🔧 Rear Brake Pads - Replacement

Rear pads on your Golf are replaced by removing the rear caliper, swapping the pads, and resetting the caliper piston before reassembly. I’m including both rear brake setups: manual parking brake and electronic parking brake (EPB), since the procedure changes depending on which one is on the car.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate | Estimated Time: 1.5-3 hours

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⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• Park on level ground and chock the front wheels.
• Never work under a car supported only by a jack; use jack stands.
• Rear calipers must be compressed correctly to avoid seal damage.
• If your Golf has EPB, put the parking brake in service mode before starting.
• Do not press the brake pedal with a caliper removed.
• Let the brakes cool if the car was just driven.

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🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 3-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks
• Safety glasses
• Nitrile gloves
• 17mm lug wrench or socket
• 13mm socket
• 15mm socket
• Ratchet
• Torque wrench
• Flat-head screwdriver
• Brake caliper compression tool (specialty)
• Brake cleaner
• Bungee cord or mechanic's wire
• Scan tool with EPB service mode (specialty)

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🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Rear brake pad set - Qty: 1
• Brake pad hardware kit - Qty: 1
• Brake caliper slide pin grease - Qty: 1
• Brake cleaner - Qty: 1 can

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📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, set the parking brake, and chock the front wheels.
• Break the rear lug bolts loose before lifting the car.
• If your Golf has EPB: use scan tool > service functions > rear brake pad replacement/EPB service mode before removing the calipers.
• If your Golf has a manual parking brake: make sure the parking brake is fully released before starting.

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🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Lift and secure the rear of the car

• Use a floor jack to lift the rear of your Golf at the proper jacking point.
• Support it with jack stands on both sides.
• Remove both rear wheels with a 17mm lug wrench or socket.

Step 2: Access the caliper

• Turn the rear wheel hub by hand if needed for access.
• Inspect the caliper, bracket, and pads before disassembly.
• Take a quick photo first.

Step 3: Remove the caliper bolts

• Use a 13mm socket or 15mm socket to remove the caliper guide pin bolts, depending on what is installed on your Golf.
• Lift the caliper off the bracket carefully.
• Support the caliper with a bungee cord or mechanic's wire so it does not hang by the hose.

Step 4: Remove the old pads and hardware

• Slide the old pads out of the bracket.
• Remove the pad clips and hardware with a flat-head screwdriver if they are stuck.
• Clean the bracket contact points with brake cleaner.

Step 5: Retract the rear caliper piston

• If manual parking brake: use a brake caliper compression tool to push the piston straight back in.
• If EPB: make sure the EPB is in service mode, then use the brake caliper compression tool to retract the piston.
• Turn slowly and keep pressure even.

Step 6: Install the new pad hardware and pads

• Install the new hardware clips from the rear brake pad set or hardware kit.
• Apply a light coat of brake pad grease to the pad ears and contact points.
• Install the new pads into the bracket.

Step 7: Reinstall the caliper

• Slide the caliper over the new pads.
• Install the guide pin bolts by hand first, then tighten with a torque wrench.
• Torque to 30 Nm (22 ft-lbs) for the rear caliper guide pin bolts unless your caliper marking specifies otherwise.

Step 8: Reinstall the wheel

• Put the wheel back on and hand-tighten the lug bolts with a 17mm lug wrench or socket.
• Lower the car and finish tightening with a torque wrench.
• Torque to 120 Nm (89 ft-lbs) for the wheel bolts.

Step 9: Restore brake operation

• Press the brake pedal slowly several times until it becomes firm.
• If EPB: exit service mode with the scan tool and cycle the parking brake on and off.

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✅ After Repair

• Check brake fluid level before driving.
• Make sure the pedal feels firm.
• Test the brakes at low speed in a safe area.
• Listen for rubbing or clicking sounds.
• For new pads, do several medium stops to help bed them in.

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💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $280-$520 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $70-$160 (parts only)

You Save: $210-$360 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 1.5-3 hours.

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🎯 Ready to get started?

HowToo makes it easy: same-day/2-day shipping on every part, plus all the tools and specialty tools you need! Check out the parts and tools sections below to add everything to your cart.