I need to replace the front pads on my new A6 and will go ahead and get new rotors as well.

Car Details:
2004 A6 2.7T
S-Line
18 inch 9 spoke S4 Wheels
53,000 Miles
Pad light on dash is lit.

The rotors in front appear to be approximately 12.5 inches in diameter. The calipers are fairly large as well maybe 8 inches long stem to stern.

My laundry list of questions:

What size rotors fit my car? There are multiple choices and my Vin is a "B" so it doesn't seem to be helping.

Do I have the four pad or eight pad fronts?

Is the only way to know to go out and yank a wheel off?

Once I determine what parts I need, the next question is:

What Specific parts would you recommend.

I have had great luck with the EBC Yellow stuff and Dimpled slotted rotors on my A4, but I do not know if they accomodate the wear sensor on the A6. I really don't see the EBC brakes mentioned that much around here. The Akebono pads come with a sensor. Does it need to be replaced or reset when I am done? Many people are saying they prefer the Hawk pads. Which Hawks are working out - ceramics or HPS?

My main objectives:
Get slotted and Drilled Rotors for both looks and performance (prefer Zinc coated or equivalent).
Get a high performance pad that makes little dust, NVH and does little rotor damage.

Budget:
Parts: $500 +/- for front. Might spend more and do all four corners if you lead me in the right direction.
Labor, Me. I will not bleed the system most likely just put the new pads and rotors on and bed them in. I am just hoping I don't have to clear the sensor light on the dash.

Lastly should I paint the calipers with caliper paint while I have it apart. I tend to like red or yellow (Maybe even blue) calipers. Has anyone done this? does it come out looking like a high school art project or like a bad aS$ set of brembos?

Suggest or Flame away this is your opportunity to help a brother out!

 

Check this out.

And one more example.

 

The Second listing seems pretty good and are fairly well priced vs. the EBC. I still need to know if I have the 4 or 8 caliper front pad system. Any help on this? or do I just have to go take off a wheel and take a look. Also, Do I need to do anything special with the wear sensor/reset. I have read the walkthrough at AudiDIY and it says there was a change @ 2003 model year. Any help you can give would be great.

If I have to go out there and take a wheel off to make sure I buy the right part I will. I am just hoping someone here has already been down the road I am about to take.

Keep the suggestions coming!

Thanks,

Matt

 

Bump, This is an opportunity to make your case as to why the millenium falcon could clearly take out the SS Enterprise There has to be some obsessed folks out there that could give me a good opinion on which brake set I should go with. I am surprised that everyone is silent on a chance to sound like you have it all figured out Anyways, I have one vote for the eBay specials. I am thinking Hawk HPS pads with those second link rotors, but what do I know. I have only had my A6 for a week. I need some help fellow ringheads. Someone who has gone down this path and knows the proper way to go.

Matt

 

I noticed the e-bay auction was for the 10 inch rotors and I need the 12.6. I went ahead and bought the EBC Yellow Stuff Pads and Sport Rotors (Slotted and Dimpled). All in costs for front and rear pads and rotors were $600. When the parts come in, I am trying to decide if I want to put them on or take them somewhere. They ussually don't charge much to put on pads and rotors. I never heard any feedback regarding the wear sensor, so I am going to assume that the original sensors can be reused and will fit with the EBC pads. I have used the EBC pads on multiple cars and have had friends use them and everyone has loved them. They are worth spending a little extra $$$ on in my opinion. Not to mention, they do virtually no rotor wear so, it ends up being cheaper in the long-long run. The Hawk performance Brakes warn that they wear quickly and chew up rotors, so that helped me decide on the EBC.

I will report back once the upgrade is complete. Since the car is new to me, I will not be able to compare fairly to stock brakes, but I am sure that it will far and away outperform stock.

I still haven't decided on whether or not I will be painting the calipers or buying the speed bleeders. Any feedback on these issues would be greatly appreciated. Since I went with the Yellow stuff pads (They are painted Yellow) I am contemplating yellow rotor paint. May be a little too boy racerish, but then again it may look cool against the midnight blue paint on the car. Feel free to chime in. This forum is getting lonely.

Matt

 

Matt,

the auction link was just an example, as I didn't look specifically for your year /model. Always you can click on "Visit Seller's Store"...you know the drill... and look for your specifics.
You were looking for drilled/slotted and ZINC-plated rotors, that's why I offered the links.
It is something I contemplate for the future too, as viable and affordable alternatives to "upgrade" the OEM rotors, yet stay away from the ridiculously expensive "brand names".

It's good you found what you're looking for without help.
Beside HID lights and coolant/oil where most are pros, when it comes to specific brands on vital parts you're pretty much on your own.

Enjoy your new brakes.

 

Yeah, I will aim to put my feedback here for others who walk down this road in the future. That way they won't have to go through the headaches I went through. I went ahead and took the wheel off yesterday to confirm that I had the 2 pad front rotors before I ordered and measured my rotors to make sure I got the right ones. A pain, but worth the effort. If I took it into a stealer, I would get worse quality OEM parts for double the $$$$. I liked the look of the EBC, DiscItalia and the SP rotors, and the EBC seemed to be the best bang for the buck even though they were expensive at $270/pair front $140 rear. The SP's were actually $30 more and the DiscItalia were only marginally cheaper and I had no experiance with them. The hardest part was finding a place with everything in stock that would give me a good price.

Now I sit and wait for the parts to arrive.

 

The pads will come with a built in wear sensor. You will have to remove a bolt on the caliper to get the wire routed correctly. Piece of cake job to DIY.

Bob

 

while you're at it to improve braking performance/pedal feel too, I would get Stainless brake lines from ECS tuning and blue racing fluid

 

Bob, good call on the sensor. I hope the EBC pads have them. Are you speaking from direct experience with these particular pads. I would love to have some feedback from someone who has the EBC Yellow Stuffs on an A6 2.7T. The sales guy thought I was nuts for ordering them since I won't be tracking, but I have had them in the A4 for years and they flat out rock and don't wear the rotors.

As to the lines and fluid, I would like to do that as I have never made that upgrade. It would add some $$$ to the project that has already gone over budget due to my decision to replace both front and rear. Also, I am still deciding on whether to DIY or take it in. I don't have a caliper tool for the rears and by the time I buy one and the speed bleeders, I could just pay my Indy to put them on for me and be done with it.

I just spent $800 on tires, $600 on this project, and $2700 for the warranty so I am about tapped out until I get the A4 sold and the Range Rover fixed. It is always something. It sucks to have three cars and something to do on each one. The battery went dead on the A4 since I haven't been driving it and my Rover has a secondary air problem and a EAS issue I am sorting out.

Matt