Brake Question For Newer Model VW's

I took my '04 Passat Wagon to the dealership for its 30000 mile
service,and they had to replace the rear brake pads and rotors.When
checking in,I had told them about a "rubbery" smell coming from the
rear wheels.The front pads and rotors are still the factory installed
ones.Since brake wear and tear is not covered under VW's warranty,the
bill came to $500+ (for the entire service).I asked the service
advisor,why the rear brakes would be worn out after 32000 miles while
the front brakes are just fine.In my opinion,front brakes wear out 2-3
times faster than rear,so in this case,it would have been a
manufacturer's defect,and covered under warranty.The service advisor
told me,that VW sets its brakes to put more brake power to the rear
wheels (in models '90 or '91 and newer),so the front end doesn't
dive,when hitting the brakes.Plus,he added,that I was lucky that the
rear brakes lasted this long,because usually,they're out after 16-18000
miles.I basically told him,that he's full of it and filed a complaint
with VW "customer service".So,before I write letters to corporate,I
thought I'd check,if anyone knows about this supposed brake
setting,that send more brake power to the rear wheels and wears them
out by at least 2to1 over the front brakes.
Btw: overall I'm very happy with the car (GLX 2.8 V6,5spd),with the
exception of the rear brakes ,of course.The wagon drives and handles
great,got plenty of power for that type of car,has all the options I
want,all for a very reasonable price.BUT: my local dealers (south
Orange County,CA.) are the worst dealers/repair shops/automotive
businesses I've dealt with in my life.Non-existing service and
arrogance beyond believe are the norm (and VW's customer service is not
much better),and based on that,I doubt,that there will be a another VW
in my life (I've had probably 6 or 7 before this one).
So,if someone could fill me in on the brake settings,I'd appreciate it.
Thanks!

Not sure about your particular model but our 01 Jetta GLS wears the
rears out 3 to 1 compared to the fronts. I'm told by many folks that
this is common in newer VW's.

About the arrogance, I'm not sure it's arrogance or stupidity. VW has
lost over a billion dollars each year for several years and their sales
are down significantly from 01. The parts counterman where I go for
parts said they are moving into a smaller building because their sales
are so low.

I've encountered the arrogance also, the arrogance is to cover their
stupidity as the last thing on their minds is customer service! Also,
in some cases I'm sure they just don't know how to solve the problem.

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>Plus,he added,that I was lucky that the rear brakes lasted this
>long,because usually,they're out after 16-18000 miles.I basically told
>him,that he's full of it and filed a complaint with VW "customer
>service".So,before I write letters to corporate,I thought I'd check,if
>anyone knows about this supposed brake setting,that send more brake power
>to the rear wheels and wears them out by at least 2to1 over the front
>brakes.

I'm no so sure I'd say he's full of it. This is consistent with what I've
heard over on various VW Eurovan boards regarding Eurovans from '01 to '03,
and many late-model VW owners have reported this as well in Jettas, GTIs,
etc.

They put soft pads on the rear on purpose. The reason is because harder
longer lasting pads will squeal. Trust me I tried it on my 99.5 jetta. What
I've got a problem with is the $500 you paid. I got two rotors for about $40
each and pads for a like price. The rotors could of most likely been turned
for around $10 each. They are not hard to put on and at that young age there
should be no major work involved.

Service advisors are in training to be used car sales people and very
few of them know what they're talking about.

JoBo

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>I took my '04 Passat Wagon to the dealership for its 30000 mile
> service,and they had to replace the rear brake pads and rotors.When
> checking in,I had told them about a "rubbery" smell coming from the
> rear wheels.The front pads and rotors are still the factory installed
> ones.Since brake wear and tear is not covered under VW's warranty,the
> bill came to $500+ (for the entire service).I asked the service
> advisor,why the rear brakes would be worn out after 32000 miles while
> the front brakes are just fine.In my opinion,front brakes wear out 2-3
> times faster than rear,so in this case,it would have been a
> manufacturer's defect,and covered under warranty.The service advisor
> told me,that VW sets its brakes to put more brake power to the rear
> wheels (in models '90 or '91 and newer),so the front end doesn't
> dive,when hitting the brakes.Plus,he added,that I was lucky that the
> rear brakes lasted this long,because usually,they're out after 16-18000
> miles.I basically told him,that he's full of it and filed a complaint
> with VW "customer service".So,before I write letters to corporate,I
> thought I'd check,if anyone knows about this supposed brake
> setting,that send more brake power to the rear wheels and wears them
> out by at least 2to1 over the front brakes.
> Btw: overall I'm very happy with the car (GLX 2.8 V6,5spd),with the
> exception of the rear brakes ,of course.The wagon drives and handles
> great,got plenty of power for that type of car,has all the options I
> want,all for a very reasonable price.BUT: my local dealers (south
> Orange County,CA.) are the worst dealers/repair shops/automotive
> businesses I've dealt with in my life.Non-existing service and
> arrogance beyond believe are the norm (and VW's customer service is not
> much better),and based on that,I doubt,that there will be a another VW
> in my life (I've had probably 6 or 7 before this one).
> So,if someone could fill me in on the brake settings,I'd appreciate it.
> Thanks!
>

I have a 2001 Passat GLX AUTO. My rear brakes were first done at about
20k and next at around 60k (the fronts are still ok, having lasted 45k
miles so far). Several people have written to this forum to complain
that the rears are wearing before the fronts. Frankly I don't
understand why it matters. One has to wear out first and in the VW
case it is the rear brakes. count yourself lucky if your brakes always
perform well between services. Some people have had trouble with
pulsing brakes 'warped rotors' which I do consider to be a defect and
not a normal case.

