Jetta rear calipers

[normspanners]

Thinking about the post re astra hot wheels,
Was doing rear pads on jetta yesterday, got out my 12 spanner to undo the slider bolts, tried it, it wouldn't fit, thought well it looks like 12 checked spanner 12mm tried open end, no, ---hum--- got out 13 far to slack, thought right 1/2 af no, still too slack, but the problem is on slider bolts the hex heads are very short. Gettin mad now
Coz of the config couldn't get socket on, I have popular size hex spanners so managed to undo with 1/2 hex .
Gets out vernier checks bolts 12.27 mm!!! I know what you are going to say--- rust ---no bolts were perfect!!
Luckily decent pad set came with new bolts, checked the new ones 13mm.
Things are getting stupid.

 

[rtbcomp]

I had a similar thing on my SIP compressor. The bolts on the feet had a standard metric thread but weird head size. I got BSF spanner to fit.

 

[dan.taylor.1]

I seem to remember they are meant to be 13mm. But the replacement ones that come with non oem pads are rubbish.

 

[waldershelf]

Sadly the VW group does use some odd fastener sizes, I suspect in an effort to stop us doing our own car repairs. Have you come across the 5 point Torx style fasteners used on air flow meters etc yet?

 

[normspanners]

Have you come across the 5 point Torx style fasteners used on air flow meters etc yet?

Yep--- PITA---- I have the full set

But the replacement ones that come with non oem pads are rubbish.

thats what i had fitted back- the hex was VERY VERY short but at least a 13 spanner fitted.

 

[AndyStobbs]

I hate the M14 spline they use.

 

[dannyp]

you get some very weird bolt head sizes on the chinese crap, sometimes some weird threads to.

 

[the snooper]

its getting ridiculous now there is no advantage for manufacturers to use torx and alike anymore the tools are readily available for anyone to get hold of, so these type of fasteners no longer make people go to a garage because they cant get the tools for the job

 

[doubleboost]

Thinking about the post re astra hot wheels,
Was doing rear pads on jetta yesterday, got out my 12 spanner to undo the slider bolts, tried it, it wouldn't fit, thought well it looks like 12 checked spanner 12mm tried open end, no, ---hum--- got out 13 far to slack, thought right 1/2 af no, still too slack, but the problem is on slider bolts the hex heads are very short. Gettin mad now
Coz of the config couldn't get socket on, I have popular size hex spanners so managed to undo with 1/2 hex .
Gets out vernier checks bolts 12.27 mm!!! I know what you are going to say--- rust ---no bolts were perfect!!
Luckily decent pad set came with new bolts, checked the new ones 13mm.
Things are getting stupid.

Imperial "vise grips" normally work

 

[LewisT]

i always thought it was a pact between car manufacturers and tool makers to change fastener types to keep revenue up, forcing people to either buy new tools or take it to a dealer, usually find its still cheaper or breaks even to buy the tools and do it yourself when you factor in the labour costs at a garage

 

[AndyStobbs]

There is a bit of science behind the torx fasteners. All to do with drive angle between the fastener and the tool. Whether it is as crucial as we are given to believe is another thing altogether.

 

[normspanners]

Imperial "vise grips" normally work

Maybe to slacken but with the pre locktite'ed bolts that where in would have been a right PITA to re clamp 10/20 times for each bolt.
Much easier if things were 'right' though
yes that is also a pun on caliper wind backs.
Talking 'right' I have done quite a few truck and pick up rear wheel brgs recently, now the old correct way, on hub nuts and wheel nuts was the design had on the nearside ----------left hand thread for safety as vehicle wheel turns will keep nuts tight but now they are using right hand thread with little tab washers and a tap in segment on the hub nut not even two nuts locked together , so if bearing starts to seize it will soon rip the tab lock off and spin the nut off in seconds, so without any warning you have a set of twins with a flippin great halfshaft stuck out going down the motorway at 60mph on their own !! Also the truck with no wheel/ hub or any thing to try to stop---- with how many tons on???
The only saving grace is, if they have disc brakes the disc stops the wheels coming right off, but the mess it makes is unbelievable.

 

[Robotstar5]

its getting ridiculous now there is no advantage for manufacturers to use torx and alike anymore .....

Torx are better suited to the production process, e.g. the tool spline will hold a bolt horizontally where a normal hex head would fall off, a lot of bolts have the tightening torque/angle monitored so the car will not be released until the correct torque has been achieved and there is more chance of a hex socket coming off the bolt head compared to spline drive.

 

[anto44]

Torx are way harder to round off than allen key bolts

 

[doubleboost]

Torx are good to hammer in to rounded off cap heads (allen bolts)

 

[dannyp]

i dont find torx or spline bits a problem.

a lot of people bitch about them on vw driveshaft cups but poke/ blow the crud out first and use decent quality driver bit thats actualy the size its meant to be and not made of cheese there no problem

 

[doubleboost]

Torx are way harder to round off than allen key bolts

i dont find torx or spline bits a problem.

a lot of people bitch about them on vw driveshaft cups but poke/ blow the crud out first and use decent quality driver bit thats actualy the size its meant to be and not made of cheese there no problem

Are they not spline drive they used to be
Same as the Maestro lol

 

[Mikey D]

Maybe to slacken but with the pre locktite'ed bolts that where in would have been a right PITA to re clamp 10/20 times for each bolt.
Much easier if things were 'right' though
yes that is also a pun on caliper wind backs.
Talking 'right' I have done quite a few truck and pick up rear wheel brgs recently, now the old correct way, on hub nuts and wheel nuts was the design had on the nearside ----------left hand thread for safety as vehicle wheel turns will keep nuts tight but now they are using right hand thread with little tab washers and a tap in segment on the hub nut not even two nuts locked together , so if bearing starts to seize it will soon rip the tab lock off and spin the nut off in seconds, so without any warning you have a set of twins with a flippin great halfshaft stuck out going down the motorway at 60mph on their own !! Also the truck with no wheel/ hub or any thing to try to stop---- with how many tons on???
The only saving grace is, if they have disc brakes the disc stops the wheels coming right off, but the mess it makes is unbelievable.

You might be onto something there norm , we had some traffic management guys come into our yard (haulage contractors) they had picked up a super-single wheel complete with hub from the side of the A5
Not off one of our trailers I might add !

 

[taycat]

Torx are good to hammer in to rounded off cap heads (allen bolts)

15mm 12point socket is good for m10 capheads out just hammer it over head and it turns out lovely.

 

[normspanners]

Smallish Torx and cap heads if they dont come on the first pull, use a decent impact driver and good size hammer, works for me.
merc sprinter head bolts 'get rooted' into the head, for instance and the bolts need female torx socket, I have a dedicated breaker bar that I dont mind hammering on the end of, put pressure on bolt, smack knuckle of breaker bar downwards towards head, transmits shock through knuckle--- socket--- to bolt head, and 'bingo' loose.
I have seen loads of them with rounded off bolts having to drill them out etc, using my method I have never failed.