2005.5 Jetta Change Rear Brake Pads - How to retract piston?

PAJettaTDI

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 1, 2005
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE 6 Spd
2005.5 Jetta Change Rear Brake Pads - piston and brake cable?

Had my car into the dealer for inspection. My rear brake pads need replaced. I bought factory brake pads. The dealer informed me that the rear piston screws in.

I stopped by Advance on the way home and they sold me a small square tool with differently positioned fingers that are supposed to be compatible with many different makes of vehicles rear brake pistons.

I jacked the car, removed the two screws holding the caliper and removed the old pads and clips. I held the caliper in one hand and tried my tool to begin the job of turning in the piston, but it didn't fit. I had to file one set of the fingers into a V shape so that it would fit into each slot on the piston. I began turing. It took quite a bit of strength even with the tool and my ratchet. However, after about 20 minutes of turning, slipping, swearing and busting my knuckles, I realized that the piston is not any closer inward than when I started.

I guess the short of it is, what the heck do you need to do and is there any inexpensive tools that I can buy/borrow to accomplish this without having to take this back to the dealer or spend hundreds on special VW factory tools? It seems like this should be simple.
 
Last edited:

PAJettaTDI

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 1, 2005
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE 6 Spd
I think I've located a tool that will work. Can someone clarify whether you need to do anything else besides or before turning and pushing the piston back in? One article I found online has a few steps which I'm not sure are necessary:

- Using a large flat blade screwdriver pry the parking brake cable ball end out of the lever arm which is on the back side of the caliper.
- Remove the clip holding the parking brake cable on the bottom of the caliper with a large screwdriver or wrench.

Do I really need to mess with the brake cable? Can I get away without bleeding?
 
Last edited:

Mach1

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Sep 27, 2005
Location
Spicewood, Tx.
TDI
05.5 Jetta 5 spd, 06 Jetta DE DSG, 04 F250 6L, 2000 F250 7.3L
No bleeding required..however its a good time to purge the brake fluid as it has 3 yrs of life on it.

You have to apply pressure to retract the piston, while turning it. However way you can accomplish this will work, I have seen people use hand tools to do this, the special tool makes it easy to accomplish this.
 

cevans

TDIClub Enthusiast, TDI Parts Ninja Vendor , w/Bus
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Location
Hingham, MA
TDI
2015 Beetle Conv. TDI 6-Speed & 2006 E320 CDI
40X40 said:
Yep, and having a Guru walk you through it the first time(in person) doesn't hurt, either.
Bill
Agreed! I know its exciting to do the job yourself, but, if these are not screwed in properly then they will brake, you will loose your parking brake, and, since the parking brake system also sets the location of the pad to the rotor, you will not have proper braking performance and may be always dragging your pads. These are important to have working properly.

If the e-brake cable scares you then definitely seek some guidance. The e-brake cable comes off easily. You do not need to do the brake fluid, but open the top to the reservoir before pushing the pistons in.
 

2004STARWARSTDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 19, 2004
Location
LAKELAND, FL
TDI
2004 Platinum Gray GLS Jetta / 2006 Silver Jetta with DSG
rear brakes

You have to open resevoir or crack bleeder screw to screw in piston. If you open brake resevoir make sure it doesn't overflow when screwing in piston.
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
2004STARWARSTDI said:
You have to open resevoir or crack bleeder screw to screw in piston. If you open brake resevoir make sure it doesn't overflow when screwing in piston.
Never done either to retract a rear piston - no need since you are not displacing fluid when screwing them in. You are just resetting the ratcheting mechanism.

The fronts do displace fluid but if you don't add any between pad changed, it won't overflow.
 

Mach1

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Sep 27, 2005
Location
Spicewood, Tx.
TDI
05.5 Jetta 5 spd, 06 Jetta DE DSG, 04 F250 6L, 2000 F250 7.3L
If he is replacing the pads, you have to reset the PB screw(turning) and you are retracting the piston to install new pads...

If you are replacing the pads, you have to move both mechanisms..

