Rear drum brakes on '98 Jetta A3 TDI

[dyvyd]

Hello All, forgive me if there's something on this somewhere here, i did search using a few different search terms . . .
i need new rear brakes, drums, shoes, cables for the E-brake. My mechanic's part supplier is offering Beck Arnley drums & shoes @ $38 each for drums & $20.66 for the shoe set. IDParts (found them in the forums) has Brembo drums @ $59.95 each & OEM VW shoes for $44.95 a set so ~$21 more for the drums & ~$25 more for the shoe set. Is it worth the price difference?
i bought Meyle platinum rotors & Pagid pads for a pretty good price (i think i paid a bit over a $130 for both w/shipping & that added i think $25 or so because of the weigjht) from ID. My old mechanic (went out of business last December) did the front brakes & he was very impressed with the Meyle & Pagid quality.
It's not the money in itself, don't mind spending more up to a point if it's worth it. ID also offers a rear brake kit with new springs, clips, wedges, &c. from VW for $29.05. i'm assuming that's worth it, i can't imagine you get any of that stuff with the shoes & drums.
Thanks in advance for any comments/advice. david (in Western Mass)

 

[Herm TDI]

When you buy the A-3 rear drums you'll want drums that have the bearing race pre-installed. If you buy new drums that do not have the bearing-race pre-installed the cost of these drums are priced accordingly (cheap). Ask your vendor if the bearing race is installed BEFOR you buy rear drums. You'll also want a set of new rear wheel bearings so they properly marry into the bearing race .

Here is a link to some in depth A-3 rear brake DIY information:
http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/campingart/jettatech/reardrum/index.htm

 

[tdidieselbobny]

I'd definitely get the hardware kit-it would suck to be in middle of job and have one of the little springs break or be fatigued so it couldn't be re-used. You get what you pay for-when I had my rears done on my A3 years ago,I ended up buying a kit on ebay that was around $130 that included drums,shoes,and bearings. Don't forget bearings-you probably buy new ones when doing the brakes. I think IDParts has inner/outer bearing kits for around $20/side. You may also want to get the brake cylinders,just in case. I think when you add up all parts it's going to be around $300 parts alone. If you plan on keeeping this car,replace everything and you should be able to forget about the rear brakes for a long,long time.