How to Change the Rear Brake Pads on a VW Passat

Brake pads are an important part of your Volkswagen Passat's braking system. They are the replaceable friction pads that pinch the brake disc or drum when the brakes are applied. You should replace the brake pads before they wear beyond a quarter inch or risk damaging your Passat's brake discs.

Instructions

Park your car on a level surface. If you have a stick shift car make sure the car is in gear. Do not set the parking brake. Place blocks in front of the front tires so the car does not move while you are working on it.

Open the hood of your car and locate the master cylinder. If necessary, remove brake fluid until the level in the container is less than half full. A turkey baster is a good tool for this. Put the brake fluid in the plastic container and dispose of it the way you dispose of motor oil.

Raise the rear end of your car with your car jack. Remove the rear tire or wheel assembly.

Remove the parking brake cable from the back of the caliper. Use the pliers to remove the cable clip (restraining clip).

Use the socket wrench to remove the upper mounting bolt from the caliper. If the upper guide pin moves while you do this, use a back-up wrench to hold the upper guide pin.

Rotate the caliper downward, pivoting it on the lower caliper bolt. Remove the inner and outer brake pads from the caliper.

Turn the caliper piston clockwise to retract it into the caliper housing. Insert the new brake pads into the caliper.

Swing the caliper upward and into place. Apply a thin coat of thread locking compound to the bolt and use the socket wrench to tighten the bolt to 271 inch lb. (35 Nm).

Reattach the parking brake cable to the caliper.

Replace the tire wheel assembly. Lower the car to the ground.

Pump the brake pedal a few times to seat the brake pads. Do this before trying to move your car.

Add fluid to the master cylinder container to replace any you removed before you removed the old brake pads.

Season the brake pads by making only gentle stops when you are driving for the first week after you install the new brake pads. Try not to do any hard stopping when you are seasoning the brakes.