful one, then not sure, never seen one), if it does then there will be a connection for it, so it's worth another look under the car. They usually have one wear sensor on one of the front wheels, some are integrated into the pad and some attach. Hope my video helped a little :-)

[@_B_A]

Hi were these the original brake discs u removed. 255mm disc without removing the carrier

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Yes

[@_B_A]

Thanks I just wanted to know because I will probably have to do mine soon.

[@markw6410]

can anyone tell me... it looks like the drivers side screws in clockwise but what way does the passenger side screw in? many thanks

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Clockwise.

[@piggypiggypig1746]

The slider on my piston rewind tool is bending quite considerably. I've had a spanner on the end of the handle but it is impossible to continue. Any thoughts please?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Don't over-force it, the piston needs to go back straight or it will be damaged. If it is tight then back off and clean everything up and try again. the tool needs to be inline, but they are often initially stiff. If you look behind the rubber boot and find corrosion around the edge of the piston then water has got in. You could try soaking with Brake fluid around the piston edge to loosen/free it up, but penetrating fluid will damage the seals, so DO NOT use penetrating fluid here. try winding forward and back and make sure tool is a good one. If it wont budge at all (perseverance needed) then you will have to remove, rebuild it or replace it.Thanks for watching:-)

[@piggypiggypig1746]

​@@HatBoyHarvey ​ Thanks for the quick response. Its been many years since I changed my own pads on a car, so your video was invaluable. My pads were worn down to the metal and as a consequence the piston was fully extended which did not allow room for the rewind tool, so I used this technique shown here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooaZgH6Hrbiabrc But this only bent the slider. I didn't realise that the piston was meant to turn. I'm sure they used to push. Must be a new design. Had to hacksaw the locator thingys on the otherside of the rewind plate to force it in. Got the job done in the end but oh boy, what a mission. Since ordered replacement discs, so will go through the whole process again today. Anyway, thanks again.

[@minisla]

Just noticed that you haven't cleaned and regreased the sliding pins on the caliper..

[@HatBoyHarvey]

These were working perfectly so I didn't need to do that. Maybe I should show this on another video.

[@EugenCx]

Can i leave the hand brake on durring the changing?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

You need to release the handbrake so it can re-adjust correctly with the new discs and pads. Remember to choose level firm ground, use axle stands and chock the front wheels.

[@rudeboymd]

Is bleeding the brakes necessary after just a brake pad change?

[@HatBoyHarvey]

If your brake feel is good with good pressure and you have tested them to work well then you may not need to bleed them. You should bear in mind that the service schedule states to change out the brake fluid at periodic intervals in line with the service. This is because brake fluid absorbes water over time (hygroscopic) and then becomes less effective. As a general rule, if your brakes work as they should then they works! Hope this helps, thanks :-)

[@noddyholder1151]

Why did he leave the stickers on the pads, other videos say take them off!

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Yes you can peel back the sticker to help with brake squeal. (should have shown this) I find if you clean the brake up well and add lubricant in the right places you shouldn't get that, but the weather is colder in UK than hotter climates where brake squeal is more prevalent. ;-)

[@kissiel021]

Why you didnt take off this sticker from pads??? OMG...

[@HatBoyHarvey]

You can use the sticky pads and maybe should have mentioned and shown this. They are to reduce brake squeal. If you make sure the brakes move freely by cleaning them up well and using anti friction compound on the sliding parts you shouldn't have any issues :-)

[@depanareauto7804]

You had to take the paper off the brake pads.

[@jurijavsenak]

They are to reduce brake squeal. If you make sure the brakes move freely by cleaning them up well and using anti friction compound on the sliding parts you shouldn't have any issues :-)

[@riggs3.036]

fuck sake! let spray wd all over the brake area! lol! ALL wheels are like that after you take the nuts off, just needs a good wack to loosen! JEEZ!!!

[@Matt-w7p]

Good video but the 2013 Audi TT MK2 calliper hanger is too tight to get the disc off, if you get the old disc off it’s impossible to fit the new disc without removing calliper hangers.

[@HatBoyHarvey]

Yep, very often the case :-/