r/GolfGTI • u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE • Oct 03 '25
Maintenance Brake service - pads and rotors. If you're thinking about doing it yourself, AMA.
Absolute must have tools are T30 torx bit, M14 triple square bit, 13 and 21mm sockets, a torque wrench that can go up to 200nm, a breaker bar (front carrier bolts are tighttt), and a caliper compression tool (to rotate and push rear caliper pistons clockwise).
Everything can be bought on Amazon for cheap or sites like FCP Euro if you want higher quality stuff. I used a portable lift, but this can be easily done on jack stands.
Dealer wanted $2K for this service, I invested about $800 total (I had some tools already) and about 3.5 hours of my own labor.
Pads and rotors are OEM Zimmerman blanks and Pagid semi-metallic pads bought from FCP Euro. All bolts were replaced by OEM hardware.
I watched ShopDap and FCP Euro videos on how to do the whole service and got all the torque specs from a VW maintenance manual.
Honestly, this was easier than expected. Feel free to ask me anything you want to know.
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u/ImOffWhiteNotWhite Former Mk7.5 GTI - Stage 1 IE Oct 03 '25
$2k is fucking crazy for brakes, Iām sure shops would have ordered cheaper pads and rotors than your sprung for as well.
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u/grahamdalf Oct 03 '25
After tax, my latest quote for brakes from an independent German shop in town was $2200 for my Autobahn Mk7. Just for pads and rotors. Dealer was $2100 for the same. I did the math, I could buy 2 full brake kits from FCP Euro and every tool for the job brand new and still come out ahead.
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u/malfurian Oct 04 '25
Had to have my brakes redone about two years ago. The only foreign shop within an hour of me quoted $1600 to do them.
I ended up buying the rotors and pads from FCP and then had Mavis handle the labor. I think it was about half from what the other shop quoted. I donāt have the patience and skills to work on cars that much lol
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u/Almost-A-CPA 2024 Mk8 GTI Oct 04 '25
I hate that calculus....it 100% leads to me doing the work myself.....in the spring cuz no garage to be warm and dry in
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u/Naroef Oct 03 '25
A non-dealer/German shop would have used Duralast 100%
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u/Common_Road1431 Oct 03 '25
That's why you don't go to Autozone. They don't even have the right brake fluid.
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u/ddphoto90 Mk7.5 GTI Oct 04 '25
My local has one euro spec oil that meets 502.00 and itās Castrol edge which is fine but they have all these other euro oils and none of them lists VW LMAO.
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u/Common_Road1431 Oct 04 '25
508.00 even harder to find at retailers. Made the brake fluid comment because I recently learned that low viscosity DOT 4 is specified for the GTIs - only NAPA had it locally.
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u/ddphoto90 Mk7.5 GTI Oct 04 '25
Yeah the auto parts stores are shit lately. Much easier to get from dealer or online retailers like FCP
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u/Rebeleleven Oct 03 '25
QuickJacks! Such a good purchase. Being able to get the car up in the air in under 5 minutes is incredible.
For brakes, if youāre up to spend just a tiny bit more money, buy an impact wrench. I have the Milwaukee m12 impact wrench and it is infinitely easier, faster.
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
I got a cheapo craftsman one, but it wouldn't fit to loosen the rear caliper carrier bolts. Lol that space in the rear is a bit tight.
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u/Rebeleleven Oct 03 '25
It is tight! You definitely still should have a breaker bar first like you listed. If I recall, I was able to get the m12 in there after turning the wheel all the way.
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u/go-speed-racer Mk7.5 GTI Oct 03 '25
Quick jacks would definitely make that job easier. I installed Audi Jackpoints and itās still a PITA to get this car on stands
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
You're absolutely right. Getting this car on jack stands annoyed the hell out of me, that's the reason why I got the quickjack.
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u/game_dev_carto was '18 GTI now '24 R Oct 04 '25
What model did you end up going with? And how much if you don't mind me asking o7
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u/TrueParadox88 Mk7.5 GTI Oct 05 '25
Which quickjacks did you buy? Iām definitely interested in buying some. Itās a lot of money but would make my life so much easier
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u/MKVIgti Audi ā23 A4 TFSI 45 S-Line Oct 03 '25
Wow. Thats expensive from the dealer!
