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brake and wiper q's

Hi everybody, just a couple quick queries;

First My front disc pads on my 89 golf need to be replaced and everyone's telling me I should do the rotors at the same time. However I really am tight for cash right now and would like to do the rotors later, perhaps a couple months after doing the pads. Is this alright?

Secondly my windshield wiper motor is only working on high. The bentley says replace the motor, as I've checked the circuits and they are all working up to the motor wiring harness. Now I've read some posts that say perhaps some dirty contacts inside the actual motor itself could be cleaned to rectify this. Has anybody else out there been succesfull with this type of fix? As I see it if the wipers work on high than the motor works and it's hardly worth chucking the perfectly good motor just for some faulty internal circuits. But then again I have no experience with electronics. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and sorry for the length of my post.

Happy holidays,

-Andrew

Reply to
DruG
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Depending on the condition of the rotors, you may not need to replace then at all. Mildly worn rotors will work fine and only increase brake pad wear somewhat if you leave them as is. Very worn, warped, and/or scored rotors will wear the new pads very quickly. They may also cause pedal pulsation or jerky stops, pulling to one side, grinding noise when stopping, or squealing.

Usually the local auto parts store can provide an inexpensive alternative to dealer prices. On some cars, new rotors can be had for under US$20 each. And, in some cases, these rotors turn out to be the exact same OEM brand that VW (or Honda, or other maker) just reboxes and calls their own. I am seeing a lot of Chinese rotors out there with quality and durability that is quite good. You don't need a very high grade of steel or precision machining capability to make many types of rotors. That said, I have not seen what Golf discs look like, so there may be a wrinkle to going aftermarket.

Another alternative is to inquire about resurfacing at the local auto parts store or independent garage. Some will do it for as little as US$6 or so each. You have to take them in for an inspection to see if yours qualify. There are minimum thicknesses they are required by law to not exceed. If yours are really bad (or have been resurfaced before), they may not be eligible for resurfacing again.

Given the high cost of some brake pads, it may be worthwhile to scrape together the cash to get new rotors or get the old ones resurfaced.

Good Luck, Mike

DruG wrote:

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Reply to
Mike Spera

You do not always need to replace rotors. That depends on the condition of the ones that are there.

If you do need to replace them, do it all at once. It will be better for the pads and much cheaper in the long run as you will not need to pay twice for the labor.

I would replace the wiper motor.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Nothing would really be that wrong with it although rotors for that vintage Golf really aren't pricey at all so I'd say reconsider and do them all now. I see no-frills stock rotors for $15 USD each at

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At that price it makes plenty of sense todo it now because the work you do to replace the pads has to be repeatedagain later to do the rotors.

Reply to
Matt B.

Thanks guys, s'pose I might as well bust out the visa and be done with it.

-Andrew

Reply to
DruG

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