I know this has been addressed here somewhere, but I can't find it on a search. Can anyone recommend rear brakes for my '98 A4 Quattro 1.8 (80k miles) I guess I have to buy the piston twist tool as well, correct?

I've already replaced the fronts, and this is the second go around on the rears. That seems very odd to me. I'm used to rear brakes lasting at least twice as long as the fronts.

 

That is pretty odd that they're going bad that often. You should get that checked out.

What exactly are you looking to do with your rear brakes? pads only? pads & rotors?

 

The rotors look fine, so I'll just be doing pads. I wasn't sure if Audi set it up so the rear brakes harder than a conventional setup. I've never heard anyone say they do.

I'm thinking Audi puts in REALLY soft pads, then wants to charge you $400 to change them out. The previous owner had them done right before I bought it. It's insane how much the dealer wants. I'm doing it for less than $40.

 

Its pretty much the same as a honda with rear brake discs. I think its the same tool from auto zone to twist in the brake caliper piston. Pad wear on the rears are actually faster than the fronts on audi's. I usually replace them every 25k on B5 and B6 A4's all the time. The factory pads are about $50.

 

I got all 4 replaced when i bought the car, the rears are at 70% and the front are better, i wonder if the e brake using all the time make a difference, ovb being standard i use everyday. If its only a 40 bucks for Parts ill change them every 30k miles doenst bother me.

 

Buy ceramics, they produce less dust and should last longer. Using them on the front would be a good idea too. Anyway, I bought Akebono Euro ceramics from Tirerack.com for front and rear. They work really well and dust is almost non-existant.

 

I wish I would have seen your post yesterday. I bought semi-metallics and installed them yesterday. The whole thing cost me less than $35. The dealer wanted $380.00.

 

Hehe, at the end of the week when you look at your dusty wheels, you will wish even more you had seen the post earlier. When I bought my car it had new organic pads, but I redid them anyway just to get ceramics on there. Big difference. I ended up giving away my old pads to someone on here.

Yes you will save a lot of money DIY rather than paying a dealer to do it. Do anything yourself that you can and find a local shop to do the rest. The dealership will suck you dry if you use them for repairs.