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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!stolaf!umn-cs!mmm!schley
From: schley@mmm.UUCP (Steve Schley)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Scirocco break problem
Message-ID: <253@mmm.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 28-Oct-85 09:54:23 EST
Article-I.D.: mmm.253
Posted: Mon Oct 28 09:54:23 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Nov-85 22:04:04 EST
References: <314@ccivax.UUCP>
Reply-To: schley@mmm.UUCP (Steve Schley)
Distribution: net
Organization: 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn.
Lines: 48

In article <314@ccivax.UUCP> susan@ccivax.UUCP (Susan Micciche) writes:

>	Any Scirocco owners out there? I drive an 85 and like the
>car. There are, however, a couple of, shall we say, features, that
>have me confused.
>	The breaks squeak. I've had the dealer check them out and he
>says that they're ok. I haven't noticed a problem stopping, just
>squeaking. I've also noticed that the front wheels get a lot
>dirtier than the rear wheels. The dealer says this is "break dust".
>	 Please help. Am I being paranoid, or is something fishy?

I don't own a Scirocco, but I've owned two Rabbits and now an '85 Jetta
GLI, and I have had some experience with their brakes (not "breaks").

First, disk brakes have a tendency to squeak.  I've been told that this
is normal, at least to some extent.  I fixed a squeaking problem on a
Rabbit by throwing out the "no-name" replacement pads I had gotten
cheap and putting in VW replacement pads.  On my new Jetta, I have some
squeaking, but I don't know whether it's bad enough to bother with.

There are plastic shims placed between the pads and the pistons that
are supposed to reduce squeaking.  Check to see that these are in place.

There are products sold to combat disk brake squeaking.  The stuff I
have is a blue liquid, much like rubber cement.  They say to paint it
on the backs of the pads, then reinstall the pads.  It helped a little
on my Rabbit, so you might want to try it.  A well-stocked auto parts
store should carry this product.

Finally, on dust.  Your car has disks on the front wheels, and drum
brakes on the rear.  Both generate the black dust you saw, but drums
don't put it on the wheels.  Disk brakes do.  (If I'm wrong, and you do
have disks on the rear, as I do, you still will get most of your dust
on the front, as that's where most of the braking is done.)  There are
two solutions.  First, you can wash your wheels often, like once a
week.  If you don't, the corrosive dust will permanently etch your
wheels, and they won't look so nice.  Second, there are pie-tin shaped
guards that can be mounted between the wheels and the brakes.  I've not
tried them; maybe someone out there who has can testify to their
performance?

Summing up, minor squeaking and dust generation are normal side effects
of disk brakes.

-- 
	Steve Schley

	ihnp4!mmm!schley