JAGMAJ

I don't claim to be an expert mechanic, but I've always changed the brake pads and shoes on all of my domestic vehicles so I figured that changing the pads on my 2003 A6 would be a breeze. It was a little cooler today than I like to do work on a car outside (upper 40s), but my brake pad warning light had just come on and I needed to get it done. Both of my outer CV boots had recently torn so there was still grease all over everything, making it much messier than it normally would be. Given that this was my first time changing Audi pads, I should have known that Murphy's Law would kick in.

My car has the newer FNR-G60 calipers. When going remove the spring retaining wire which holds in the outer brake pad, the end of the wire snapped off and I didn't even pry on it very hard. I decided to finish the job anyway, since it was a Sunday and there was no way I could get the part. The rest of that wheel went smoothly enough. On the other side, I got the spring off easily and most of the job done, but putting the retaining wire was a major pain in the butt and must have taken me half-an-hour. Does anybody know the trick to getting this thing back on? I finally got it on by doing considerable and lengthy prying on the wire, but there has to be an easier way.

Thinking I was out of the woods and in the home stretch, I went to put the wheel back on. As I tried to line up the wheel on the plastic guide that screws into one of the lug holes, the guide snapped off deep in hole. I've never had another car that didn't have studs on which to put the wheel, but I assume there's some reason why there's an advantage to this set-up. I can't fathom, however, why they would make this piece out of plastic and not metal. In any event, I tried drilling it out and extracting it, but the plastic was so soft it shredded. I then tried dremeling and chiseling it out, but I was only able to make slow progress. I even tired melting it out with one of those long candle lighters, but the plastic didn't even seem to soften. Finally, it started to rain on me, so five hours into this simple brake pad change, I quit for the evening. So, my next question-- has anybody had luck with a particular method getting out a snapped guide? Also, does some company sell a metal version of this guide so I won't have to worry about this in the future? Finally, does anybody know the part number for the retaining wire for the outer brake pad, so I can order a replacement?

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm going to have a beer (or several) now.

nfs1000f

to twist it out with a pair of needle nose pliers. Making it out of plastic was a bad design.

MP4.2+6.0

I just put the wheel on, put my foot against the bottom edge of the tire, have lug bolt loaded in a socket head, spin the wheel into position on the hub by eye, and insert the first bolt in the lowest hole. Only problem arises if brake rotor starts to spin too, which rarely seems to occur.

BoneDaddy

there was a place that sold metal ones, but I don't think they do anymore, a shame too, because I want one. I either don't use the guide, and use the technique MP4.2 described, or I just use it to line things up and don't allow any pressure on it at all.

I'm really no sure on the P/N as I have HP2's, sorry.

JAGMAJ

Just my luck. I found out just how useful the guide is, although I did end up getting it back on without it-- with only four lugs, of course. I'm going to have to take the wheel back off and finish getting the fifth lug hole cleaned out.

JAGMAJ

I've been using a flat-head screwdriver to chisel out the inside now, but it's slow

BoneDaddy

I would have tried a philips to unscrew it if it was down to the hollow part.

JAGMAJ

The plastic's too soft. The screwdrivers just carved right through it rather than unscrew it.

squidix9

The biggest bit of the guide is to keep the rotor from turning and misaligning with the hole. The hubcentric rings helps align the wheel.

When you get tired of trying to fish out the pices from the front, go to the back side and push the bits out. Consider how long it will take you from the front and what you'll need to do to get access to the back. You may have to bite the bullet and pull the rotor back off to get all the debris out.

A8CT

I believe that ECS tuning sells a metal version.