brake disc/pad change guide

tipping44

Tipping44
Jul 30, 2014
144
0
telford
Hey everyone,

As the title says, I'm looking at replacing my discs and pads, I've found guides on HOW TO change the above, But they are so old all of the images are no longer viewable.

The brake pads seem straight forward, Wheel off, 2 pins for the calliper, pads slide out, grease new ones up, put them back in, re-insert pins ? (Feel free to correct me if wrong!!)

Im just wondering how easy the discs are to change, and if anyone knows of any guides OR if you guys can help, for the Cupra R 225?

Any help appreciated :)
 

Muttley

Catch that diesel!
Mar 17, 2006
4,987
31
North Kent
Be very careful with grease around brake pads. It would be better to clean up and smooth down the pad guides. Any grease you apply will get covered in brake dust and turn into a nasty sticky sludge, which is not a very effective lubricant.

If you mean copperslip on the back of the pad, only use a light smear.

Observe torque settings for the fixing bolts, of course.

If you have a pad wear sensor, keep the bit of wire and the connector off the old pad. If you ever want to install aftermarket pads that have no sensors, you can use the old wire to substitute - cut it short, expose the two wires and join them (twist or solder). Heatshrink the join for neatness. The pad wear sensor is just a wire link in the pad that gets worn down and eventually breaks. The substitute will not tell you when your pads need changing but it will stop the brake warning light coming on in the instrument cluster.

Discs are a doddle to change, as their main fixing to the hub is by the wheel bolts. There is one countersunk screw that holds the disc in place while you fit the wheel back on (and stops it from falling off if you have to change a puncture at the front), but this is only for location purposes, the wheel bolts take all the braking force.

Just undo the countersunk screw while you have the caliper off and slide the disc out. An impact screwdriver may be needed for that screw, or in severe cases, a drill. If is possible to do without the screw if you have to drill it out, but better to keep it if you possibly can.
 
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sockpuppet

Active Member
Apr 30, 2007
837
4
The retaining screws that I got with new front discs (3 different makes now) never fitted properly so don't mash the originals, also you need the windback tool for the rear pistons, which they sell in halfrauds. You will also need the right allen key to remove the rear carriers.
 
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tipping44

Tipping44
Jul 30, 2014
144
0
telford
Thanks guys,

As you may have already guessed, never done this before, but to save my self a couple £100 i thought id give it a bash with a little help..

So just to confirm, the pads seem simple to remove, When putting the new pads in ( not sure what i am getting yet) Do you advise or do I NEED to add that copper grease stuff on the back of the pads before I re-insert them ?

As for the disk, Once the pads are out, there are a couple of fixings/bolts on the back of the calliper? I take them off, and i presume the calliper comes away ( Its the standard Brembo callipers) ?

Then there is a screw that holds the disc in place , undo this and the disc slides away? Install new disk, with screw, then add calliper again and so on?

I'm not sure what you mean by rear pistons (SORRY!!) - Presume this for the rear brakes ??

Again if that's all incorrect lol, then please forgive my knowledge on the matter :)
 

sockpuppet

Active Member
Apr 30, 2007
837
4
The piston is what pushes the pad into the disc, on the fronts they just push in, but on the rears the piston needs to be pushed and wound as they kind of unscrew themselves as they come out.
I haven't used copper grease on mine or the blue glue on the carriers bolts, if you have them its good to make use of them, but Im on my 4th set of pads and discs at 195000 miles and haven't had any problems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt8v4lVZGL0
 

MOZ_LC_TDI

Active Member
Aug 29, 2008
63
1
N.Yorkshire
Do a search online for some DIY guide or video.

Here is a thread with a guide but these calipers are different to yours - but fundamentally pretty much the same process.

Not sure exactly how the Brembo's are made up but a lot of calipers use a 7mm Hex head pin - needing a 7mm allen key or box adapter for a ratchet, do some research and see if yours has 7mm hex head parts and then check you have one in your tool kit. Dont do what I did and assume your extensive allen key set covers 7mm as mine covered upto 6mm then jumped to 8 then 10, so I had to abandon mine halfway through and go get a 7mm one from a motorfactors.

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=140322

Make sure when you free the caliper from its bracket that you have a way of taking teh strain off the brake hose, I use long tyewraps to hang it from the suspension springs, others use a correct height bucket to sit it on, but you don't want to leave it dangling and supported only by its brake hose.

The retaining bolts holding the caliper to its bracket will be big and probably tight so you will need a fair bit of force to loosen them.

You can use copper grease however most places recommend using a brake grease instead. You need to be extremely careful with grease as clearly it would not be good if it gets on the braking surface of the pad or disc. If you do use grease, a thin smear on the metal back of the pad and a very small amount where the pad metal edge contacts the runner in the caliper. this helps reduce the posibility of squealing as well as allowing the pad to slide easier, but be very careful not to over do it. A lot of pads actually come with a peel off sticky pad on the back rather than using grease.

