Why some people should not do brakes
 

I just changed out my front and rearpads on my new Audi A6 Quattro 2.8. I went down to a the local auto parts store and they ask all the general questions (year, make, and model). The hard part was telling them that I own a 2001 2.8 liter A6. They said that engine in that year is not in the computer and there for does not exist. They repeated of what year I own and the engine. I finally got the manager and he found it in the computer, (IDIOT #1) The last strawwas changing the brakes, the pics arebelow and those are the old brake pads. Yes, someone was lazy enough to cut the wires instead of doing it the right way and disconnecting the electrical plug. And for the ice-ing on the cake is that he did a bad job of not cleaning his parts that the caliper was not moving on the passenger side and was eating away at the brake pad so that one brake pad was the only thing wrong. The other pads all looked new, so I cleaned everything and re-installed a new pair of pads in the front. (IDIOT #2). Tomarrow I am going to take on the rear but I wanted to get out of the heat for today. Will see if anything else comes up?

RE: Why some people should not do brakes
 

LOL, I've been through that before.

You got Raybestos pads? IMHO, they are crap.

Some pads do no come with a sensor, so you got to reuse the old one, & splicing it in is one way. But that is a hack job.

One more reason, I only go to Euro parts places, & only DIY most stuff on my car.

RE: Why some people should not do brakes
 

ROFL! That sucks man, sorry you had to go through that, time to hit the bar!

RE: Why some people should not do brakes
 

Yeah they are the Raybestos. The pad that went out needed replacing fast and I did not have a chance to go seaching for a good pad. May I ask you why you think the Raybestos are not a good pad? I have never had them before but seem nice from driving to work today.

RE: Why some people should not do brakes
 

WOW!!! Our pads have sensors attached to them huh??? I've been doing my brakes myself since the early 90's. Not once have I seen that. However, out of 15 cars that I've owned, this is my first German and luxury car. Guess I can't go to AutoZone or Murray's for the pads huh? I get a lot of brake dust. I'm not sure what pads the previous owner put on there but they get really nasty sometimes. I was thinking of just putting on some ceramics next time. But since I have to be concerned about a sensors attachment, that could limit my resources unless you guys have a "frugal" shop you guys use here. I'd hate to have to go to "stealership" and get butt banged by a wild boar.

RE: Why some people should not do brakes
 

They are just plain cheap. Bad pedal feel, they fade quickly, wear quickly, & dust really bad.

But for a DD that never sees over 60mph & light stops, they will do ok. If you have any "sportyness" to your driving, you will see the downsides.

Blade, yea, most German cars have a brake pad wear sensor. So the car tells you when to change the pads, & doesn't have the metal scraping on the rotor like Domestic cars. Most places that sell "Premium" pads will have PBR ceramic, or metalmasters. Just don't get the super cheapies, & stay away from the discount chains.

RE: Why some people should not do brakes
 

Thanks. So I have to go to the stealership to get brake pads? What's a guesstimate cost? I've been changing my brakes too long to let anyone else do them. I want to get them done before the winter hits because it would be my luck that as soon as it gets down to -5 my light will come on. Besides, I don't like the dust they create.

RE: Why some people should not do brakes
 

You should be able to get pads from most places, just make sure you get the "premium" ones.