When I said 'less expensive,' I didn't mean to somehow imply that I would compromise on safety. Quite the opposite. I'm pretty sure that Audi has at least a few good lawyers who wouldn't let them put minimum thicknesses on their factory rotors if they weren't safe to operate within those dimensions. Also, given the "occasional" bad experience that people are known to have with dealership service, I wouldn't automatically assume that paying a lot more to have your brakes fixed means that they are somehow done better at the dealer. I'm happy to say that I have no personal experience with Audi dealers, but I've had some very bad service work done on other vehicles at other dealerships, so you have to be careful no matter who works on your car.

 

Some rotors are just funny from the factory. I had a rotor that developed pulsation on a brand new Honda after 15,000 miles. Dealer claimed that it was my driving style and turned (resurfaced) them. Within 5,000 miles the pulsation came back. I put on a fresh set of Brembo blanks. Had the car for another 60K miles and never had an issue.

With that said, modern european rotors from the factory are really soft. Get yourself an aftermarket rotors such as Brembo and they will work better than the OEM. FYI there is no need for drilled and slotted rotors for stock cars, unless you want the look.

 

Wow.... I thought this thread was DOA because I had subscribed to updates and never gotten an e-mail and here I see there's been actual conversation and even an attack on my character by someone that has no idea who I am, excellent! Glad to know the Internet remains true to form.

I took it to the dealer today to have the 25k maintenance done and as I expected they want $450 to turn the fronts. OK I can afford to pay this money but it GALLS me to pay that much when I know I can do it myself in an hour or so for half that using new parts. Maybe that kind of thinking is why I can afford to have it done but still be smart enough not to throw away my money on dealer hourly rates??

Just to give some background.. I do my own brakes all the time but I just moved and I don't have my lift setup at the new place yet to make this easier to do, which is why I had the dealer look. I track my 2008 Z06, which by the way I paid cash for dipwad and I could afford that too, and I do my own brakes, including rotors, pads and bleeds. Guess what, when I hit my pedal over & over again at 150mph @ VIR turning into the hogpen after the back straight it was solid EVERY time so I know how to do a brake job, do it well, and trust my own work with life. OK, well I need to stop letting trolls get under my skin some day, but that's something I can keep working on.

I still would prefer replacing the rotors. The more material you remove the less material their is to shed heat. I know I can get 'em cut but experience tells me once you do that they don't last, another reason not to pay $450 only to pay more than that again a few miles down the road when they warp sooner than they should. I'm still not finding a good source for the rotors online but after I get my lift setup again and pop the rotors off I'll run 'em down to NAPA and see what they have.

Thanks to those who provided USEFUL replies.

 

Nice reponce. I'm glad to see it was well written and thoughtful, while still addressing the "troll" issues.
Forums in general, are like being in a room with a hundred or so, people. All of them listening to your conversation. 90% will process the information and move on. Some will respond with genuine concern. And then there are the "trolls".
You'll find that the "trolls" are really, just like us in many ways, but perhaps not addressing the stress in their lives as well as they could. So what you see are these outbursts and attacks, brought on by normal conversations. It's how they "vent", because they feel they are not allowed to "vent" in there "real" lives.
You will notice that my responce to your post was accurate, offered choices (never telling someone what they should do) and was never directed at your character.
That's because I know how to handle stress. I have lots of it, but take steps to control it, so that I don't become a "troll", I believe the secret to controlling stress is: frequent ************ and high alcahol consumption.
Hope I made you smile! Good luck with the brakes!