Excessive pedal travel or spongy pedal? They are 2 different things.

Did you replace the rear pads? If so, then did you remember to "pump" the emergency brake lever? It could be that the rear pistons were retracted too much and need to re-seat.

 

I changed pads on front and rear, and cleaned, and lubed all pad contact points. I yanked on the e-brake several times.

I would say both - pedal travel is excessive (2-3 inches) and feals a tad spongy. When I step into my 11-year old BMW 330xi, Im in a different world - firm pedal and decisive and hard brakes after pedal is depressed 1-2 inch travel.

 

If I recall correctly, the pedal was slightly more firm before I did the brakes. Ever since I got the 2005 allroad about 2 months ago, I was never impressed by the stopping power and pedal firmness. Having said that, the brakes were not in good shape (lots of rust and unequal wear on the rotors, thin front pads, etc). I figured that after I do a thourough brake job (replacement, cleaning, lubrication, and bleeding) I would get much better brake pedal response, and braking power.

I will eventually look into SS brake lines, but was also wondering if this is the default behavior of stock allroad brakes which I should expect, being a new allroad owner. Ive owned/driven lots of pre-owned BMW cars and SUVS, and the braking power + pedal feal is in another league. My other car is a 2002 BMW 330xi (E46 chassis) with stock brakes and rotors - perhaps the comparison is not fair ... ;-)

 

Ive used the traditional bleeding method once more this afternoon. This time, I used both the Motive Power Bleeder with 29PSI, in combination with pumping the pedal, and pumping the hand brake. I noticed minute bubbles from the rear calipers, with my shop LED light an inch away from the flush tube. I went through 2 liters of DOT 4 fluid, until a steady stream of "bubble/foam free" liquid appeared. The front calipers did not show signs of bubble, but I still pumped the pedal and ensured constant pressure from the power bleeder.

Three bleed cycles so far in five days, and Im gaining some pedal firmness/height each time. I still think the pedal travel is too much. Im not re-assured that braking power is enough in an emergency braking situation.

Im might give up now and bring the car to a certified mechanic. I spoke to an VW/Audi mechanic today, he suggested troubleshooting the problem this way: with the egine running, pinch each caliper flexible rubber tube one at a time, and see if the brake pedal becomes firm. If it does, I may have a damaged caliper.

For now, Ive pulled my hand brake to its uppermost position, and jammed a piece of wood between my pedal and my seat overnight. I removed the brake light fuse to avoid draining the battery. Will test tomorrow am, and bleed the old-fashioned way (two persons) if I need to.

I thought I would mention that the pedal gets rock hard after two presses when the engine is off, but softens and sinks down as soon as I start the engine. Dont know if this may be a hint to finding the root cause ...

 

Did the zeckhausen bedding procedure twice, before realizing the instrutions that came with the pads (Akebonos Euro) said to drive easily for the 500Kms. Oops ...

Ive bled the brakes four times by myself, and once by a mechanic, to try to get rid of a spongy pedal. I need to sink the pedal close to the floor for hard braking, and to engage ABS. I bled the brakes with combination of a motive power bleeder, brake pedal pumping, including hitting the calipers with a rubber mallet to remove any air bubbles.

Im still not happy with the stopping power, but my mechanic said to be patient, as the pad wear and surface contact is not optimal yet. He disapproved of the bedding procedure I used, and said that I might have made things worse, by "glazing the rotors". He suggested that I lightly sand the rotors, and let the pads wear down gradually. If Im not happy after 500Kms or so, to get rid of the pads, and go back to OEM or better quality.

 

Noticed today while sitting at a stop light, I must press the brake pedal until it is aligned with the gas pedal at idle, just to stop the car from moving. Is this normal behavior?

 

Stop Tech Bedding procedure

With that said, alignment of the brake pedal to the gas pedal is normal.

As for the stopping power, ceramic pads are generally not intended to increase stopping power. They are designed for low dust and quiet operation. Stick with a good quality semi-metallic pads.

 

I think I actually solved my problem. The brake booster pushrod (sitting behind the brake pedal) needed a little adjustment, to allow it to exert longer stroke into brake booster. My allroad now stops after 1.5 inch pedal travel and what seems like less pedal effort.

Step #20 on this post was the solution. No need to dismount/dismantle anything, or mess with hydraulics ...
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...er-removal-DIY

This took a while to resolve, so thanks for your patience all your input!