Reggie

Good info - thanks My rotors and pads are in - will have them put on the first week in Sept when the wife will be in Europe on business.

wlee69

I installed the Posi-Quiet pads this morning. Car only has 2K on it so I didn't have to mess around with retracting pistons in the front or rear. Very straight forward install - took about an hour to do all corners - only thing that was a semi-pain was getting the spring clip on the fronts back on - they are much tighter and tougher to get on.

Have always had good luck on my other cars (MB GL450 and Porsche 911) using Wurth Anti-squeel spray on the back of the pads before putting them on. Did the same on this install.

Then took the car for an 1 hr drive to the beach with the family - as good as the OEM pads as far as braking..and when I came back home there was no black dust on the wheels!!!!

Next up is Hartmann 20" wheels..did the pads first not to subject the new wheels to the brake dust....

patp

Just had the posi-quiet semi-mets installed on all four corners as well. Couldn't take having such a great car look so bad. The armorall worked in sunny weather nicely but would wash off in the rain. Am I crazy to think I should be able to run the car through a car wash and be done with the exterior with some periodic detailing thrown in? Never had trouble getting the dust off -- just too much of a time investment to consistently fit into a busy schedule!

I am worried how these pads will wear/perform over time. They were whisper quiet on the first few drives, and I noticed a tad less bite. Tolerable if they continue to perform this way and reduce the dust.

Love, love, love my '11 Q5 -- from my perspective, this was the only truly goofy thing about ownership. Can't believe the brilliant engineers in Germany couldn't ship a better product as standard.

HotRodW

I'm considering a brake pad swap as well. After just three weeks, I've become so frustrated cleaning the 18" stock wheels that I demoted them to winter duty and mounted the 5-spoke TSW's I had planned to use with winter rubber. They'll still get dirty, but they'll take a fraction of the time to clean.

HaveBullDogWillTravel

My OEM 18's are screwed up from brake dust. Dust is embedded into the clear coat and even clay won't remove it. Can't wait to get a set of 5 spokes on this car. What do your 5 spokes look like(or what model) and where'd you get them? Post a pic please.

HotRodW

I went with the TSW Vortex.

http://www.tsw.com/alloy_wheels_Vortex.php

Since I had planned to use them for the winter only, ease of cleaning was priority 1. The spoke design is simple, and the inside of the wheel is dark painted to help hide the brake dust that's hard to reach. Although I found them online for a little over $200 each, I decided to have the local Discount Tire store special order them for me ($229 each shipped). We didn't like the red and black TSW logo on the center cap, so I ordered custom cut Audi decals to cover them. Overall I'm pleased, although I would have gone with 19" had I known they were going to be the primary wheels. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.

ELEVENS

BullDog: I had the same problem several years ago with a BMW. I thought the wheels were permanently stained. I tried several different solvents and cleaners (I'm a chemist), but the only thing that (sort of) worked was lots of rubbing compound and a ton of elbow grease.

Until I did further research on the problem. The stains are metal from the pads and the disks that fall onto the hot wheels and become sintered. Wikipedia says, "Sintering is a method for making objects from powder, by heating the material in a sintering furnace<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference">[1]</sup> below its melting point (solid state sintering) until its particles adhere to each other... ...A simple example of sintering can be observed when icecubes in a glass of water adhere to each other."

I've always been a fan of using the same soap on the wheels that I use on the car's paint. That was the problem. I now use either P21S or Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner with every wash. They both contain chemicals that easily release the sintered brake residue. It's the only thing that worked for me.

Edit: Here's a link to the Sonax wheel cleaner with explanation of the sintering issue: http://www.detailersdomain.com/Sonax...ack_p_474.html

1atlas

Same issue as "bulldog" with my 18's. Tried the sonax(great product) as well as claying. Still has dark marks. May try to polish but the clear on these wheels seems super thin. I'll see if can get a paint depth.
Pretty much have to wash 1-2 times a week and wax monthly on these wheels. :-(

Lyth

I have very good results with simple green diluted 50%. I use a wheel brush and the break dust from a couple of weeks comes right off. I do treat them with the armorall wheel protectant however.

I am seriously considering swapping out these pads even though I only have 4,300 miles on them. I've never had a car come with such filthy brake pads.

1atlas

PS!!!! Hoping one of you guys does a nice photo write up of a Q5 pad change, including Vag procedure.
;-)