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To change the front discs on a VW Golf TDI? Is it a job for a novice or should I leave it to the professionals?
It's easy as anything, in general. If it's a latest one there might be issues with the electronic brake stuff but I don't think so - that's only on the back.
Discs and pads are barely more difficult than they are on a bike. One of the easiest jobs on a car.
[i]One of the easiest jobs on a car[/i]
except for Renault who seem to make the hub and brake disk as a single unit on some of their cars 🙁
Dead easy take it to the VW dealer have everything sorted and car valeted then collect when done, sign the chitty on behalf of lease company and leave.
On the cars I've done it on, you remove the wheel, then undo a tiny screw and the disc comes off. The wheel bolts are what actually hold the disc on.
Discs and pads on a Golf....30 mins and you should be done, thats working on your drive. If you have ramp access then its a 15 minute job.
Dont forget a bit of copperslip behind the pads to stop any unwanted squealing later on.
if it's mk4 on you'll probably need some of the 5 pointed torx keys that VW love so much
I have a Bora 2 litre Sport, thought "oh this will be an hour job" Turns out the Sport comes with the same calipers that's on the S series Audi's, not as simple as slipping out pads and popping them back in, the whole caliper comes apart.
After an hour and a half of swearing and hammering I got one set in then dropped the car off at my local garage, got them to do the discs at the same time, then wept at the cost
One of the easiest jobs on a carexcept for Renault who seem to make the hub and brake disk as a single unit on some of their cars
And Jeep, my mates a mechanic and to change the rear discs you have to remove the rear axle
Some car designers don't really think about maintenance.
Lots of American cars seem to have similar issues.. Sister in law's car has half the bearing assembly as part of the driveshaft, so you have to replace the lot.
The only reason anyone buys them in the states is because they are cheaper than the foreign cars. To keep them cheaper they have to cut terrible corners in manufacturing it seems.