How do you change brake pads and rotors front and rear on a 2002 jetta?

Answer 1

FRONT BRAKES ARE NOT ON HERE BECAUSE YOU SHOULD GET THEM CHANGED AT A VW DEALER!!!! Might as well have them do the rears too. Do not change your brakes on your VW on your own unless for some weird reason your rears are the only ones bad!!! rear brakes: Step 1:

Remove any covers on wheel or lug bolts. Lug bolt covers come straight off, do not attempt to turn. Any tool that can be inserted to wiggle them loose will work. Then loosen the lug bolts with the lug wrench. Do not remove any lug bolts. Using the car jack following instructions included with such, or preferably a hydraulic floor jack raise the car at the specified jack points on the vehicle until the tire is off the ground. Place jack stands under the vehicle to support the vehicle while you are working on it. Remove the lug bolts and pull the tire off the hub. Step 2:

Locate the 2 bolts holding the brake pad assembly to the rotor assembly. Using a wrench or socket loosen the bolt by turning counter clockwise. Use a second wrench to hold the nut and prevent it from turning while loosening. Remove bolts and slide brake pad assembly away from rotor. This may require prying, but be careful not to damage rotor or pad assembly. Remove brake pads sliding them away from rotor. Step 3:

This is the critical step. The hydraulic piston must now be retracted to make room for the new pads. On this model the piston must be compressed, and turned clockwise at the same time. This requires a special tool. This tool may be rented at various car parts stores. If this tool is not available then a different tool may be used which simply applies pressure to the piston, while you turn it with a channel lock pliers. To do so, place the tool inside the brake assembly centering the tool on the piston. Tighten tool by hand until it becomes difficult. Then turn the piston with the pliers. You will feel the tool loosen. If you have help, 1 person can tighten the tool keeping a reasonable degree of pressure, while the other turns the piston. This may take a little while, as the piston retracts quite slowly. Also you must be very careful not to damage the rubber cover on the piston. It must be almost completely retracted before the new pads can be installed.

"note: its best to have two people to do this, i used a C Clamp and wide mouth plyers slow but efectave"

Step 4:

Place the new pads back in place on the rotor, ensuring they are completely inserted. Then carefully place the brake assembly over the pads reversing the process of removal. If the piston is fully retracted there should be no need to force this assembly. When the assembly is pushed into place the nuts will have to be pushed inward to get to assembly into place. Then put the bolts back into the assembly and get them started into the nuts. Give each a couple turns to ensure that they are caught and of course not cross threaded (I don't really think that this can happen). When you feel confident that they are both started properly tighten them securely remembering that you will have to hold the nut to tighten the bolt. Wow! you have completed the hardest part.

Step 5:

Now all you have to do is replace the wheel and tighten the lug bolts. Place the tire onto the hub. It is great if you can get the hub and wheel lined up exactly, however it is inevitable that they will not. If they do not line up you can use any pointed tool to gently push through the wheels lug bolt holes, into the threaded hole of the hub and gently turn until they are aligned. Get at least one bolt started and by turning the wheel you may get the wheel to move closer to the hub and hand tighten all the bolts. If you have difficulty get 2 bolts started on opposite sides of the wheel and tighten these until the wheel is pulled completely onto the hub. Put all the bolts in place before tightening. While tightening, tighten first one bolt, skip one, tighten the next, going around and around, getting tighter each rotation. Step 6:

Lower the car to the ground and tighten the log bolts as tightly as you can. Now you can replace the lug bolt covers. Repeat the process for the opposite side. When both wheels are complete, drive the car. Remember that when you replace brakes, or do other similar maintenance, the brakes may not work as they did before. The piston that you loosened will tighten again with normal driving. So start out slow, testing your brakes in forward and reverse until you feel comfortable and confident with them. Then just drive normally and enjoy the feeling that you will now stop when you want to.