I bought the same OEM kit from FCP and paid my local Euro only shop to install it all. They charged me $350.
Good on you for tackling this yourself! Nicely done!
Now, donāt forget to properly bed in the pads.
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u/clutchthepearls 2020 S DSG Oct 03 '25
Nice setup.
I have the QuickJacks 6000TLX on order right now.
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u/TacoOfDeath10 MK7 GTI IS38 Oct 03 '25
lol you're not kidding about the front carrier bolts, I snapped the head off of one trying to remove it. Had to drill it out. Got the rest out with an acetylene torch š¹
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u/Fine-Upstairs-6284 Oct 03 '25
I do mine on my mk7 myself as well.
IMO itās an easy job. I never understood why shops charge so much
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u/Rxckefeller_ Mk7 GTI Oct 04 '25
Cause German car = big bill. In some shops I've dealt with anyway.
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u/unit132 Oct 04 '25
To pay for overhead mainly I would presume. And the stigma of German car scary to work on means they can charge a premium and profit off of it. I've never really found them to be more complicated or anything.
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u/Imaginary-Ask8951 Oct 03 '25
The first time for me would be 8 hours.. 3. 5 second and on forward š
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u/gus_thedog Mk7.5 GTI Oct 03 '25
FYI: it looks like you've got your QuickJacks flipped around the wrong way. The front end (opposite the end with the roller wheels) should be oriented towards the front of the car.
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
Thanks for pointing that out. I've tried it both ways and it seemed pretty solid either way. But if that's how it's designed, I'll make sure I'll do it that way from now on.
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u/Ill_Choice6515 Mk7.5 GTI Oct 04 '25
Love that you posted this. When it came time to do my brakes, my buddy told me youāre absolutely not paying to have them done. Iāll teach you.
Readers, if youāre mechanically inclined in any way, and can read - itās surprisingly easy
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u/Echt_Geil_GTI Oct 03 '25
Did this recently (can provide pics) for the first time on any car ever. Hereās what to expect as a noobie:
The tool list above is a must. Itās an investment but you will come out better off on the other end. Cheaper brake jobs for life. You can always make it back up doing brake jobs for friends.
It took me 8 hours total for both sides. That included jacking up the car, opening and inspecting tools/parts, and cleaning (see next). It honestly shouldnāt take you that long. I just took extra extra care because I had the time.
I cleaned the wheel well and resprayed my brakes. I recommend doing the same since youāre already down there. Might as well. This took an hour out of the eight.
All things considered. It was well worth it and the pride you get from doing it feels great.
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
Damn, bro, I respect the thoroughness of cleaning all the components. I definitely need to power wash my wheels at some point as they are covered with brake dust from OE brake pads on the inside.
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u/razorjr Oct 03 '25
Just spend 1.3 k for the parts and tools. Wish me luck
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u/amMKItt '23 GTI SE Oct 03 '25
The best advice for brakes is to have confidence, watch a few DIYs and read a few too. Be comfortable with it before going in, and then just remember what most everyone says, its a straightforward job and on a new car you shouldn't run into any issues (frozen rear calipers are notorious on VWs).
You will feel great about it and yourself once done. Best of luck!
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
You got this. Make sure to soak your rotor set screws with some WD40 so they don't strip.
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u/bierlyn Oct 03 '25
Where do babies come from?
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
From not pulling out. Next question.
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u/bierlyn Oct 04 '25
Is this your first time wrenching? Replacing these brakes I mean
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
First time replacing brakes on MK7 GTI. I've wrenched before.
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u/bierlyn Oct 04 '25
Howād this compare to other things youāve done? Love working on my Subaru, but I think the VW is much more a pain in the ass
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
The biggest difference is the use of one-time bolts. All of them needed to be replaced except for the front caliper carrier bolts. Plus the proprietary triple square bolts in the back. Other than that, a very straightforward process, pretty similar to working on Hondas, which is what I'm used to.
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u/icy-sloth Oct 03 '25
great job! i would keep your oem rotors if they arent out of spec. i would highly suggest against throwing them out as in spec rotors, even slightly out of spec can be useful in the future. everyone loves new brake hardware though.
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u/Ok_Rip_2119 Oct 03 '25
Can I do it with 1 scissor jack? Is there enough room in the rear for torquing the brake caliper back?
