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audi a4 rear brake pads

What is the best technique for retracting the pistons on the rear calipers on my A4 I do not have the specialist tool, I believe you have to rotate them as well as forcr them back, which direction is the rotation looking at the piston face.

Reply to
Richard
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Here is a tool that should work for the brake calipers

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it goes on sale, or you might find a tool that you can rent free or purchase locally. Pistons should retract with some pressure and CW rotation.

Reply to
dave AKA vwdoc1

"Richard" wrote

If you have AutoZone near you, they will rent you this tool.

Pete

Reply to
Pete

I'm going to do a bunch of guessing here, I've not done this on an Audi, but do have experience with other vehicles with similar brakes.

  1. Tool: either rent as Pete suggests, or sometimes you can buy one at a good price. If you buy the parts from Autozone they may lend you the tool (you'll have to put up a deposit, which you will get back when you return the tool ontime).
  2. The vehicles I have done all rotate clockwise, facing the piston. Just like a bolt--they screw in. I've found it easy to rotate a bit, press a bit, let off the pressure a bit, and start that cycle again. If is usually much more difficult to rotate the piston if there is (too much) pressure on it.

BTW, IMHO, this is a PITA job! Requires three hands...

Reply to
PeterD

You need the tool to exert pressure on the piston and turn it at the same time. The piston is rotated clockwise as it retracts but I'm not sure if this is essential, the tool turns it this way because the forcing thread on the tool turns the piston this way as it advances i.e. it's conventionally threaded right-hand. My advice is not to try without the tool as it's easily possible to damage the finish on the outside of the piston using improvised means and this damage may well rip the piston seals. I did try for about 3/4 hour, without any success, with a homemade spanner prior to buying the proper tool (it doesn't have to be by Audi, the one I bought was made by Laser), which took about 5 minutes to do what I had previously struggled and failed to accomplish.

Suitable tools in the UK cost £20 to buy from factors, so to my mind it hardly seems worth hiring one. Hire will cost you a fair portion of the £20 in any case and the one i bought will fit a large variety of popularly encountered vehicles.

Best of luck. Take care and you'll do it.

Usual disclaimer - if you have any doubts in your capability as a mechanic, working on brakes is not the place to develop them!

Reply to
Ferde

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