Question about front brake replacement

**Tryguy** · 03-09-2015 07:06 AM

Hi all,

I know this is a tough question to ask without posting pictures or more detail, but I was hoping you would be able to give me a general sense of whether I can simply replace my front pads without replacing rotors on my '08 RS4?

The car has just over 60,000 KM's (just over 40,000 miles) on it and the pads have approximately 3-4mm left on them. I drive the car about 10KM a day to a from the commuter train here in Toronto. The light hasn't gone off yet on the dash, but my mechanic definitely called it out last service I had done. He was fairly adamant that everything had to be replaced at the same time (at a cost of +/- $2700), but I have had another mechanic (my wife's) state that I may be able to get away with just replacing the pads.

Is there a reason I can't just replace the pads on this particular vehicle? I know very little mechanically about cars and even less about these crazy performance beasts.

Any guidance or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance

**moyenecorniche** · 03-09-2015 08:09 AM

No... You are close to past the point of just pads. Especially on the RS4. There are less expensive options. You can do this yourself quite easily in less than 1 hour. each wheel should not take more than 15-20 minutes to remove wheel, disengage the caliper, pop the old pads off, replace and pull the ( too thin rotor ) off and replace. That will save you much labor cost. There should be plenty of threads on DIY's for the RS4 here.

BTW which RS4 brake rotor/caliper pads are you running. the OEM RS4 stock or the high end very expensive RS4. You can always downgrade back down if the latter.

But here's a link. Read and decide. http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...rs-replacement

**Tryguy** · 03-09-2015 08:23 AM

This is very helpful moyenecorniche. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Originally Posted by moyenecorniche

No... You are close to past the point of just pads. Especially on the RS4. There are less expensive options. You can do this yourself quite easily in less than 1 hour. each wheel should not take more than 15-20 minutes to remove wheel, disengage the caliper, pop the old pads off, replace and pull the ( too thin rotor ) off and replace. That will save you much labor cost. There should be plenty of threads on DIY's for the RS4 here.

BTW which RS4 brake rotor/caliper pads are you running. the OEM RS4 stock or the high end very expensive RS4. You can always downgrade back down if the latter.

But here's a link. Read and decide. http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...rs-replacement

**Audibot** · 03-09-2015 09:16 AM

Yeah, $2700 is stupidly expensive--I feel you're being price gouged because it's an RS4. As moyenecorniche said, brakes are pretty easy if you have jackstands/ramps. Definitely cheaper options out there.

**ECS Tuning-Audi** · 03-09-2015 09:26 AM

Typically if you are just planning on replacing pads at the very least you should have the rotors turned. It's always a good idea to have a fresh surface for the new pads to bed to. Especially if you plan on running a different brand pad as sometimes two different pad materials on one rotor can cause inconsistencies which may cause a vibration felt through the pedal and steering wheel when the brakes are applied.

Most shops don't have a lathe to turn rotors and it is more time consuming, so it's easier for them to pull a new set of rotors off the shelf and install them which is why most push for new rotors.

Jason

**moyenecorniche** · 03-09-2015 09:56 AM

Personally, I have never had rotors turned on the S4. There's quite a debate on Pros and Cons concerning Audi Rotors. Audi does not recommend turning rotors, neither do most S4 and RS4 owners. When my rotors have lost 2mm+ of thickness I will exchange them for new long before they reach the minimum thickness. That is my preference and based on safety plus the fact that there is only One shop in my region that I considered to perform this, they declined. Yes it's the Audi dealer That I have gone to for 7+ years. But so did my independent Vag / Merc/ BM certified tech. So two Nays plus Audi tell me it's not a good idea. After all I prefer to never have any doubts about my braking system That is worth spending a bit more.
As I said do some searching and draw your own conclusions.

Actually you should go to the specific RS4 section of the Forum and ask some of the guys what their recommendations are.

**ECS Tuning-Audi** · 03-09-2015 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by moyenecorniche

Actually you should go to the specific RS4 section of the Forum and ask some of the guys what their recommendations are.

This is the RS4 specific section!

Jason

**RichardG** · 03-09-2015 01:10 PM

Just did my front rotors and pads all around this weekend. Front rotors: Stoptech Aero rotors $793 shipped from THM, Pads: Stoptech street performance front and rear $170 shipped from ebay. Took a couple of hours to replace using my lift. Car has 62K miles and front rotors measured at 1.263" just at the min thickness, this is the third set of pads in the front (orginal, Stoptech and Stoptech again) pads just about to cut though wear indicators. Rear rotors have about 1.5mm of life left. Make sure you or your mechanic properly beds the pads/rotors if you replace them.

**Eric F** · 03-09-2015 04:38 PM

$2700 is stupid expensive but your mechanic isn't trying to gouge you. The MSRP of OEM rotors and pads is $2600. You can save some money by going with something else other than OEM, and IMHO, get better performance too. I personally went with Stoptech rotors from TH Motorsports. JHM is another good popular alternative. ECS also just recently started selling some RS4 rotors that look intriguing.

**Tryguy** · 03-10-2015 05:30 AM

Awesome information Richard. Thanks for taking the time to respond and post pictures.

Originally Posted by RichardG

Just did my front rotors and pads all around this weekend. Front rotors: Stoptech Aero rotors $793 shipped from THM, Pads: Stoptech street performance front and rear $170 shipped from ebay. Took a couple of hours to replace using my lift. Car has 62K miles and front rotors measured at 1.263" just at the min thickness, this is the third set of pads in the front (orginal, Stoptech and Stoptech again) pads just about to cut though wear indicators. Rear rotors have about 1.5mm of life left. Make sure you or your mechanic properly beds the pads/rotors if you replace them.

**Tryguy** · 03-10-2015 05:31 AM

I am definitely thinking about going the Stoptech route now. Thanks

Originally Posted by Eric F

$2700 is stupid expensive but your mechanic isn't trying to gouge you. The MSRP of OEM rotors and pads is $2600. You can save some money by going with something else other than OEM, and IMHO, get better performance too. I personally went with Stoptech rotors from TH Motorsports. JHM is another good popular alternative. ECS also just recently started selling some RS4 rotors that look intriguing.