Hey everyone,

So this past weekend right before I was about to put on my winter wheels and tires, the brake pad warning goes off. Turns out that the my front brake pads need to be replaced (the outer pads had a lot of meat still on, but the inner ones are almost completely gone...what's that about??? )

Anyway, I called up a few dealers in the area, and pads alone are going to cost almost $140 after taxes ($100 a piece for the rotors). Does anyone know of a reliable after market pad and rotor brand that I can get somewhere? Ultimately, I'm looking for something that's not too expensive, but has good quality.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated, thanks!

 

Centric.

Two brake jobs ago used Centric rear rotors, turned front rotors, and used Centric ceramic pads. 80k miles later (yesterday) I replaced all rotors with Centric premium rotors and ceramic pads. The premiums have a coating on the outside of the rotor and hat so they don't rust, in theory. These pads were obviously long lasting (caveat: I do a lot of highway driving) and are low dust. My indie charged me $590 for the parts and four hours for the work (which included replacing the e-brake cables). Centric does sell some less expensive (non-premium) rotors which is what I had on my rears. Check out www.brakeworld.com for a pretty good selection.

I looked into Zimmerman, EBC, etc rotors and various performance brake pads. My indie talked me out of getting drilled/slotted rotors because of the noise -- and they are more expensive anyway.

 

Thanks for the tip!

I actually looked around on TireRack and they have Centric rotors for $67 a piece...almost half the cost of what the dealer was asking me!

Unfortunately though, they don't carry any Centric pads, but they do have the Akebono ceramic ones which I've also heard good things about.

Do you think I'll have any issues if I go with the Centric rotors and the Akebono pads?

 

The A6 2.7T has a couple different size front brake rotors and pad kits. Make sure you get the right size. I believe, but won't swear to it, that the rears are a standard size. You should be able to find Centric ceramic pads on brakeworld. Mixing rotors and pads is done all the time and will pose no problem. I looked at the Akebono's also but my indie's price was a little less for the Centric and he guarantees the parts and labor when he provides them. Someone shot me a private message that drilled/slotted rotors are more susceptible to warping, but the same thing can happen to solid rotors if they are real hot and you hit a puddle of cold water.

 

I put Akebono's on the wife's car (non-Audi) and really like them. I use Hawk myself, but I am on old SCCA racer and old habits die hard. The inner wear is indicative of a caliper hanging up so you should. at least, put on new sliders. Avoid, like the plague, cheap rotors and/or pads.

 

Just got my pads and rotors in the mail yesterday from tirerack! Going to do the work with my old man this weekend. I'll let you you guys know how everything works out.

Btw, thanks for the heads up regarding the caliper sliders bob. I'll have to see for myself what the deal is...my dad also said it could be one of the pins so I'll play it by ear and hope for the best.

 

Hey people,

Just wanted to give everyone an update by letting you all know that my brake pad/rotor replacement went along just fine without any issues! The one minor thing was that we needed to run to CAP to get the right torque bit for removing the calipers, but it was only $3.29 and a ten minute drive out of our way. Once my dad and I figured out how to take apart and re-assemble the caliper/slider assembly it was really much easier than I originally anticipated. In fact it only took us 45 minutes to do the second wheel!

One side note, I know I mentioned earlier that the inner pads with the sensor attachments had a lot more wear on them compared to the outer ones. There was a suggestion that the sliders may need to be replaced, but after taking apart and looking at everything the sliders seemed fine. I think it was more indicative that maybe someone at the Audi dealer didn't know what they were doing and only replaced the pads one one side.

Oh well, this is exactly why we do most of our own mechanic work in our family! I'm pretty happy with the Akebono pads and the Centric rotors as well. I did a bit of driving this weekend and although there was a little soft resistance in the brake pedal initially, it did firm up after awhile so I think the pads and rotors are braking in just fine.

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions, definitely was a huge help!!

 

very helpful information fellas. One question whats the deal with the 8 pads kits and the 4 pad kits? someone told me my a6 2.7t s - line had 4 pads a on a wheel in the front but when i was replacing my wheel i only saw two on a wheel. i just wanna know whats up, just so i could be more knowledgeable cause im still new to the audi game.

 

per caliper**

 

Cost of brake pad at http://www.theautopartsshop.com/part...brake-pad.html

Bendix brake pad : Range 28$ to 44$
Bendix Global : Range 17$ to 24$
Akebano brake pad : Range 37$ to 46$
Centric brake pad : Range 28$ to 87$
Hawk Friction brake pad : Range 49$ to 57$
Monroe Friction brake pad : Range 24$ to 47$
you can have different brands of brake pads for your Audi..........