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Comment by cartoonworld | Hacker News Reader

In the US market, I've found pads and rotors on the aftermarket for VW Passat for any model year including 2021. Centric sells pads and rotors front and rear.

VW (and others such as some Jeep) uses an electronic parking brake which requires a scan tool to command the ECU to enter maintenance mode in order to retract the electronic motor on the rear axle to allow the piston to retract.

You can do this at home if you have a scan too. If you do not have a scan tool it is still possible to do it manually by disconnecting and removing the EPB servo and manually retracting, but it tricky and not recommended.

They use triple square fasteners on the bracket, and are typically a pain in the ass for this make.

Is there something else I'm missing?

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This is why I'm a great fan of less electronics. An electronic parking brake is a non-feature. It takes away your option of leaving the parking brake off (they tend to seize when activated for a long period). It can break. It make service harder and more expensive than it should be.

The classic 'Mini' had it just about right: what isn't on there can't break or fall off.

I agree its annoying, personally I hate them.

They usually serve to allow for automatic roll-away protection. On new Jeep Latitudes they come on automatically when the vehicle senses you have the vehicle running and are stopped, with the door open, or neutral. Owners like the hand holding ... it's a Jeep thing.

It does increase the price a little bit and if you do not have an OBDII scan tool and need to buy one. If you operate the EPB maintenance mode very incorrectly it is possible to damage the EPB mechanism. They're pretty easy to operate and replace if you know what you're doing.

An ebike fits this idea fairly well. I commuted for several years on one when I lived in the city. After about a year I could fix anything on it. Was quite liberating.

Since I bought an e-bike my car has run its battery flat more than once, which is a good sign of how often it gets used. I had to get one of those drip chargers just to keep the battery topped up. E-bikes are a game changer. Originally I got one because I wrecked my right leg and have trouble getting the bike up to speed (once cruising it is fine though, because that requires much less force). But after a very short time I realized that besides the low starting torque the range is what really made me happy, the fact that even against the wind I can do 50 km in a bit under two hours without arriving dripping with sweat.

I've done a few thousand on the e-bike now and it is only getting used more and more. Car trips are now anything in really bad weather, long distance or with more cargo than the bike can take.

Right on! Free parking is another plus and I bet you still have a silly e-grin on your face after every ride. You can even run them all winter and in snow with studded tires and a bit of thought for the controller and moisture.

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