nickster53

2001 2.7T - 53,000 miles
The brake wear light just went on in my car and I took to the dealer (Nalley Audi in Alpharetta, Ga). They quoted $600 for new front pads and rotors, saying that they both needed replacing.

This doesn't make too much sense to me in that I thought rotors were good for much longer than the pads unless they were warped. Then I thought you could get the rotors turned if they weren't too warped.

A couple of questions...

Does this make sense?
Is this a reasonable DIY job? I have done this before with other cars and looking at the Audiworld site it doesn't look too difficult.
Does the light get reset if I get OEM pads with sensors?

I appreciate any advice or help.

N

Ming rings in Minn

brakes were great for 40k. The only time I would replace rotors is if they were deeply grooved or worn so thin there was a danger of cracking.

7 different models of cars and over 10 sets of brakes and I have never seen a warped rotor. Most "warped" rotors just have gunk on them. Put on new pads, bed them in properly, then do 4 to 6 panic stops to get the brakes good and hot and I bet that burns the "warp" right of 'em.

ESN

Now that you're out of warranty, perhaps a x-quote from an indy shop is in order.

mytsigns

I second that...get good pads though.

banana s4

give us a call. your rotors might also be fine, you can check them yourself.

ArtsA6Q

I'd replace them. Check out pure-motorsport.com for OE replacements (VERY CHEAP) and an extra piece of mind.

You can most definitely do this job yourself if you've done other cars. It is a very simple job. Just remove the wheel, caliper and carrier and bang the rotor with a mallet. Removing the pads is a similar job to other cars. You can rent a tool to compress the piston on the front or buy one from ecstuning.com for $35.

ehsix-4point2

audi brakes. (and alot of german cars) Sure, you CAN do that, but there is a real good chance, your brakes will start squealing like a ****. im speaking from experience on my previous audi. the service center said, "theres a good chance your brakes are gonna squeal". I said, thats cool, ill take my chances. damn if they didnt start squealing like a pig in heat every time i hit the brakes.

nickster53

Thanks everyone for the input. I am going to sell the car as soon as this is done, so I probably want to fix it correctly. I am going to try to do it myself and save some money. Keep the great advice coming...and again, thanks.

Nick