my two cents.

wrote:
> I took my '04 Passat Wagon to the dealership for its 30000 mile
> service,and they had to replace the rear brake pads and rotors.When
> checking in,I had told them about a "rubbery" smell coming from the
> rear wheels.The front pads and rotors are still the factory installed
> ones.Since brake wear and tear is not covered under VW's warranty,the
> bill came to $500+ (for the entire service).I asked the service
> advisor,why the rear brakes would be worn out after 32000 miles while
> the front brakes are just fine.In my opinion,front brakes wear out 2-3
> times faster than rear,so in this case,it would have been a
> manufacturer's defect,and covered under warranty.The service advisor
> told me,that VW sets its brakes to put more brake power to the rear
> wheels (in models '90 or '91 and newer),so the front end doesn't
> dive,when hitting the brakes.Plus,he added,that I was lucky that the
> rear brakes lasted this long,because usually,they're out after 16-18000
> miles.I basically told him,that he's full of it and filed a complaint
> with VW "customer service".So,before I write letters to corporate,I
> thought I'd check,if anyone knows about this supposed brake
> setting,that send more brake power to the rear wheels and wears them
> out by at least 2to1 over the front brakes.
> Btw: overall I'm very happy with the car (GLX 2.8 V6,5spd),with the
> exception of the rear brakes ,of course.The wagon drives and handles
> great,got plenty of power for that type of car,has all the options I
> want,all for a very reasonable price.BUT: my local dealers (south
> Orange County,CA.) are the worst dealers/repair shops/automotive
> businesses I've dealt with in my life.Non-existing service and
> arrogance beyond believe are the norm (and VW's customer service is not
> much better),and based on that,I doubt,that there will be a another VW
> in my life (I've had probably 6 or 7 before this one).
> So,if someone could fill me in on the brake settings,I'd appreciate it.
> Thanks!

You're correct.It doesn't really matter which one wears out first.I was
just surprised,that it happened that way (never happened on any other
vehicle I've owned) and thought,it might have been an excuse by the
dealer to avoid having to do the repair under warranty.

$500 was the total cost of the service.$150 for two rotors,$60 for
pads,$180 for brake labor,$99 for 30K service plus tax etc.

wrote:
>I took my '04 Passat Wagon to the dealership for its 30000 mile
> service...

Many newer cars are wearing the rear brakes first. The design can
determine which brakes get the most use.

Now about dealer service. Dealers are no better (or worse) than
independent mechanics for almost anything you might need done on your car.
They will almost always charge more per hour and often more for parts and
supplies. They also tend to look at repairs a little different than the
independent.

A dealer may well recommend work that strictly may not be needed, but
could be connected to the problem or maybe replace a part when a little
repair would fix it ALMOST as good a new.

There is no need to bring your car to the dealer for any service other
than service that is going to be paid for by a recall or original warrantee.

I suggest that most people would be better off finding a good
independent (Not working for a chain) mechanic.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Not a Passat but just got new rear breaks on my 02 Jetta TDI - at 90K miles.

JEB

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>I took my '04 Passat Wagon to the dealership for its 30000 mile
> service,and they had to replace the rear brake pads and rotors.When
> checking in,I had told them about a "rubbery" smell coming from the
> rear wheels.The front pads and rotors are still the factory installed
> ones.Since brake wear and tear is not covered under VW's warranty,the
> bill came to $500+ (for the entire service).I asked the service
> advisor,why the rear brakes would be worn out after 32000 miles while
> the front brakes are just fine.In my opinion,front brakes wear out 2-3
> times faster than rear,so in this case,it would have been a
> manufacturer's defect,and covered under warranty.The service advisor
> told me,that VW sets its brakes to put more brake power to the rear
> wheels (in models '90 or '91 and newer),so the front end doesn't
> dive,when hitting the brakes.Plus,he added,that I was lucky that the
> rear brakes lasted this long,because usually,they're out after 16-18000
> miles.I basically told him,that he's full of it and filed a complaint
> with VW "customer service".So,before I write letters to corporate,I
> thought I'd check,if anyone knows about this supposed brake
> setting,that send more brake power to the rear wheels and wears them
> out by at least 2to1 over the front brakes.
> Btw: overall I'm very happy with the car (GLX 2.8 V6,5spd),with the
> exception of the rear brakes ,of course.The wagon drives and handles
> great,got plenty of power for that type of car,has all the options I
> want,all for a very reasonable price.BUT: my local dealers (south
> Orange County,CA.) are the worst dealers/repair shops/automotive
> businesses I've dealt with in my life.Non-existing service and
> arrogance beyond believe are the norm (and VW's customer service is not
> much better),and based on that,I doubt,that there will be a another VW
> in my life (I've had probably 6 or 7 before this one).
> So,if someone could fill me in on the brake settings,I'd appreciate it.
> Thanks!
>

I had the same issue on my 2000 Passat! The root-cause of the issue
are the brake rotors. They cause the rear brakes to wear out faster
than the front. Replacing the rear brake rotors will make your rear
brakes last longer.

This is an important issue because it isn't normal for ANY car to have
its rear brakes wear out faster than the front brakes. Most of the
weight is on the front brakes, thus why they SHOULD wear out sooner.

The counter guy was telling you a crock of crap because he's defending
VW as a corporation, and avoiding a bigger issue of you getting this
work done for free. The rear rotors are not maufactured correctly.
Besides, the rear brakes being pressurized higher (working harder than
the front brakes) would still make car dive forward.