Yeah the rears aren't so simple as the front. I took my car in for these. Yes I remember hearing that theres a certain tool you need. I think I also heard that you need to use VAGCOM/VCDS software and change a setting or something to disengage the motor that applies the brake. Don't let my lack of info mislead you. Look around for threads because I know there are a few out there describing how to do it. To me it sounded like a pain so I bit the bullet and dished out the $$$.

Take your car to a shop thats familiar with electronic e-brakes (call and ask them), or to one that specializes in imports. I asked the guy at the shop about it and he said it was no big deal and that he had done those on VWs before.

 

Akebono pads do come with a wear sensor at least the ones I bought at Advance Auto Parts. It's exact fit to the oem sensor.

 

I replaced my fronts with EBC red pads and Beck Arnley discs. Worst decision ever - they warped after about 2,000 miles. I also noted that the pads are very hard on the discs - it looks like the metal is being picked off the discs by the friction material. The only plus is that there's very little dust.

I used Akebono ceramic pads and Centric discs on my wife's car. Good performance with that setup, and again very little dust, but less feel than OEM setup.

 

Well... I have the Akebono pads in front for about a couple of weeks now. The brake grab is not as grippy as OEM pads, but still respectable. I washed the rims when the pads were put on. The rims look as clean as the day I washed them - no dust whatsoever. Rear wheels still have the OEM pads and quickly getting dirty. It's noticeable. Very happy with Akebono pads so far.

 

Hawk HPS are good street pads. But please don't suggest using them on track. They are NOT track pads and shouldn't be used there. HPS stands for High Performance Street.

I realize not the same car, but I have a friend that switched to the Akebono pads on his Mini and has really liked them. The feel wasn't great for the first 100 miles or so, but once they were a bit more broken in they performed as good, if not better, than the stock pads, and very little dust.

 

Thank you captain obvious for explaining what HPS stands for. I don't suggest to anyone to use them on the track. Not their intended purpose.

That being said, I have taken them on the track a few times. Why, well because i think they are good compromise between street and track. Moreso in favor of street, but then again 363 days of the year my car is just for STREET. And i also dont want to swap pads for a track day. I want one pad for both.They are higher friction and withstand higher temps than OEM so i meant you can get away with a track day here and there. Only brake issue i have experienced is boiling fluid, not any pad fade.

my next stop is EBC yellowstuff, a compromise that leans more in favor of track. but i digress, this is not a track pad thread.

 

Is there any reason an OEM pad and sensor would NOT set off an indicator if they are worn down? Recentl the dealer said there was 3mm left, and just this week another shop said the pads are gone, rotors need replacing, and the sensor has never gone off.

 

I just did my gfs brakes this weekend. Front calipers needed a little help to get off, but they were easy after some gentle persuasion. Rears came right off. Only pads with a sensor were front left, didn't come with the pads but was 20 bucks on Amazon. As far as the rears go, same as any brake with integrated parking brake. You need the tool to compress it, if you don't own one you can borrow it from advance or auto zone. This car has three divots - use the right size fitting that only has one post. I think there's three of them in the kit it's the smallest one. Don't try to use the cheap "dice" thing that they sell, get the right tool.

 

I finished the job today on my 2010 Audi A4 Quattro, and made a video of it.

Hardest part for me was the rotor on the passenger side was really stuck on, but PB Blaster did its job and I didn't have to hit it too hard. The driver's side was not stuck on.
Other than that, the outboard pads were GLUED to the caliper, very difficult to pry loose. I have no idea why there were glued on, this is from the factory, I bought the car new and just replaced the pads and rotors at 37,000 miles.

I didn't buy any special tools, used a large C clamp to retract the caliper piston with the brake pad in place as usual.

I used $34 Duralast Rotors from Autozone part #45600 and Ceramic Akebono pads EUR1322 with the sensor included for $84 from Advance Auto Parts.
TOTAL cost $179 vs $650 the dealer wanted! I saw no difference in the Chinese rotors vs the factory ones (see video). First test drive had no issues. I will update if I come across any issues.