Swapping out oem brake pad question..

[Poodini]

I recently had my rotors/pads done back in late November and I can't stand all the dust/squeeking I'm just now starting to hear!

Read a lot of good feedback regarding Akebono Euros but do I need to replace the sensors as well as the pads?

ECS suggested I get the full set, pads w sensors and also replacing brake lines for improved pedal feel/response.

Any/All suggestions greatly appreciated!


Seems a lot on here dig the Akebono Euro pads. I contacted ECS Tuning and they suggested I replace the pads and sensors as well as new brake lines.



Is that really necessary? Wouldn't swapping out just the pads and maybe sturdier lines be sufficient? Unsure as to why I need the full pad assembly w sensors if I just only recently had them replaced.



Any/all info suggestions welcome!



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http://www.audizine.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11327857


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[inv3rtig0]

I swapped out just the pads a couple weeks back without issue. It is worth noting the Akebono pads don't have the same initial bite, which is probably why the SS lines were recommended, but they're not required.

[sfl_A4]

Rather than open a new thread I thought I could add to this thread... this is the closest I could find to my questions. if this is frowned upon I can open another thread. Thanks.

My car is a 2013 A4Q, 6MT, with 78k miles (nearly all highway miles). My dealer says my pads are getting critically low, they used some kind of feeler gauge with the calipers still on, and they said they were down to 4-5mm so they said it was "urgent".

Dealers are notorious for exaggerating the urgency on brake pads, I learned after my wife and daughter were duped by the dealer and I ended up replacing perfectly good pads that were barely half warn, so I'm very skeptical.


Assuming I have to replace the pads, I would like to do the job myself. I've done pads on at least a dozen cars, and I've done the intake port carbon cleaning on this Audi, replaced the fuel pump on my other Audi, and I've replaced turbos, intercoolers and so on, so I'm not afraid to get dirty doing something like this. I have a lot of the tools, but not having done Audi pads, I just want to double check.

So here are my questions;
- Is it normal on B8.5 to go through pads so much quicker than the B7? My B7 A4Q 6MT before I sold it had 125k miles on original pads, with plenty of material to get to 150K and more.
- Are the Akebono Euros a good alternative to the OEM pads? Folks here seem to like them. My oem pads squeal a bit, very annoying, and I understand the ceramic Akebonos don't bite as hard.
- My rotors seem fine, no pulsing and no scars. Do OEM rotors last longer than this or should I replace them?
- Do I need special tools to retract the pistons, or disable the parking brake?

Thanks.

[Smac770]

min spec for the front and rear pads is 7mm thickness. Min spec for the front rotors is 28mm. I replaced my fronts and rears at 105, but no idea what might have been done before I bought it at 44k. Since then, the front pads and rotors (both Audi OE) both last about 50k. The rears are still there with no sign of needing replacement. So I would imagine your fronts are long overdue at 78k. How long should they last? Till 7mm and 28mm. How long will it take you to get to that? No idea. Should the rotors and pads likely wear such that you'll replace both together? That's been the case three times running now for my Audi OE fronts.

I'm trying the Akebono/Zimmerman pair this time on the fronts, just to see how it goes. They lack the immediate responsiveness of the Audi OE parts, but they do work. Just some expectation adaptation.

I just use a c-clamp to leverage the piston back in. I leave the inner pad in the piston and then c-clamp it and a wood block on the caliper to work it back in. But whatever works. If doing rears, I own VCDS so I would be able to do the rears correctly. The parking brake is on the rears and should be retracted with the diag tool to free up the caliper. The fronts are pretty easy. Haven't needed to do the rears yet, but they have one time use bolts on them too.

[sfl_A4]

Thanks @smac770.

Bear in mind I'm driving a manual transmission, which is why I have generally gotten much longer life from the pads. I borrowed a VCDS, but I have a Mac and I can't get it working. I may have to borrow a windows laptop somewhere.

[A4x]

You will have no problem doing the front pads yourself based on your experience. They're easy. For the rears, you do need VCDS to back off the parking brake. Possibly Carista or ODB11 could do it also from your phone. You'll have to investigate.

SMac gave you the best answer above as he usually does. However for reference, here is how long my brakes lasted:

Original front and rear pads replaced at 60k km (40k miles) due to car being sold as CPO. Replacement pads were OEM.

@ 132k km (82k miles) my front pads were getting thin so I replaced with Akebono Euro Ceramic. The rotors were still original and were completely toast. Large wear grooves cut into them (mostly on the inside so it wasn't visible while on the car). Replaced with Bosch rotors. I did front and rear even though the rear pads still had some meat on them, the rotors were really ugly because they were original.

Yes, Akebono lose some initial bite but they will brake just as hard if you step on the pedal. I actually find the brake application to be smoother and more comfortable with the Akebonos. With the OEM pads, the initial bite was strong and it was difficult to apply the brakes smoothly. The Akebono's do not dust, not even 10% of the OEM pads, so these are a huge winner for me.

To summarize: pads last about 40k miles and rotors might last 2 sets of pads. Heavily dependent on driving style.

[sfl_A4]

Thanks @A4x

Good point about checking the inside surface of the rotors. The outer surface on all 4 look to be in good shape, but I haven't yet checked the other side. I have to get VCDS working!