Hey, excellent thread. Thought I would share my pad changing experience after using my Bentley's guide and this thread. I changed out pads on my 2006 Jetta TDI. I replaced the rear pads. My parts list: Centric Posi Quite Ceramic pads (Part #105.11080), VW anti-rattle clips (Part # 1K0-615-231) and caliper bolts (Part # 8E0-615-141, QTY=4). I used the 13 mm and 15 mm open end wrenches to remove the caliper bolts as indicated. The car was jacked, and the bolts were tight, so after struggling a little while to loosen the caliper bolts, I hit on the idea of aligning the 13mm and 15 mm wrench handles along the same plane (side by side) and then using the handle of my 3/8th socket wrench as a lever between the two handles of the open ended wrenches to lever them in opposite directions. This quickly and easily loosed all four caliper bolts without any struggle! The caliper had to be jiggled out of its seating, but once freed, was hung by wire out of the way of the rotor. There was no need to disconnect any brake lines. The old pads slid out easily away from the sides of the rotor. The anti-rattle clips were then removed, they just pop out with a little lifting. New anti-rattle clips were installed. The caliper retaining bolts were removed from their rubber boots and lubricated with synthetic grease, then re-inserted into their boot sleeves. The new pads were backed with a small amount of anti-rattle brake lubricant and then slid into position right next to the rotor. Now, the caliper was freed from the wire that had been holding it. I used the caliper tool from set I had purchased from Harbour Freight Tools (this set contains a number of fittings for many brands of cars including VW. Cost around $15). I removed the cap from my master brake cylinder. Next, I aligned the tool making sure the caliper tool was snug into the brake cylinder head and caliper housing. I began turning the tool's handle clockwise and with a little effort, the brake cylinder began turning and easily wound back into the caliper. After doing both sides of the rear axel, my brake fluid was still at a normal level and the top cap screwed back on. There was no need to open any brake lines or bleed any fluid to do the job. Now, with the caliper cylinder pressed back in, the caliper was slid over the new pads/rotor and fit easily into place. The bolt openings were aligned and new 13mm caliper bolts with a small amount of anti-seize compound were installed and torqued to 26 ft-lbs using the 15 mm and 13 mm wrenches. The lug nuts were snugged, the car lowered, the lug nuts torqued to 89 ft-bs. and the wheel chocks removed. I turned on the ignition and pumped the brake pedal 3 times. It moved freely. I started the car and then pumped the brake pedal 3-4 times. The pedal reset and adjusted itself nicely. The test drive was excellent. Stopping was smooth and quick with no rattles or squeaks.
This was my experience and the parts I used, so if this weekend mechanic can do it with this thread, so can you!