Fantastic tool and if I did more vehicles I’d even buy the set!
I have a VW Passat which has obviously had a hard life before I got it. The rear brakes, as seen in the video, are heavily covered in surface rust etc and only so much can be removed without a full caliper rebuild. I decided to change my rear pads and came up against the issues with the caliper including rusted solid electronic handbrake motor screws and a previously partly chewed bleed nipple.
I sorted out the caliper and motor issues to be left with the bleed nipple which I had some spare, so replaced with a new one.
I then found the reason for the other being chewed is the ridiculously tight space the spanner needs to go into to move the nipple. I have two standard brake spanner’s, a 9/11mm and a 10/11mm, this nipple is 11mm and was almost impossible to get onto this nipple due to the brake flexi hose.
I considered sockets and a ratchet spanner but even they were struggling to fit, and when my spanner fitted the movement was tiny and would take so long to undo/tighten that it would cause problems with the bleeding (using a power bleeder)
Then I saw this. I was unsure of how it worked from the pics and description so I’ve uploaded a video showing it. It’s basically an 11mm multipoint socket attached captive to a small ring spanner with an extension to the bleed nipple right through the centre.
The socket has a completely flat surface above the hex area to allow the spanner to lift off, turn then reattach to the socket to turn more.
I can’t begin to describe how easy this spanner is to use. From experience I would say it will even work with partly chewed bleed nipples as long as they have been freed off to turn.
I wouldn’t expect this spanner to hold up to a siezed solid nipple and would recommend getting the nipple to move before using this spanner but it’s going to be one of the best tools you ever bought to save you time if you do brake work on a reasonably regular basis.
If there was an option for more than 5 stars I would have been giving it.
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