Volkswagen Disc Brake Caliper - Genuine VW 3AA615403

Product Information

Brake calipers are controlled by your vehicle's brake hydraulic system. When the pedal is pressed, brake fluid pressure is pushed through the master cylinder to the caliper, which extends the piston and forces the brake pads against the rotors to slow your vehicle down. Brake calipers are a pretty simple mechanical device that usually consists of a caliper housing, caliper piston, and an internal square-cut seal.

Brake calipers are subjected to extreme heat with constant heating and cooling cycles. The most common brake caliper failure that occurs is the failure of the internal square-cut seal. The seal fails due to a corroded piston that can tear the seal preventing the caliper piston from being able to retract after being pushed outward. This results in dragging brakes and uneven pad wear.

The best preventative maintenance you can do for your braking system is to flush it regularly. Brake fluid is hygroscopic which means it absorbs moisture over time. Moisture in the braking system can cause brake lines and seals to corrode internally resulting in premature failures. FCP Euro recommends flushing your vehicle's brake system yearly for regular use with the interval increasing for heavy or high mileage use.

• Caliper piston is seized or will not push back into bore
• Brake fluid leaks from piston boot
• Broken or seized bleeder screw
• Heavily corroded brake caliper piston

About Genuine VW

The Volkswagen Group, also known as “VAG”, consists of Volkswagen, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche, Ducati, MAN, Scania, SEAT, and Skoda. The original parts used by VW to build your car are available as replacement parts under the “Genuine VW” brand. Manufactured under the direction of VW, expect excellent quality and a premium price since these parts are available exclusively through the VW Dealership network.

You may not realize this, but the parts that make up your VW are not necessarily manufactured by VW. No cause for concern, as VW designs the part, hires a manufacturer, and ensures its quality to you. In fact, many of these manufacturers have been making parts for VW for decades. In our industry these manufacturers are called OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers), and these are often brands you recognize, including Lemforder, ZF, Sachs, Bosch, Valeo, Zimmermann, Siemens VDO, Corteco, and more. Don’t be surprised to open that Genuine VW parts box and find an OEM branded part inside, simply with the addition of a VW logo.

Be sure to keep an eye out for OE tags on our product pages to quickly identify parts coming directly from OE manufacturers. That extra bit of insight could save you some serious money while shopping! Refer to our OE Academy for further information regarding the OE/OEM tags throughout the site.