Please Note:This procedure differs from the procedure in the maintanance manuals. To be safe, please read both instructions and use common sense!

I have successfully solved my problems, completed the job, and hereby issue this Idiot's Guide for the benefit of other non-technical, non-mechanically inclined Corrado owners who wouldn't mind finding $100 in the street by doing their own brake job.

I have a 92 SLC. If by any chance your model's brakes differ from mine, you should have gotten a 92 SLC.

A few special tools are needed:

1. A 17mm socket. I broke two sockets before going out and getting a Craftsman socket, so make sure it's a good one.
2. An 8mm hex drive. Contrary to at least one prior post, the rear calipers are held on with hex bolts, not conventional bolts.
3. A damn big C-clamp, 6-inch capacity.
4. A big arm for the socket and hex drive, preferably at least a foot long. My bolts were on so tight I couldn't believe it.
5. That famous little cube thing, a "universal disc brake tool," only needed for the rear brakes. Available at any auto parts store, you'll almost certainly need a file or hacksaw to make it fit the VW brake piston.
6. A reliable way to jack up your car. You'll be yanking and tugging with all your strength with your head inside the wheel well, so the stock jack is absolutely not adequate (I used the stock jack, but then piled up big pieces of wood to use as jack stands).
7. A way to get the wheels off your car. For some reason, my lug nuts have always seemed permanently welded on. Last time I got tires, the shop had to drill out five of the lug nuts. This time I didn't mess around and got the huge Craftsman metric tire iron, the big "X" kind with the needed 17mm socket on one end. It still took two people to get my lugs off.

So much for the materials; if you've got everything (including, of course, brake pads), the whole thing should be done in about 2 hours max. Less if you've done it before.

FRONT BRAKES

Easiest, so do them first to get your feet wet. Take off the wheel, obviously. On the back of the caliper, you'll see two big 17mm bolts. Take those off first.

Now the caliper's loose; you just have to manhandle it off the rotor. If it's hard to get off, try prying one end off first. The brake line is now the only thing holding it on...be careful of that. Try not to let the whole caliper hang by the brake line.

Take out the old pads. They just snap right out. If your brakes have been clanking over bumps, here's where you'll see the broken brake clips. Contrary to other prior postings, the brake clips are riveted onto the outer edges of the pads; they are not separate pieces.

Take off that flimsy metal piece covering the top of the piston. Take care to note its orientation, with the two little tabs projecting through the slot on the caliper's outer edge.

Put the big C-clamp onto the piston, and drive the piston back down into the caliper until it's just below the top edge of its rubber boot.

Reinstall the flimsy metal piece.

Now you can fit in the new pads. Careful not to break the clips. When they're in all the way, there should be enough clearance to put the caliper assembly back onto the rotor. If there's not, you didn't jam the piston down far enough with the clamp.

When reinstalling the caliper assembly, make sure you don't have any kinks in the brake line. Replace the bolts (crank 'em on good), put the wheel back and you're done!

REAR BRAKES

Remove the wheel as before. First thing to do here is disconnect the emergency brake cable. Compress and remove that coil spring. Pull the clip off where the cable attaches to the caliper, being careful to note how it goes on. Pull that ball end of the cable out of its place by grabbing it with pliers and prying it out. Then (careful of the rubber boot), pull the cable out through the hole on the caliper. All set.

Unbolt the caliper using the 8mm hex drive and take it off the rotor. Take out the old pads as before.

File or hacksaw the cube until you have a side that mates securely with the cutouts in the top of the piston. I used a side that had four tabs, then sawed two of them off. Fortunately, it's cheesy, soft metal.

Here's the tricky part. Open the C-clamp all the way and clamp the cube to the end of the piston, with the rotating foot of the clamp against the cube. Tighten it as much as you can.

Stick a screwdriver into the hole in the side of the cube, and ROTATE the piston clockwise no more than 1/8 of a turn. Then tighten the clamp as much as you can again. Repeat this procedure until the piston will not rotate any more, or until the top of the piston is a bit below the top of its rubber boot.

Put the new pads in, stick the caliper back on, bolt it in.

Reconnect the emergency brake cable. Be careful of the rubber boot when jamming it back through the hole on the caliper. Then make sure both ends of the boot are securely snapped in place. Put the ball back in, replace the coil spring, and snap that clip back on, taking care to clip the top of it just below the rubber boot and not over it.

Put the wheel back on, and put the car back on the ground. You're done!!!

ALMOST....

Clean the grime off your butt and get in. The brake pedal will go all the way to the floor a few times. Start the car, pump it once or twice more, then take some little "baby steps." By now the brakes should be pretty much adjusted. A little bit of light contact between the pads and the rotor is normal at this stage.

You're all set, and you saved a hundred bucks! Go drive your wheels off.

Brian Dunning
bdunning@netcom.com

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