UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Hi, new to the forum and new owner of a 2015 plate Polo, 1.4 TDI (90PS). Having come from a Skoda Fabia 1.6 TDI (105PS) with rear drums and shoes then this car is light years ahead. This is a work car for me, so will be averaging 12k miles on A roads throughout the year. Loving it so far, especially as it has decent headlights. Are these HID or LED? It has self adjusting height I assume, and headlight wash option. Model is SEL Bluemotion.

I do my own servicing, so have stripped down brake calipers, including rear ones, adjusted rear shoes (don't want to go there again), bled brakes, rebuilt suspension mainly on diesel Audi A2, A4 (V6 and 2.0 litre), but have worked on BMW electric too, etc.

The car was purchased from VW dealer in Ayr under Das WeltAuto scheme, but I'm up in Aberdeenshire. I know this policy is transferable, but can probably fix this issue myself. I hate main dealers with a passion, hence I will do things like this, or it's the inconvenience of a trip to see them for what is probably a small fix.

Handbrake doesn't take much to engage, and holds the rear discs tight when applied. However, here's a little slack, say 1/2 inch of thin air before first first-click. In all my years on brakes, (I'm not a mechanic by the way), this would point to rear caliper adjustment, ensuring rear caliper spring on handbrake is free. Want to do that, but know I could probably adjust handbrake itself to take up the slack.

Any experience or pointers please?

I'd think that that the initial "lost motion" section is just due to the first handbrake ratchet clip is quite high, all you can do is to have a look at where the handbrake levers are resting, typically they should both be "just" off the stop on the calliper, as I've done this before on a 2002 9N Polo, as soon as my wife bought her August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL new in 2015, I bought and fitted a pair of external return springs - so on that car the handbrake levers do rest on the stops on the callipers.

Headlights, I'd think that they will be LED s that was standard on SELs in 2015.

Edit:- by the way, if you have ever had one of these small VW Group with rear discs, from a few or more years back, then you probably needed to improve things by fitting an external handbrake lever return spring to both sides due to the internal spring being not much good, I think with these newer cars TWR have improved that internal spring, but I just wanted to sort out or head off a potential problem further down the road so bought a pair of springs and fitted them.

Thanks RUM4MO

I'll take a look at these rear calipers in due course and see it the return springs are goosed.

I think that I should have written TRW as they are currently the manufacturers of these "Girling/Lucas" callipers, TWR was Tom Walkinshaw Racing!!