Just open the cap and let it overflow, or if you have a oil extractor drain the reseviour, and purge the old brake fluid.
 

vwmaniac312

New member
Joined
Sep 4, 2017
Location
arlington VA
TDI
05 GLI
easiest way

This is the cheapest only tool that will get it retracted besides that vag com. http://amzn.to/2x6eHdJ It’s a scanner made by autel. You click on the EPB setting pick euorpean, vw , special functions, then deactivate brake, it will rewind the brake piston, turn ignition off. Then you change the brakes as normal. When finished go back to the scanner, same thing and this time activate the brakes instead of deactivate on the scanner. The 12 volt method can cause damage to the ecm
 

Windjammer

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Location
Cinti, OH
TDI
MK4 & Mk5
This is the cheapest only tool that will get it retracted besides that vag com. http://amzn.to/2x6eHdJ It’s a scanner made by autel. You click on the EPB setting pick euorpean, vw , special functions, then deactivate brake, it will rewind the brake piston, turn ignition off. Then you change the brakes as normal. When finished go back to the scanner, same thing and this time activate the brakes instead of deactivate on the scanner. The 12 volt method can cause damage to the ecm
There's no way I'm clicking that link. Looks a little suspicious. Besides this is a 9 year old thread.
Now with all that, you're saying you can wind the calipers back electronically? How is that possible?
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
There's no way I'm clicking that link. Looks a little suspicious. Besides this is a 9 year old thread.
Now with all that, you're saying you can wind the calipers back electronically? How is that possible?
Don't be such a scardycat. It's an Amazon link. The tool is for cars with electronic E-Brakes, not ours. The poster may not understand this. You get post like that when someone offers advice and they don't know what they are talking about.
 
Last edited:

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
The cube works great on my 2006 Jetta.

Instead of buying the over engineered and overpriced tool, I use one of those cube tool with a 3/8 drive ratchet and a long extension.
  • Remove the caliper, carrier and the disk.
  • Remount the carrier and caliper.
  • Use a C-clamp to prevent the caliper from slipping off of the pins.
  • Select the correct side of the cube, and then just push and turn.
Works very well because you don't have to hold on to the caliper. You can push and turn with both hands because the caliper is securely in place with the disk out of the way.

http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...le/brakes.html
 

edge130

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2009
Location
northern NJ
TDI
Wife's 2009 Jetta TDI sedan (2009 - 2017)
Free loaner program

I went to Autozone to take them up on the free loaner tools.
After placing a refundable deposit I was given a disc brake kit with many different adapters to choose from. After I was done, returned the kit and received my deposit back.
I thought Advance Auto Parts had a similar free tool loaner program.
 

where2

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 1999
Location
North Palm Beach, FL, USA
TDI
One '13 JSW_TDI & One '04 Variant_TDI
I went to Autozone to take them up on the free loaner tools. After placing a refundable deposit I was given a disc brake kit with many different adapters to choose from. After I was done, returned the kit and received my deposit back. I thought Advance Auto Parts had a similar free tool loaner program.
I did the same thing a few weeks ago on my MkIV. In the process of retracting the second piston (the sixth time I've done a rear piston, four of those being on my wife's MkV), I managed to lock up the caliper, and had to cut the caliper in half to extract the loaner tool!!

I suspect part of my issue was that the loaner tool was missing one of the two teeth that lock into the piston. I transferred one of the teeth from another adapter plate in the kit to the adapter I was using to retract my piston. The mis-matched height of the pins and compression pressure required to retract the piston tilted the piston on the threaded internal adjustment mechanism thread and literally locked up the piston. The one that locked up had a cracked boot, so it needed some R&R. The replacement caliper from the junkyard looked as good as the first caliper I worked on on my MkIV, so I didn't feel bad going with a used lucas caliper.

I was able to retract the piston on the caliper I acquired from the junkyard with a simple pair of needle nosed pliers and downward hand pressure on the piston. :rolleyes: Too bad the original didn't go that easy!!
 

edge130

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2009
Location
northern NJ
TDI
Wife's 2009 Jetta TDI sedan (2009 - 2017)
That's too bad. I have borrowed tools about three times and in each instance I have to say the tool sets I received were in like new condition. I used the brake kit on two separate occasions, the rear adapter did its job compressing and turning the piston at the same time,
no issues.
Maybe in my area, not many folks know about or use the loaner tool program. It's a shame as they offer a wide variety of tools that you might use once or twice.
 
Top