Brake question

1. How many miles did your Passat TDI have on it when you replaced stock brake pads and rotors?

2. Are 2005 Passat TDI brake pads/rotors different from other 2005 Passat Gasoline engine brakes (someone told me that years ago)?

Thanks!

1) My original brake pads were TRW. The rears went first at 80,000 miles and the front were replaced just over 100,000 miles. The second rear pads were OP Parts ceramic, they went about 80,000. Current rear pads are Akbono ceramic. The second front pads OP Parts ceramic still have still have a lot of life left and I am at 176,000 miles. (Btw- I feel the OP parts and Akbono pads brakel the same with low dust.)

2)I think they are the same, but you can check the part houses if they share part numbers.

I changed mine at 95K.

My dash warning light come on last Thursday to check brake pads. Was at 102,950-ish miles. I was on a 50 mile drive to Ft. Collins, CO when I saw it, and it was still on while driving home. Got a little worried about it, as I was driving on CO I-70 at speeds of 70-85 mph, so used downshifting to help slow the car before applying the brakes when I needed to.

Current mileage = 103,044.

I've never replaced the brake pads. Have owned the car since it was at 40K mi..

I don't hear any noise coming from them and have no issues with braking that I can tell. The car's 12 years old now though, and with that # of miles on it, probably due to have them replaced. Will order some, and then have my repair shop put them on for me. Just need to decided which ones to buy.

1. I replaced both front and rear at about 90K miles. I used Brembro rotors and Akebono ceramic pads.

2. I believe that gassers except for the W8 use the same brakes as the TDI.

I just changed my front pads yesterday. On the pads I just pulled off, the light had not yet come on, and the remaining pad material was barely thicker than a credit card. Once that indicator wire gets broken (and triggers a light) it would have been practically metal on metal, at least with these pads.

A thickness of a credit card is plenty of material to last a few weeks to even ovet a month. No need to panic when the warning light comes on. Just think about it for a minute. The full depth of the pad last 10s of thousands of miles so using that scale, a credit card thickness will lest a while too.

1854sailor (and others) in terms of durability, any comments on the Akebono pads and Brembro rotors?

Any other brake kits worth considering?

Thanks in advance.

I have been using Akebono pads for years with no problems so there's no plan on changing. Excellent stopping, low dust, long life. Brembro rotors on the Passat and Zimmerman on the Golf. The next time the Passat needs rotors I will go with Zimmerman because of the rustproof coating.

1854sailor said:

I have been using Akebono pads for years with no problems so there's no plan on changing. Excellent stopping, low dust, long life. Brembro rotors on the Passat and Zimmerman on the Golf. The next time the Passat needs rotors I will go with Zimmerman because of the rustproof coating.

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Thanks. It looks like the Akebono/Zimmerman is the way to go when I am ready to do my major brake job.

I changed mine at 90K.

I was driving around today running errands and noticed the warning light for the brake pads didn't come on, even though it's been on for 2 weeks. My mechanic said to come over right away so he could inspect them. He wanted to make sure there wasn't something else going on. Nothing of note, since the light came back on just as I was turning on to the street where his shop is. No charge to inspect the brakes visually.

The front passenger side brake pad is more worn than the other three. He said I could go another 2K-3K miles and be fine. Gives me a bit of time to price shop for the parts. He gave me a quote of $430 for everything - labor, 4 rotors (Zimmermann or Textar w/ anti-rust coating), Akebono ceramic pads, brake fluid flush and replacement, and adjustments. Labor costs for indy shops in Boulder are ridiculously high ($95-$115 an hour depending on where one goes).

I did OEM ATE Coated and AKEBONO on my '04 Passat at 165k. The light wasn't on but it was time to change the originals. ATE or Zimmermann/AKEBONO make for a great combination!

You guys get spooked way too esily.

I just bought brakes and rotors for all 4 wheels for my Passat from BleachedBora this week, along with the headlight replacements I bought from him too. They showed up today, 3 days after placing my order. Now that's fast! No one in Boulder could match his prices for the ATE coated rotors, the Akebono ceramic brake pads, and the Hella B5.5 headlight set.

$300 for the pads and rotors.
$325 for the headlamps.

This is the second brake/rotor kit I've bought from him. The first being for my Jetta a couple years ago. An excellent vendor. So happy I found him here, 'cause I like to support club members when I can.

It's very difficult for brick and mortar shops to compete against online vendors. They have overhead to pay where most online vendors drop ship their orders and run their bussines with not much more than a laptop.

imo000 said:

It's very difficult for brick and mortar shops to compete against online vendors. They have overhead to pay where most online vendors drop ship their orders and run their bussines with not much more than a laptop.

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Have you ever been to an "online vendor's" shop? I have, and I can tell you that they have warehouses with shelves stocked with parts, and a lot more technology than "a laptop". Check out Cascade German, World Impex, or IDParts website and you will see search engines that allow you to find the part that you need. These databases are huge and require servers and storage drives. Hopefully, one will chime in with pictures of their facility.

1854sailor said:

Have you ever been to an "online vendor's" shop? I have, and I can tell you that they have warehouses with shelves stocked with parts, and a lot more technology than "a laptop". Check out Cascade German, World Impex, or IDParts website and you will see search engines that allow you to find the part that you need. These databases are huge and require servers and storage drives. Hopefully, one will chime in with pictures of their facility.

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I didn't say all. Most drop ship the parts after the order comes in.

I've been to the BoraParts warehouse before. They definitely have quite a bit in there. But they also have the advantage of a tax-friendly state and the sales volume needed to get good prices from the manufacturers.

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