Hello all,

I've got a 2007 Audi a6 3.2 Quattro. I just took the car in for an oil change at 35K. The dealer said the front pads are at 5mm and the rears are at 6mm. He said that I would shortly need new rotors and pads for the front and back. He quoted me a price of $1,100. Assuming that these are the original pads, why in the world would I need new rotors? Can't I just get by on new OEM pads that I can pick up online for around $145 and have them installed at an independent brake shop? The rotors likely have never been turned and aren't likely warped either. Finally, what is the depth of new front and rear pads?

Thanks for the help!

 

Is your car slowing down in a "wave like" fashion? While not fool-proof, it's a sign of warped rotors. I don't know of any reason to change out the rotors with pads unless there is a rotor problem.

 

No. Stops are straight and true. Car does not noticeably move to the left or right when applying the brakes.

 

Your probably going to get a bunch of different sugestions on this. Some will say replace the rotors withthe pads. Other's will tell you to turn the rotors and put new pads on.

Here is what I'd do -- (but remember I'm cheep) If there is no pulsation ie things are smooth when you stop I'd just put new pads on it. I'd most likely take a grinder and remove the ridge or the outside of the rotor if it was very large.

 

The dealer changed my pads at 40k under the original 3yr/50k warranty which included maintenance. They did not recommend rotors and the car stopped straight with no pulsing nor weaving. Changed all pads, rear rotors, and turned front rotors at 101k, cost $545 by my indie shop. Now at 140k and brakes are fine -- no pull, no weave. I believe my guy used Centrex brake pads and rotor. Very little dust.

 

Well it is pretty standard to change rotors with pads on these cars. At minimum it is recommended that you resurface your rotors, but with the labor costs these days, it sometimes makes sense to just replace the rotors.

 

The newer cars have even softer rotors than previously installed on the C5 A6. They only recommended it because the rotors will most likely be "under spec" when measuring the thickness of the rotor. This doesn't mean the rotor is warped, but if the thickness of the rotor isn't up to spec, excess heat will be applied to the pads. When you apply more heat to the brake pads, the faster they will wear out.

Personally these pads wear so damn fast anyway i would just say **** it and do what NH USA said and just hit the rotors with a grinder wheel to clean it up a little bit and throw on new pads. The thickness of a new pad is 12mm BTW.

 

I am the original owner of an 05 4.2 with 59,000 miles. I am still on the original rotors. The low brake pad sensor light came on around 25,000 miles and the front pads were replaced. The low pad sensor light came on around 30,000 miles and the rear pads were replaced. I say wait for the warning light to come on before you replace the pads. I would also be suprised if you need new rotors in that my 4.2 weighs more than your 3.2 and I am still on the original rotors. Of course if the original owner of your car drove it in such a manner that it needs new rotors at 35,000 miles I would sell the car because it has been abused and is going to become a problem.

 

Depending on how mechanically inclined you are, I'd say just do it yourself and replace both the pads and rotors. I did the brakes on my 00' a6 4.2 myself and paid 160 for stock rotors and 140 for hawk pads. Then paid 60 bucks to have it pressure bled. It sure beat payin the dealership over 700 bucks for the job. And as stated before, theres still a good amount of pad left.

 

If nothing is pulsating and your breake pad warning is not chiming you have some time. It will probably cost ya around $400 in parts. I checked Blauparts and could only find the front OEM rotor/pad kit for both wheels ($209). They didn't list the rear kit for a 2007 A6, weird. I would image they would be around the same price. If the 2007 is similar to the 2002, the rear break piston will have to be reset by rotating it while applying pressure. This can be a pain without the proper tool. Hopefully they got rid of that on newer models. Be sure to find that out and if you go with an Indy mechanic ask if they have the proper tool and understand that they can't just compress the piston back in.. Good luck!