You also need to get some brake cleaner and de-grease the disc face (both sides) before installing the disc as depending on what sort you get, disc manufacturers either coat them with rust protective lubricant - so they dont rust while on the storage shelf, or coat them with a zinc finish - same reason. either way you want to get all the oil off the disc before fitting with brake cleaner and cloth.

Re your confusion about rear pistons. The piston is the part that the hydraulic pressure pushes out to force the pads to squeeze together, these are on all calipers, when you do your fronts you will need to push the piston back into the caliper with either a dedicated piston winding tool, or a g clamp (or if you are lucky just with force from your hands (you need to remove the top of your brake fluid reservoir and check it doesnt overflow when you push the piston back in and hence the fluid back in the system.

The difference between the front and rear caliper pistons is that the fronts should just push straight back with pressure (a tip is to leave the old pad in while doing it as it gives you a good surface to push on rather than an awkward round thin rim (you will see what I mean when you get it apart) but the backs have a thread mechanism that winds out, so to push the rear piston back in you need to apply pressure and screw it in at the same time made much easier by using a proper piston wind in tool (pretty cheap -£10ish).

Dont forget to pump up your brakes from the brake pedal before doing the other side or going for a drive, and take it steady braking for the first few hundred miles.

Good luck.
 

tipping44

Tipping44
Jul 30, 2014
144
0
telford
Thanks for all the help and guides everyone, understand what the pistons do now! I'm going to order what I need and then give it a crack.

Much appreciated everyone, Thank you
 

tipping44

Tipping44
Jul 30, 2014
144
0
telford
hey again,

So just looking at sorting out my front brakes at the moment, ive been looking on the bay and found what i think is a really good deal. Drilled grooved brembo discs, and pads for £115/// or for PAGID £100

Pagids have a diameter of 312mm and the brembos 288mm.

Can i ask why they are different sizes, as they both are listed suitable for my car.

I presume I have to measure the disks already on the front of my car to determine which ones to buy?
 

tipping44

Tipping44
Jul 30, 2014
144
0
telford
Wooah - just gone back on to see the price difference... £30 per disk for the 312 £70 per disk for 323mm

Guess i need to keep looking.. any recommendations ?
 

Muttley

Catch that diesel!
Mar 17, 2006
4,987
31
North Kent
LCR's with Brembos (which I think all the UK ones had) need 323mm discs. LCR's with FN3 calipers have 312mm discs. Only the TDI 150 (sometimes labelled Cupra or FR) has 288mm discs.
 

MoToJoJo

Active Member
Mar 25, 2014
784
600
Northants
323mm discs are for the 4pot Brembo calipers only

Best way is to measure the discs as everyone has different experience (my LC TDi had 280mm discs, emphasis on the had)
 

tipping44

Tipping44
Jul 30, 2014
144
0
telford
Thanks, will measure them just to be sure... ive found some Mtec drilled/grooved brakes and mintex pads for 130 from the bay, any opinions on this ? Baring in mind im using this for daily road use, not blasting around a track :)
 

sockpuppet

Active Member
Apr 30, 2007
837
4
Mtec are good for the money, but I wouldnt get drilled again as mine developed cracks from the drill holes and ended up warping. That was after 40000 miles, I got 60000 out of the other sets of discs which were still good and only replaced because the pads were worn and I wont use new pads with old discs.
 

tipping44

Tipping44
Jul 30, 2014
144
0
telford
Ive never known drilled discs to crack.. something for me to watch out for thanks. I ordered what i need for the fronts anyway, so hopfully ill be able to fit them as easily as it sounds... as far the preperation, just apply some brake cleaner for the new discs...just wipe over with a cloth before i put on car... and a touch of copper grease for the pads ( though this isnt NEEDED) ..is that correct? And lastly, when its time for me to pump the brake after i change the one side... does the car need to be on/off, and is there a certain amount of pressure and times i need to apply the brake pedal?

Thanks
 

anni25pd

Active Member
Jul 23, 2012
130
11
glasgow/ayrshire
Maybe keep in mind that the locating pins in the front brembo 4pots can become "very" stuck in over time, I've had to resort to cutting them out before when a large punch and hammering didn't shift them at all!
Yes wipe over new discs with brake cleaner or white spirit, apply copper slip sparingly if desired to back of pad then install. Replace both sides then lower car back to ground and apply brake pedal couple of times to reengage the piston/pad (with engine running if preferred as servo assisted) but can be done without.
Do this before venturing out onto road and if you do the rears engage the handbrake 3/4 times to also adjust.
(PLEASE bear in mind how important your brakes are to you & those around you'd safety! If at all unsure get your work checked by a suitable qualified person- sorry for arsey comment)
Good luck ;-)
 
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