couple of maintenance questions?

I am lookin into replacing my brakes, just seeing what you guys recommend? i have 99.5 a4 1.8t quattro 5 spd. Car has 93k miles on it. Go to dealer ? and use OE stuff or any cheaper aftermarket stuff just as good or better? Also have noticed a slight hesitation lately when accelerating, with that amount of miles what do you think it could be? i just replaced the airfilter like 2 k miles ago, this time around  i was going to at least do fuel filter while i do the brakes, but what about plugs/wires, o2 sensors? anything else that could cause this hesitation? Thanks for any info you can give.
 
thanks again
 
brad

With the brakes there is a DIY---
 
A8L Rotors with TT carriers. Just find the DIY link in the DIY section---You can get the parts on ECS tuning.
 
 
Doubt the 02 sensor's would do anything, becuase mine are dead i have four codes becuase of it---So i hope thats not a preformance problem :)

Not sure of the reason for the hesitation.  check for engine codes.

Brakes are a DIY if you have the tools, otherwise find an independent mechanic to do it.

i will be doing the brakes myself, i have no problem doing the work, im just lookin to see whats out there as far as brakes. Im trying to be cost effecient but something good too. Im lookin into that a8 swap stuff now. My question on the breaks though, im assuming its for the a8 quattro rotors, as long as they are the 312mm, now any big difference in the rotors like brand wise? better/worse kinda thing? whats the typical cost in doing this brake swap?  i dont think ill have the cash to do this but its tempting to figure a way to get the cash. is this brake swap with the front only ?

Not sure on the hesitation - it could be a million things.  As for the brakes, I just did the A8 upgrade yesterday, and it's 100% worth it.  Here's the post I put up about it:

http://www.audiforums.com/m.asp?m=810015

The DIY procedure is in the DIY section of AudiForums.

pics looked great on that, def a huge looks difference, only thing im debating now is do all four wheels for 383 or just the fronts for 450 ish lol. than again i might just wait and do something else first, i need to get my ABS controller replaces first, so im debating bout doing that instead.

If you're doing all four for $383, I'm assuming that's OEM-sized rotors, correct?  One reason for the price of the A8 kit is that the rotors are an inch larger than stock (12.3" vs 11.3"), and I paid extra for the drilled/slotted option.  You can use simple vented A8 rotors, and the kit runs $265.  The breakdown for my kit was:

A8 front rotors and TT caliper carriers - $265 (drilled/slotted option +$85)
Hawk ceramic street pads - $94

Believe me, the extra rotor diameter makes a difference, especially combined with the upgraded pads.  Just keep that in mind when you're looking at your brake system.

Long as your existing brakes aren't falling apart, then yeah, do the ABS controller first.  If you have pad separation (like I did) then you need to deal with your brakes first.  You can stop without ABS, but functioning ABS won't mean anything if your brake hardware is ruined.

Where did you get the a8 rotors and calipers for 265? i had them priced at 99.95x 2 for the carriers, 179.95 slotted rotors, and 70 for the ceramic pads on ECStuning?? and yes the 383 was for stock a4 stuff all new slotted rotors again from ecs w/ ceramic pads(assuming i need the ones with wires?). Im going to take it by Audi to get the codes ran and part number i need for my abs controller, sad times to hear thats what was wrong. I was hoping it was a sensor but i have bad luck with cars and the good side of problems never swing in my favor. i dont really have seperation for say, it also could be not having the abs could make my brakes feel bad too i think. Thanks for info and would love to know where u got those parts from? thanks
 
 

http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/pagebuild_v2.cgi?make=Audi&engine=1.8T&model=B5%20A4&submodel=Quattro&category=Braking&subcategory=Big%20Brake%20OEM

the second listing down. its 285 for non drilled/slotted and w/out pads

a8 kit w/tt carriers: 246...... non slotted or drilled
http://www.purems.com/products/product.php/II=810
 w/o sensor: 34 bucks
http://www.purems.com/products/product.php/II=413
w/ sensor:
http://www.purems.com/products/product.php/II=412
 
 
those are the ones i just got, but for a 01...... and i have sensors...... if you get the sensor and don't have them, cut the wire..... if you get sensorless and have a sensor, cut the connector and touch the two wires so you get no fault code
 
 
i have been very happy with both ecs and purems but you could look at alot of companies
 

Thanks for the links guys, now your making my decision harder, but i have to think smart and fix the abs controller lol

As for your hesitation, I'd check all of those parts that you mentioned - any of them could cause some trouble.  You could also do a throttle body alignment if your car is drive by wire (DBW).  Just pop the hood to listen, and turn the key on to full electrical power, and you'll hear a humming sound from the throttle body - that's the TB doing its self-adjustment.  If you don't hear it, either your TB is adjusted properly (it usually only has to be done when the battery has been disconnected) or you have a cable-actuated throttle.  You didn't mention if it's just  a stutter or if it's a consistent bogging hesitation, and whether it's only under moderate to heavy throttle (ie, when you need increased fuel), or if it's at a certain RPM no matter what your throttle input is.  That info could help - if it's under considerable load that you see it, I would suspect a clogged fuel filter that isn't letting enough fuel through to feed the engine's demand.  Have your car's ECU scanned at AutoZone (it's free) and maybe some latent codes (ones that don't trip a CEL) will show up and point the right way.  If you do have codes, post them up and search for them here using the search function and it'll help narrow things down.

Im going to make a run to the locak VW dealer that is if they will scan my Audi, dont feel like driving 40 minutes to get a scan done. i will let you know what comes up as far as codes, cause i know my ABS controller is bad, and i have teh INSP light on in my mile gage when i start the car. the hesitation is when i first start out and low rpm and accelerating slow, after a few seconds of giving it some gas it clears up and accelerates normal/better. its kinda like go/stop feeling, it starts to go but doesnt have enough juice to do it. thas why i think fuel filter, i mean its got 93k miles and no record of having it changed(people before me did great job of documenting reapair/maint) so ill dig in hopefully this weekend and get the codes sometime this week. and uptate your a8 upgrade does look killer. thanks for info guys.

update..... before i go to fixing the previous problems i am going to start with the noticebly bad one first. for the past few weeks my car has been making some bad "clunking" noise when i make a steady turn, or when hitting  bumps. when i talked to audi the other day they said it was most likely the CV joints need replaced. Now Assuming thats what it is, what all would i need to do and replace to fix this? is it a DYI kinda thing or something you would suggest taking to a shop? I like to consider my self mechanically speaking good at fixing stuff, given the right tools/info to do so. I checked out ECStuning for a baseline of prices, but what would i need? and is there anything you suggest i replace while im down under there and rippin into it? THanks again for all the info and help thus far.

Brad