A3 Squeaky Brakes

So I've been hearing a lot of people complain about Audi's in general with squeaky brakes. Even those with brand new vehicles. Anyone have these problems? Or know of any similar stories?


thanks

I have a 07 A3, 9.8k miles, no squeaky brakes yet. I know a ton of people with Audis and I havent heard of them having squeaky brakes.

I have a 08 A3 and the brakes have squeaked since it was 5 days old. Its been back to the dealer and it stopped for a couple of days but it has come right back.

IMHO squeeky brakes are general an indication of the driver's braking style and not so much an inherent flaw in the material. If you are always light on the brake pedal, and you let the brakes grab at stops, you run the risk over time of creating a squeeky brake situation.If the brakes and pads are bedded properly there shouldn't be a problem with squeeking.
 
There is a thread on this or another forum that outlines a technique for bedding in new brakes.
 
Essentially, what's required is to do a few repeated hard stops from about 50mph, allowing the discs and pads to heat up and season the rotor surface with a fine coating of pad material. 
 
The thread also emphasized the important of gradually releasing the pedal at the last 10' or so of your stop so that the brake doesn't grab suddenly. The reason for this is that you want the coating to be evenly created.
 
This technique is used to bed down the pad and rotor, but it also can be used to recoat a rotor that is unevenly glazed due to improper bedding. 
 
YMMV.

i believe there is a tread that deals with this issue check the noob thread at the top of the A3 page

Betus! So what are you going to do? This is my worst fear that it will happen to my a3

I would just take it back until they fix it right or I would complain if it wasnt getting fixed

My A3 developed squeaky breaks after about 4K.  I blew them clean with compressed air and they've been quiet since. I'll do the same next time they squeak. 

Do like it says in the squeeky brake thread in the noob section.  Beat the piss out of them with several 60 - 5 mph "slowdowns" (do not come to a complete stop) to reseat your pads/rotors.  The pads are glazed, likely from easy braking, and they need to be cleaned.  I promise, it will be some of the funnest 'maintenance' you will ever do on your car.

Unfortunately it looks like noisy brakes is a fact of life with the Audi A3 & A4. At 4k my A3 brakes started to squeal at the slightest touch and every dog in the neighborhood would come running. Audi cleaned the brakes at my 5k visit and warned me that the squeal may come back.
Apparently the aspestos that coated the old brakes on many models of cars is no longer safe to use (duh), but it did prevent noisy brakes. I have since complained to Audi HQ and my local dealer. In response and to my local Audi's credit, they have now cleaned (or deglazed) my brakes 3 times with no charge. Unfortunately there seems to be no solution in sight and i can only hope they develop a better brake in due time...I love my A3, but it's a bit embarrasing when im braking to a stop and sidewalk pedestrians cover their ears.

My A3 had squeaky breaks from early on. Probably about 1k in. But really only when braking on downhill slopes and its got more weight on them with gravity pulling down. Kind of annoying, but planning on upgrading soon when i get back home.

brodieone - what do you mean by upgrading - car or brake??? Because there is no solution to the noisy brake problem - which Audi has acknowledged. But if you have heard something different please post it here!!!!!!!

Just got my car back from maintenance on Friday; they advised doing 2 things:  1) find an empty parking lot or road and brake hard a couple of times from 35mph to wear glaze off the brake pads, and 2) power wash the brakes to rinse away excess dust. 

Aceface3,

That is terrible. And if your car is so loud that pedestrians cover their ears it is TOTALLY unacceptable and NOT an Audi wide problem. That is simply outrageously terrible, and my A3 brakes DO NOT squeak, never have. They "moan" when the parking brake is applied and I shift heavy objects, but they do not make a sound when using them on the road.

Take the advice of other posts in the list...cream your brakes a few time without coming to a full-stop...it really keeps brakes 'tight'

As for upgrading, just upgrade the brakes. They are a system like any other on the car, and you can get some pretty sweet aftermarket setups that can put a bruise on your shoulder from the restraint! They are costly though and obviously you need a trustworthy shop to install them. However, like I said above, that type of problem is absolutely NOT normal. Push Audi harder on a better fix, try the brake 'break-ins' here, and perhaps consider how you drive the car a bit more. I loaned a car to my wife and it got squeaky after her driving it for a couple of months. I took it back and showed the brakes what they are there for, and after a couple of days, no more squeaky!

Good luck, hope you get some quiet brakes soon!

TPE_A3 -
Thanks for your concern and advice and I'm happy for you that you haven't had this problem. I have creamed the brakes many times - it was the advice i was given after the first visit -my attitude for a $35k car is that no one should have to do any type of maintenance with their vehicle, especially within the first 10k miles. After the 3rd deglazing i was able to go 48 hrs (which is longer than the previous 2 deglazings) before a noticeable brake noise is back. It's not quite at the level of having to "cover the ears" but it's there.

I was speaking of whole new setups. either porsche or brembos. not just to take care of the squeaks, but that is a plus

AceFace,

On the maintenance front...I somewhat agree with you but it's not a reality. I was thinking about maintenance when I was deciding between an A3 and a Lexus IS 250. The lexus is "buy and forget", maintenance seems optional with them. Audi, not quite the same, but when you drive the car, thankfully, it's not quite the same as driving other cars, so I'm willing to suffer a little inconvenience to get the joy of our cars. BUT...what I'm telling you is that the squeaky brakes as you have described are NOT normal. 2 weeks ago, I was out with a group of 11 A3s, and not one squeaked. If it keeps happening after they clean them, to me, it seems they ought to change them, and see if that helps. If that doesn't work, I would do as brodieone suggests...upgrade to some brembos or AP Racing, have better stopping power and peace and quiet. Fight the dealer AceFace or go quietly to a professional shop and get some upgrades done. But I hear you, one should not have to upgrade brakes on an expensive car to avoid squeaks! Hope it works out for you!!