Have a 2005 A4 1.8 liter avant quatro with 58,000 miles. I do not work on the car. Took my car to the dealer to have the brakes inspected. They said I need rear brakes pads and new rotors. I looked at them myself once I returned home and noticed a small lip on the outer edge of the rotors and the usual wear. Do I need new rotors? Can't they resurface them as they do on my Toyota? And if I do need new rotors, what is a fair price for the complete rear brake job including new rotors? Any feedback would be highly appreciated.

 

Audi recommends replacing rotors when doing pads. We have replaced pads only here at the customers request, only to have the car "pulse or shake" when the brake pedal is depressed. It does cost more to do them initially, but doing them twice is more expensive.

Also, ask the dealership for a breakdown of everything. They are known to be way more expensive than an indy shop, so keep that in mind when you choose to go there.

 

I replaced pads and rear rotors at 105k. I discussed with my indie and we decided to turn the front rotors. I have no problems, but there is a slight pulse to the front when braking. I do have 172k on the car at the moment and brakes are still plenty good (I do mostly highway driving). There are a lot of options, some fairly inexpensive, for after market rotors. Check sites like brakeworld.com. Do a google search "rotors + A4".

 

Had to have my rear pads + rotors replaced at about 68K miles - I was getting a grinding sound from the rear. My independent guy was initially expecting to only replace the pads, but he said the rotors looked pretty trashed (which they did), so had to replace both. It ended up costing me $360 or so. Got a quote from the local dealer too, and they wanted something like $450 or $500 IIRC. I'd definitely recommend that you find a good independent vs going to the dealership, just based on the price difference.

 

I have the same car (05 A4 1.8T) and I replaced my rear rotors along with the pads at 57k miles. You are better off replacing the rotors along with the pads for the reasons mentioned in earlier posts. My only additional reason is that typically the current rotors can be somewhat rusted so while turning them will certainly improve the braking surface, it does not remove any rust from the non-braking surface and the cost is not that much extra. I did the work myself so I cannot tell you the approximately cost but it will certainly be higher at the dealership than at a local mechanic.