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Guest 4123
Guest
As many will know, 1.2Tdi's have special lightweight brake drums which constructed from metal matric (MMC) composite material. This consists of aluminium alloy mixed with silicon carbide. This results in a very light brake drum which is very wear resistant, reputedly more wear resistant than cast steel drums. None of our six drums show the least sign of wear. However, brake shoe movement is limited because, while the drums are wear resistant, they do not have great strength; excessive brake shoe movement would result in distorted, or at worst, broken drums. This does have a downside though, in that most 180mm shoes are just not up to the job; they rarely last more than about 15,000km. One solution would be to buy OEM shoes from Audi/VW but the last time I looked they were about £100 a set. Recently I have fitted Pagid H1068 shoes; at about 13,000km, I am still on the third click of the handbrake and both drums are working with the handbrake. This might be explained by the auto-adjustment working well but that would be a first!
To change the shoes, remove the drums and wash with a pressure washer. The task is easier if you remove the hub but you will have to replace the Nyloc nut. Replacement without removing the hub is a little trickier, as you have to assemble both halves in-situ. Slacken off the adjusters on the end of the handbrake to give enough slack to engage the cable. Also place copper grease on the six nylon pads on the baclplate. Don't forget to tuck the cable behind the retainer on the backplate.
RAB
To change the shoes, remove the drums and wash with a pressure washer. The task is easier if you remove the hub but you will have to replace the Nyloc nut. Replacement without removing the hub is a little trickier, as you have to assemble both halves in-situ. Slacken off the adjusters on the end of the handbrake to give enough slack to engage the cable. Also place copper grease on the six nylon pads on the baclplate. Don't forget to tuck the cable behind the retainer on the backplate.
RAB