I started changing my discs, pads, shoes & drums about 2 weeks ago. Today the piece of s**t is still sat on axle stands.

Caliper retaining bolts were rounded off by a windy gun as described in my other post. Finally managed to get them out after an hour and a half of beating hex's and torx in to them to bite. I fitted the new discs and pads. My polo has no disc retaining screws so went to my VW dealers and suprise suprise they don't stock them.

I started doing the rears to find one rather messy inside. As suspected my O/S wheel cylinder had failed!!! Straight to my local motorfactor the following morning to find they are special order. Go back tea time and even though I ordered it they gave it to a garage who asked after me so I re-ordered again! Following night I got one at last. The N/S lower return spring had corroded and broke up. Went to VW again and they have a million and one different sets and don't recognise my reg number! Try my motorfactor and they do have them but they're lost in the storeroom somewhere!!! Following day I get those.

Now armed with parts for the rear I start building them up. N/S done ok. Go to put the drum on and I realise it don't fit. They put the wrong part in the wrong box!!! Guess what I'd just put a brand new bearing in the brand new drum so that had to come out so I could swap the drums for the correct ones the following day. Armed with new drums today I completed the N/S rear. Woohooo! I was a happy man. Tackled the wheel cylinder on the O/S now I was in a better mood and it went piece of cake! Done in no time and re-built. Now a nice simple bleed job. Bled the new wheel cylinder easy peasy. Go to N/S rear and the f*%£$ng bleed nipple shears clean off!!!!!!!!

I am going to have a stroke

Now need to totally strip the N/S rear that I just built up and install a new special order wheel cylinder. I can't wait to go back to my local motorfactors. Think I must be a shareholder in their firm by now.

Thought about giving her a wash with some petroleum and a zippo!!! Piece of junk.

Fortnights like this push me ever nearer to autographing and order form for a brand new Octavia vRS tdi.

Why do we waste our time with corroded old motors. What you save on buying new you get stung on maintanence. Swings and roundabouts I suppose. I had to put my strong bar down coz the beast was coming close to be re-modelled peugeot 206 bangra style.

sh*t happens mate... I'm sure we've all had those throw a hammer at it moments!

out of curiousity are u using genuine VW bits from a dealer?...jus seems like you would have had less problems with wrong or poor quality parts using your VIN there...although they're not cheap i know

Sh*t like that happens to us all. I've not long fitted a new set of black diamond discs and pads to my G along with braided hoses and new brake fluid. Then a few weeks ago my brakes failed completely, and it transpired it was because the pads were sticking and boiling the fluid which resulted in brake failure (pretty scary at the ahem speed I was doing).

So me and my bro sorted out the sticking calipers (or so we thought) then I drive it one Sunday to find that they've been sticking again and have now warped the front drivers disc, NOT a happy bunny

Ah well it's all good fun I suppose

Sal. x