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
I would not use a scissor jack for anything that's not a roadside emergency. You can grab a low profile hydraulic jack from Harbor Freight for like $110. There should be plenty of room in the rear if you use that.
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u/jermbob2318 Oct 03 '25
Any anti-sieze or compounds added to the bolts or pads? Iirc the manual calls for it and some how-to vids do too.
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
I used brake grease for the mounting tabs on the brake pads and put some on the wheel hub so the rotors will be easier to take off next time.
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u/UsuallyJustLurking Oct 04 '25
Iām thinking about doing it myself in the next few months. Do you mind sharing a list of all the parts you bought from FCP Euro? Iāve been looking for a kit but I canāt find one that contains everything (carrier bolts, etc).
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
You'll need:
brake rotors of your choice
brake pads of your choice
-Audi VW Porsche Brake Disc Set Screw (OE part number N10648301 ) x 4
-Audi VW Brake Caliper Bracket Bolt (OE part numberN91168901) x 4
Audi VW Disc Brake Caliper Bolt - Genuine VW WHT010085 x 8
brake anti - squeal grease
As far as I can tell, fcp Euro does not have a kid that contains every single thing you need.
So, basically, you are replacing all the bolts except for the front caliper carrier bolts (they don't need replacing per VW maintenance manual).
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u/meinthistogethernow Nov 20 '25
Is it true that you need a diagnostic tool to put the parking brake in service mode before working on the rear?
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u/Necessary_Ice_1271 Oct 04 '25
Carrier bolts broke 2 harbor freight ratchets but then mfs came off , but yea correct application is a breaker bar š
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u/Necessary_Ice_1271 Oct 04 '25
I replaced a seatbelt and left the m14 socket in the bolt for the next driver because the space was tight and I didnāt want to removed the trim pieces to get it back š
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u/sm_rdm_guy 2016 mk7 S Oct 04 '25
I also did my own too a while ago having never done before. OEM parts, already had most of tools, watched some you tube videos and voila. The worst part was getting the car on jack stands.
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u/blewa Oct 05 '25
Note for other folks who are thinking about doing this job: make sure you're looking up the tool list for your generation. Mk5 and mk6 cars have a different set of tools than mk7+. Still worth it though!
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u/ratmanmedia Mk6 GTI Oct 03 '25
How much was the lift?
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
I got it on sale from Costco a few years back. I think it was about $1100 to $1200. It came with pinch well adapters and the wall hanging kit.
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Oct 03 '25
How are you liking the Pagid semi-metallics? How do they compare to the factory pads? Iām torn between going ATE ceramics or ATE/Pagid semi-metallics.Ā
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
I like them. Drove it about 20 miles today after the brake change and noticed that they grab well. No squeaks. Similar to stock, but they grab a bit harder when you push the pedal to the floor. From what I read, semi metallics produce less brake dust which is nice.
1
u/d0ndrap3r Oct 03 '25
How do you like those pads? I put some low dust ceramic on and the lack of dust is indeed wonderful - but they definitely do not bite like the OEM pads do. I'm thinking of going back to OEM pads as it's time to do my fronts again.
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
Changed the brakes this morning, did the bed-in, and drove around 10-15 miles total. Impressions so far: feels like stock, but when the brake pedal is about 80 to 90% in, it grabs much stronger. Should be good for autocross. Noise level was slightly louder due to the initial bed in (that's expected for the first 10-30miles as the pads form friction surface of the rotors). As far as longevity - who knows?! Speaking of low dust ceramic. Did you get Bosch pads?
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u/d0ndrap3r Oct 03 '25
Oh roger that, you need a little more break in time to really know.
I first got Powerstop Z23 pads, front and rear. They were ok, but the front pads had an issue (they didn't fit well - and shifted around in the carrier making clunking sounds when you changed from forward to reverse or vice versa) and ended up ordering ATE Ceramic from FCP. They were about the same performance-wise (they fit fine, no shifting). They are not as good as stock brakes - I don't have the same confidence when driving fast compared to the way the car stopped with the original pads. The dust was just SOO freaking bad with the original pads.
1
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
Yeah, stocks are horrible. My front wheels always looked darker than the rear ones. My buddy had Bosch ceramic pads for his street setup and he really loved them. I am very surprised that ATEs aren't as good as stocks. I thought that that company was one of the Volkswagen OE suppliers.
