Woah, imagine that.
For what it's worth, I just sent out a brand new Meyle driver's side engine mount for warranty replacement. When I received it, the mount looked in awful shape and there was fluid all over the inside of its bag. Even had the "QC approved" sticker on the box! The replacement should be arriving today.

My point being, I wonder if Meyle quality is dropping... I've used lots of Meyle parts over the years and this is the first time I've (knowingly) had an issue.

 

Yeah this incident has swayed me away from their products going forward. I've got their 12 piece HD control arm kit installed and it's been good for 3 years now, but I'm starting to get a little clunk from the right front corner. I'll have to check out the CAs.

I also didn't think it could be the sensor since the symptoms were identical between the failing OEM unit and the replacement Meyle. Drove another 50 miles yesterday and haven't had a single code pop up, speedo works as it should.

Now I can focus on my front brake rehab.

Need to get:

Brake pads - Hawk HPS? - $120 (still not locked on a set of pads yet, for every good review of aftermarket pads there seems to be a bad one as well)
OEM brake fluid reservoir - $85
Brake fluid - Not set on a brand yet, $20-30
ECS stainless front lines - $50

Caliper stuff:

Seal kit (price per caliper) - OEM is $25, aftermarket is $11.
Guide bushings (per caliper) - OEM is $25, Meyle is $12
Guide pins (need 4) - Bremmenparts - $7 each

 

I got pretty lucky and a few weeks ago I snagged a set of HPS front pads for $80 shipped through Amazon! Keep your eyes peeled, these deals pop up.

Good choice on the front SS brake lines (I've got ones from MHM Autohaus). Have you considered going with SS lines in the rear too? I'm not sure if they would make much of a difference or not.

 

Are you running them yet? Any thoughts? I'll keep an eye out. $80 sounds much better than $120.

The only reason I'm not doing the rear lines right now is cost. I figure whenever I upgrade the rear pads/rotors I'll upgrade the lines too. $50 for front lines is a lot cheaper than $120 for a full set.

 

Ordered a set of Hawk HPS front pads for $70 shipped on amazon. Also threw in a set of yellow Lamin-x films for the fog lights.

 

I've been running HPS pads front/rear in my older A4 for nearly 3 years (~35k miles) now. Yes, the same set of pads, and they still have at least half their life left! But I have a good driving style that maximizes pad life and MPG, which includes lots of engine braking.
Some people don't like them. They don't have a ton of initial bite, but this allows you to modulate the brakes a little better. In other words, braking force increases rather nicely with pedal travel. Some like a lot of initial bite as it doesn't require as much pedal travel.

Have you looked into the S4 rear brake upgrade at all? Same pads, but different calipers and rotors. The rotors are slightly larger and VENTED for better braking performance I've got S4 rear rotors (new), and am in-process of rebuilding S4 rear calipers.

 

Good to hear. How was the dust buildup?

I've been keeping an eye out for an A8 at the yard to pull the rear carriers off. But I don't have plans to do anything like that right now, better places to spend the money (like an exhaust..clutch..)

 

Dust buildup isn't bad especially considering how rarely my car gets washed.

 

I try to wash mine once a week, so shouldn't be a problem.

Still averaging 16mpg with a stock ECU and a new front O2 sensor.

 

Had a couple close calls today while driving Redwood Road in Castro Valley. Namely a suicidal turkey and a blind-corner lane-crossing motorcyclist.


Also encountered a parade of roller bladers in SF the other night.