My new brake pads wont fit with the shims, can I leave them off?
I just changed the brake pads on my 1989 Volkswagen Golf II (European spec.) The pads would not fit with the shims on but I am sure I have the correct pads. The pads have only a tiny bit of vertical movement without the shims, is it ok to just leave them off? I asked the attending mechanic at the Army DIY shop I was working on it in and he said if the don’t move much “ehh” but it was already after closing and I think he just wanted me out. Any answer helps.
I’m not sure how to reply to comments on here (unless this is it) so here goes. Not rust, I sanded down the caliper bracket where they fit in first. Yes, the cheapest but they are the same size, shape, everything of the ones I took off. I did replace the rotors at the same time but nothing went wrong there. The car is braking just fine (except for a slight squeak on the right side since I forgot to put the no squeak on the pads, duh!). It was a little “mushy”, for lack of a better term, for the first day but that was probably just a small bit of oil from the new pads/rotors. And yes, it is all the same POS my wife bought without my knowledge before I got here since our 2004 chevy won’t fit down the streets here in Germany, so please no grief there lolol. Thanks for any help…
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Answers
if it don,t have any effect in the braking then yes leave them out.
You’ve got something wrong Joe. Piston retracted all the way? Caliper free and floating correctly? You’ve missed something that will make your efforts so far be for nothing.
pads should fit right with the shims, could be rust in the way just a little will make big difference. also make sure your caliper is pressed all the way in. worst case is you can put it back together without the shims. thats how i end up with so many extra parts. lol
You should be asking someone knowledgeable, someone who you know is familiar with brakes because your life depends upon them working properly. Years ago a teenager changed my brakes. I don’t know exactly what was missing, but whenevr I braked just a little bit in the rain, the car would go into a serious skid, I damned near hit a toll booth sideways, and the fellow ran out of the both as he saw my car hurling toward it. A mechanic said some kind of covers had been left off…..Anyways, ask a person you know is a mechanic.
The shims are there for a reason.Are u using vw pads or the cheapest?Is this the same Golf with the front end noise?Are these problems related?Any work u do,get checked,by qualified mechanic that isn’t about to close.