It's service time again for the Ibiza - slightly over actually - and this time, in addition to all the stuff like oil changing, groveling around in the passenger footwell renewing the pollen filter and other such "jolly japes" I decided to really give the brakes a going over in more depth than usual. Those of you who hang around on the forum may have read a previous post i made, maybe a year or so ago, about the lower slide pin on the N/S front caliper almost giving me heart failure as it largely destroyed it's thread as I removed it. This actually happened on the first service I gave it once it was out of warranty which I did in Feb '20. By very carefully aligning the slider pin with it's hole I was able to pick up enough thread to get it nicely retightened but I just knew it wouldn't do it again. Then last year, because we'd done next to no mileage with it (covid etc) I decided to "time shift" the servicing to the summer months to take advantage of the better weather. Sure enough the pin, although it did go back in, was far from being properly secure, so I drove it round to one of the 3 VAG independents in Edinburgh and he installed a threaded sleeve which has completely cured the problem. He used this kit: https://www.lasertools.co.uk/Product/5037/Brake-Caliper-Guide-Thread-Repair-Kit and I have to say the outcome has been very good indeed. There are loads of cheaper options on Ebay, this one seems to get a good crit: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25230538...9jkqwLaI1UwqEuaL+tOxJF9SWg==|tkp:BFBMtOroi71g and would probably be the one I'd buy - or the very similar Sealey offering. If you look closely at the business end of the drill you can see it has a short reduced diameter length then it widens out to the larger diameter. This short end is used to "ream out" the damaged thread and then the larger diameter cuts a recess in the casting for the shoulder of the insert to locate in. A smear of locktite on the insert and "Bob's your Auntie"
Here's the caliper carrier on the Ibiza with the insert in the bottom hole:
Here's a close up of it:
In fact if you look at the other side of the thread you can see the threaded insert isn't fully home:
This is because he's not cut the recess for the shoulder of the insert deep enough. When I first saw this yesterday, when I removed the slider pin, I did feel a little disappointed but now I've had time to think it over i think it's actually not a bad idea. The threaded portion of the pin is more than long enough to get a very good secure hold in the hole and, thinking about it, there's not a lot of "Meat" around that bit of the casting. Fully recessing the sleeve would entail taking out a fair bit more metal to accommodate the top shoulder thus potentially weakening this wee bit of casting even more. So, I'm very happy to live with it as it is.
Here's the caliper carrier on the Ibiza with the insert in the bottom hole:
Here's a close up of it:
In fact if you look at the other side of the thread you can see the threaded insert isn't fully home:
This is because he's not cut the recess for the shoulder of the insert deep enough. When I first saw this yesterday, when I removed the slider pin, I did feel a little disappointed but now I've had time to think it over i think it's actually not a bad idea. The threaded portion of the pin is more than long enough to get a very good secure hold in the hole and, thinking about it, there's not a lot of "Meat" around that bit of the casting. Fully recessing the sleeve would entail taking out a fair bit more metal to accommodate the top shoulder thus potentially weakening this wee bit of casting even more. So, I'm very happy to live with it as it is.
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