2011-2018 Volkswagen Jetta Front vs Rear Brakes: What Wears First and What to Replace

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

On a 2011-2018 Volkswagen Jetta the front brakes almost always wear out first, usually by a wide margin, because the front axle does most of the stopping. What you replace at the rear depends on your trim: many early base Jettas use rear drum brakes with shoes, while better-equipped trims use rear discs with pads. Confirm which one you have before you order anything.

How the Jetta's brakes are laid out

This generation Jetta always has disc brakes up front: a caliper squeezing two pads against a vented rotor. The rear is where the trims split. When this generation launched for 2011, Volkswagen took cost out of the car, and reviewers noted that the S and SE models gave up four-wheel disc brakes for rear drums, while the more expensive trims kept discs at the back. The base car also moved to a semi-independent torsion-beam rear suspension, with the GLI keeping a multilink rear setup.

When the Jetta was refreshed for 2015, reviewers of the 1.8T SE reported that the rear drums had been swapped for disc brakes. Because trims, engines and option packages changed several times across these eight model years, and because used cars get parts swapped, the only reliable answer for your car is to look.

Look through the spokes of the rear wheel with a flashlight. If you can see a caliper, you have rear discs. If you see a solid round drum, you have rear drums.

Why the front brakes wear first

When you brake, the car's weight pitches forward onto the front tires. That extra grip lets the front brakes do more of the work, so the brake system is designed to send them most of the stopping force. The Motorist Assurance Program puts the front share at about 70 percent of braking force on a typical car. Heat and friction follow the workload, so front pads and rotors wear faster.

The Jetta adds a front-heavy layout on top of that. The engine and transaxle both sit over the front wheels. In practice, most Jetta owners replace front pads more than once before the rear needs attention. That is normal and does not mean anything is wrong.

Rear drums on the S and SE cars tend to last a long time, because the shoes have a large friction area and do a small share of the work. Rear discs wear faster than rear drums, but still more slowly than the fronts.

Symptoms and how to tell which end is worn

• High-pitched squeal while driving that goes away when you brake: usually a front pad wear indicator touching the rotor. Inspect the fronts first.
• Grinding or scraping: pad material is gone and metal is contacting the rotor. Stop driving on it. The rotor will almost certainly need to be replaced.
• Steering wheel shake when braking from highway speed: points to the front rotors, which have uneven thickness or deposits.
• Pedal pulsation felt through the seat or pedal with a steady steering wheel: can point to the rear rotors or an out-of-round rear drum.
• Parking brake lever pulls up higher than it used to, or the car rolls on a slope: on drum cars, often worn shoes or a self-adjuster that has stopped working. On disc cars, check the rear pads and the parking brake mechanism.
• Brake warning light or a low fluid level: fluid drops slowly as pads wear. A sudden drop means a leak. Check the wheel cylinders on drum cars and the calipers and hoses on all cars.

The quickest check is visual. With the wheels off, compare how much friction material is left on the front pads with the rear pads or shoes. Also check the rotor surfaces for deep grooves, a raised lip at the outer edge, or blue heat spots.

What to replace, and what to replace with it

Front brakes

Front pads are the most common brake job on this car. For a quiet, low-dust daily driver, ceramic pads are the usual choice. We carry front ceramic brake pads for the 2011-2018 Jetta and Golf, and more options in our ceramic brake pad collection. Measure the rotors when you change the pads. If they are below the minimum thickness stamped on the rotor, or are grooved or warped, replace them in pairs. You can find them in our brake rotor collection. New pads on a worn rotor make noise, bed in poorly and wear out early.

At the same time, replace or clean and lubricate the caliper slide pins and pad clips. A brake hardware kit is inexpensive and prevents the sticking slides that cause uneven wear.

Rear discs

Rear pads and rotors follow the same rules as the front: replace them as an axle pair and check rotor thickness. Many rear calipers with a built-in parking brake mechanism need the piston turned back, not pushed straight in. Check the service information for your car before forcing it. Our brake pad collection covers front and rear sets.

Rear drums

Drum jobs involve more parts. Replace shoes as an axle set, and inspect the drums for scoring and for wear past the maximum diameter cast into the drum. Also check that the wheel cylinders are dry. A wet wheel cylinder or fluid on the backing plate means it is leaking, and you must replace it before you fit new shoes, or the new linings will be contaminated. Replacing the return springs and adjuster hardware is worthwhile on an older car. Shoes are in our brake shoe collection.

Brake fluid

Volkswagen dealer guidance calls for a brake fluid change every two years regardless of mileage. VW vehicles use glycol-based DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 fluid. Never use silicone-based DOT 5. Check your owner's manual or the reservoir cap for the exact specification. A brake job is a good time to flush old fluid, because fluid absorbs moisture over time, which lowers its boiling point.

How hard is the job?

Front pads and rotors on a Jetta are a reasonable job for a careful DIYer with a floor jack, jack stands, a torque wrench and basic hand tools. Torque the caliper bolts and lug bolts to the values in the factory service manual. Do not guess, and do not use an impact gun for final tightening.

Rear discs are similar, apart from retracting the caliper piston. Rear drums take the most patience: the springs are strong, the parts have to go back in the right order, and the shoes must be adjusted properly before the parking brake works correctly. Photograph one side before you take it apart, and work on one side at a time so the other side stays assembled as a reference.

After any pad or shoe job, pump the pedal until it is firm before you move the car. Then bed in the new pads with a series of moderate stops from moderate speed, without coming to a full stop and holding the brakes on hot rotors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my 2011-2018 Jetta have rear drum or rear disc brakes?

It depends on the trim and model year. Early S and SE models had rear drums, and higher trims had rear discs. Reviewers of the 2015 refresh reported discs replacing drums at the rear. Look through the rear wheel spokes: if you see a caliper, you have discs.

How often do Jetta front brakes need replacing compared with the rear?

Mileage depends on how and where you drive. But the front brakes handle roughly 70 percent of the braking force on a typical car, so fronts are usually replaced one or more times before the rears need service.

Should I replace front and rear brakes at the same time?

Only if both are worn. Replace brakes by axle, left and right together. Measure the rear before assuming it needs work, because rear drums in particular often have plenty of life left.

Do I need new rotors every time I change pads?

Not always. Replace rotors if they are below the minimum thickness stamped on them, or if they are grooved, cracked or causing vibration. Otherwise they can be reused if they are within spec and have a smooth surface.

What brake fluid does a Jetta use?

Volkswagen vehicles use glycol-based DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 fluid, never silicone DOT 5. Confirm the exact spec in your owner's manual. Change it every two years regardless of mileage.

Sources

1. MotorWeek - 2011 Volkswagen Jetta road test - S and SE models use rear drums; torsion-beam rear suspension
2. The Truth About Cars - 2011 Volkswagen Jetta review - base Jettas have rear drums; GLI keeps multilink rear
3. TFLcar - 2015 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T SE first impression - 2015 refresh replaced rear drums with discs
4. Motorist Assurance Program - Which brakes go bad first - front brakes handle about 70 percent of braking force
5. Central Volkswagen - VW brake fluid change interval - two-year interval; DOT 4 or DOT 5.1, never DOT 5