2004 A6 2.7T new brake pads/rotors w/fluid flush/replacement = poor braking
 

Hi All,

Just had front brake pads and rotors replaced due to wear and had the 2 yr recommended brake fluid flush. On the way home I noticed that the brake performance sucked. Pedal felt soft and if there was an emergancy braking situation I may not have been able to stop. I figured it was due to new pads/rotors or maybe the brake fluid flush so I was a little heavy on the brakes on the way home and each time I stopped, performance got a little better. By the time I got home, brakes were performing close to what I would call normal. Is this likely due to the new pads and rotors or maybe the brake fluid replacement? If so, are the "break in" procedures I should follow for Audi brake pads/rotors?

Thanks!

I usually find that the brakes are really stout the first few times I stop with new pads/rotor. If it felt spongy -I would sugest a poor bleed job but since it got better as you drove/stopped I think the mechanic neglected to clean the oil off the rotors.

Some brake stuff come with a thin film over the pads and rotors to keep them from rusting during their shelf life. You were probably burning through this film to explain the poor braking slowly improving. As with all new brake jobs though you should be light on the brakes for the first hundred miles or so while everything seats itself.

I always thought it was best to seat them with a few good stops - always giving them time to cool between pressing the brake

Ditto... You need to bed the new pads to rotors. Go to an empty road, do a full stop from 60 mph to about 5 mph, accelerate to 60 fast and repeat the process for about 5 times. DO NOT stop the car after all the stops. Drive for about 10 minutes to cool the brakes down before parking the car.

If the brake still sucks after the bedding procedure, then you may have air in the line, or may just have sucky pads. Which pads did you get?

I have the same year 2004 A6 2.7. I just replaced my third set of front and rear brakes. After changing the brakes the pedal was very spongy ever time, after a few pumps and a drive around the block with some light stops the pedal was fine. I am just amazed that who ever did the brakes returned the car to you with a poor brake pedal and stopping power.

Possibly, there was some air in the system that bled itself out in the ABS valves during each pedal application. This air will work itself up through the master cyl and out the cap vents. There should be no sponginess with new pads and rotors, they are both flat and no changes to the pad angle of attack are needed as there is when new pads are put on used rotors. I would ask people changing my brakes to use a pressure bleeder to help prevent this problem, although poorly done work can still get air in no matter what kind of procedure is used. I don't trust shops with my brakes and always do the work myself to be sure it's right. I used to be a Tech and know that simple jobs don't always get the most excperienced techs. Its been my experience that the best way to treat new brakes is to use them normally, no bedding in, it can partly glaze them and result in squealing later in life due to differential (angled) wear across the pad.