There is no way of checking the rear brake linings on my 2007 Volkswagen Polo short of taking off the drums and looking. By the time I'd clocked up 85,000 miles, a couple of lining rivets were touching the drum, so I needed to act. This large distance is a tribute to my gentle braking and anticipatory driving style, as well as having been driven one-up, thus placing minimal loading on the rear brakes; if you were carrying a family in the car, you could knock 20,000 or more off that mileage. By this point, all of the brake fixtures and fittings were in an advanced state of wear, so I bought a complete replacement kit, including shoes, a spring kit, wheel cylinders and drums. The cylinders were not leaking, but why wait until the inevitable?
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