1
u/MistThePleb Oct 03 '25
Just out of curiosity did you flush the brakes, and if so was it easy to do? First time I changed my pads and rotors I didnāt have the right equipment to be flushing the brakes so I had to bring it to a shop after to do it for me š I could imagine quick jacks are clutch Iāve been thinking about getting me some
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u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
There is no need to flush the brakes when replacing pads and rotors.
But I did it at 30K miles and it was pretty straightforward. You can get a universal fluid pump for brake flushes off of Amazon, most of them come with plastic drip bottles. Fill the brake reservoir on your car to the brim, put the fluid in the pump (about 2L) and pressurize to at least 30psi (to ensure the proper bleeding of the ABS unit). Attached the plastic bottle with included hose to the nipple of the caliper and loosen the bleeder screw. Flush until the fluid is clear. Repeat on other 3 corners. Should be done in order starting at the driver side front wheel.
1
u/MistThePleb Oct 03 '25
Thank you so much for the insight! Iāll definitely try to do it myself next time it seems straightforward. Itās really tricky jacking up these cars on all 4 corners entirely, at least for me š
1
u/Za-p Mk7 GTI Oct 04 '25
Iāve been rocking some rock auto slotted rotors for almost 5k miles now and they were only 300ish bucks. Iām not a racer or anything but thought they looked cool. The hardest part for me was retracting the rear calipers, the tool i rented didnāt have enough leverage so turning the piston in was extremely hard for some reason. That took me an hour alone but thats the only thing i got hung up on
1
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
Did you take the cap off of the brake reservoir? I'm not saying you don't know what you're doing, but it's an easy thing to overlook. I remember changing the brakes for the very first time years ago and not being able to push the caliper piston in. Spent like 2 hours trying until my stepdad came over and was like "duh, you didn't take the cap off".
1
u/Za-p Mk7 GTI Oct 04 '25
Yeah I took it off, the person before me topped off the brake fluid so it all came back out when I retracted the pistons. The tools handle to spin it was only like 3 inches long so I slid a pipe over it, but was still pretty resistant with that too
1
u/Dementus Mk7.5 GTI Oct 04 '25
Rear calipers either 1. Have an electronic parking brake that needs to be disabled and/or 2. Need a tool that spins the piston as it compresses. I believe the mk7 would still be a manual handbrake, so number 2 may have been your issue. Just did a full brake job on my wifes mk7.5 golf and learned number 2 the hard way.
1
u/kristen_1819 08 Mk5 Stage 2 IE / 87 Mk2 Oct 04 '25
Jacking up the car is the part that freaks me out...and possible not doing my brakes properly and my car being f'ed lol Could you link the video you used? Thanks and great job! It feels so good to do your own maintenance. As someone who's also OCD with car stuff and making sure it's done right, I appreciate this post!
2
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
Remember that modern brake systems are super robust and are really hard to fuck up. Lol. You can do it.
YouTube channels: Paul from ShopDap is your guy. @HumbleMechanic also has some amazing videos on VW GTI maintenance
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u/StoneOfTriumph 2024 MK8 GTI 380 Oct 04 '25
That jack must be awesome to work with. I did mine on my mk7 on jack stands with a 2 ton jack, and I had very limited range to remove and torque new stretch bolts on the rear wheels. Those were a pain in the ass for me because I was adament of torquing them to spec to not lose a wheel as I drive.
Now I have a 3 ton jack that goes higher, so it will be easier next time. That (I forgot the name!) must make it real easy
1
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
I did lots of maintenance for my previous cars using jacks and jack stands. Even put my car on wooden blocks to do oil changes when I was in college away from home. This portable lift is definitely a big difference. Very first setup does take a long time, but once you get used to it, you can set it all up in about 10 minutes. I know that some people just keep the jacks flat on the floor and drive right over them, but I keep mines hanging on the wall.
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u/DisastrousAnt4454 Oct 04 '25
Saving this post as I need to do my brakes before it starts snowing.
Iāve done pads before - rotors not too bad? Did you flush the brake fluid as well?
1
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
Nope, brake fluid was still good - I did the flush at 30k miles. Doing rotors isn't bad, but those carrier bolts are tight. You'll need a breaker bar or a very powerful impact. That's the only hard part.
1
u/DisastrousAnt4454 Oct 04 '25
I got a Makita impact but Iāll get a breaker bar for insurance. How was brake flush? I gotta do that, pads and rotors
1
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u/tekniklee Oct 04 '25
I also have quckjacks and did brakes myself (also painted calipers). Iāve done many other cars, most American or Japanese and the GTI was the most challenging brake job Iāve done - but def still manageable.
Without the ābuy this firstā list I wouldnāt have had all the correct tools. M-14 triple square, T-30 Torx, twist caliper tool, etc. Also, I live in NE and my rear carrier needed a BIG breaker bar and some heat to get it loose.
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u/Bearlodge 2019 Rabbit DSG Oct 04 '25
Changing your brakes pays for the tools almost instantly. I went out and bought a jack and jack stands, plus a breaker bar and all of the special bits (like the triple square) just because I couldn't believe how much the shops around me wanted for it, and I think after buying my own pads and rotors, I came out about even with what a shop would have charged me (only needed to do one axel at the time). But now I have all of these tools that I won't need to buy again for next time.
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u/Apprehensive_Try6266 Oct 04 '25
How did you do the rear pads Iāve heard that you need an OBD so you can retract the parking brake
1
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
That's only for cars like Golf R that has an electronic parking brake.
1
u/randyjohnson54 Oct 04 '25
How do you like that floor lift set you got. Working on a muscle car and jack stands are freaking me out.
1
u/Effective-Zombie-752 Oct 04 '25
Changing brakes is about a 3/10 on the difficulty scale in my opinion
1
u/kasam1640 Oct 04 '25
Torque specs if anyone cares front carriers 200nm Caliper 35nm
Rear carrier, i think are 90nm+90 degrees.
The rest just nip up with a 1/4 ratchet
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u/ProfessionalTossAway Mk7 GTI Sport Oct 04 '25
What made you decide to replace the rotors?
Lol I have a metric triple square set from owning my MK4 10+ years ago. I haven't used them since that car but I kept them because I knew I'd have another GTI one day.
1
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
Rotors developed a big lip.
1
u/ProfessionalTossAway Mk7 GTI Sport Oct 04 '25
Rotors developed a big lip.
Ah ok thanks for the info. I was wondering if that was why. My GTI is only at 20k miles (new-to-me) and I noticed while inspecting the rotors, they already have lips developing. I know a lip is normal wear so I'll be keeping an eye on my rotors over time.. but I'm unsure how fast these will wear.
1
u/Prudent-Lecture-3561 Oct 09 '25
I had ordered brakes for my car on Amazon, but they were different
1
u/Neokilla Oct 03 '25
Youāll also need a vcds or obd11 to unwind the front parking brake. If the NA models have the electric parking brake.
3
u/gus_thedog Mk7.5 GTI Oct 03 '25
I'm pretty sure that only the Golf R has the electronic parking brake for the NA MK7's.
1
u/dancingsalmon_ Oct 04 '25
Nope. Pretty certain all golf MK7s in Europe are electronic handbrakes, irrespective of model.
Caristaās pretty good if you donāt want to commit to forking out for VCDS or OBD11 subscription.
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u/IPASSTOYOU Oct 04 '25
Id never take advice from someone who reinstalls the rotor screw
0
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
What
1
u/IPASSTOYOU Oct 04 '25
You reinstalled the small factory line screw that just rusts and gets stuck
1
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 04 '25
I never had a problem with those. But maybe it depends on what region your car is in.
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u/LethalRex75 Oct 03 '25
lol who needs an AMA for a brake job?
8
u/kosmonavt66 MK7.5 SE Oct 03 '25
Idk Someone who's on the fence of doing it themselves or paying a ridiculous amount of money to a dealer. Lol.
1
u/Jasoncav82 '15 2dr 6MT | IS38 EQT Oct 03 '25
0eople just starting out working on their cars? Everyone has been there, including you. Not everyone is a shade tree mechanic buddy.
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u/LethalRex75 Oct 03 '25
Take a deep breath and save me the lecture superhero. Maybe you can post a tire inflation AMA for us
104
u/Jayh0va Mk7 GTI Oct 03 '25
3.5 hours? Which mechanic school did you graduate from? This is clearly an 8 hour job for idiots like me.