stavro99

I just got my 2018 SQ5 back from the dealer who found my back brake pads are at 4mm and the front at 6mm. I have never seen backs go 1) before the front pads and 2) at such low mileage. Is this actually normal for Q5/SQ5s? My wife's A5 still has original rears at 93K. SInce they wanted ~$850, I will do them myself. Should I order new rotors with the pads or can they be turned?

farmerjones

Not uncommon for an SUV to need brakes at this mileage, many have rear pads replaced at lower mileage. Completely depends on your driving conditions and style, so comparisons are not very helpful really. If it needs pads, it needs pads. Brake force distribution ensure rear brakes are utilized fully, very common now days for rear pads to need replaced before the front. Since we have no idea of the condition of your rotors we do not know if they need replaced or turned...you would have to know the thickness, the minimum spec recommended by Audi, and turned to see if they are warped or not.

morris39

Rear brake pad wear at greater rate than the front is not surprising if much of the braking is fairly gentle. The braking force is proportioned more to the rear to minimize pitching.That is a situation commonly found if you are using adaptive cruise control on crowded roads. Of course there could be some mechanical reason/problem.
Audi wear limits are 5/4 mm for F/R pads for my car ,different model, but likely roughly similar. Machining disks seems not longer cost effective vs new disks unlike say 10--15 years ago. If in fact you do experience relatively a lot of gentle braking your disks are likely still well within wear limits. In my case the projected life of disks is 2-3 pad replacements.
You may not be aware that the rear e-brake motors on the rears need to be disengaged before the pads can be removed. That is usually done with a scanner. There are workarounds w/o a scanner according to internet wisdom but be prepared for mistakes/trouble if you are not experienced.

stavro99

Thanks, you really helped me understand why the back pads wear faster, when it is the other way around normally. I use adaptive cruise control A LOT and never thought of that implication. I have ordered replacement pads and will hold off ordering rotors for now and wait until I can get a good measurement on them before deciding to replace or not.

Sandroad

I have no experience with Audi service yet, but with other manufacturer service departments I’ve learned to have my scam alert set on high when anyone recommends brakes. I always get eyeballs on them myself before proceeding.

morris39

Yes, your safety means a lot to us! Grift in some cases but maybe justified for those who neglect.
I should have mentioned to the OP that it is difficult to measure disk thickness b/c the dust shield hides access and a normal vernier caliper does not work because the lips at the outside perimeter obviously give a false reading. I have a vernier caliper with prongs on the jaws, designed just for that purpose, Available on Amazon and not expensive.
I have had the dust shields severely distorted b/c the mechanic tried to use a simple vernier. For that reason I always refuse the "free" checks particularly by non-Audi shops.

aclass

Please keep us posted if you decide to do the work yourself. I'm not interested in paying 800 bucks for brakes either.

Transfer

I glanced at my rear pads the other day and was very surprised to see how worn they were at 32k miles. I would guestimate 25% life remaining? For most of these miles it was driven by my wife who is not aggressive on corners but when I have it I'll throw it around. It has the S-sport differential. Our car is on lease which I am going to turn in a few months early in next 30-60 days due to approaching over miles, avoiding further tire wear requiring replacement, and now this brake wear. Plus I want an X3M.

Mk1e

I've used powerstop brake pads and rotors for years and find them to be high quality and easy to work with. Have put them on 2 A4's, our TT, Mercedes c300 and my sons GTI.
Their website is simple drop downs to get your pn's (high performance, daily driver, etc. Slotted/drilled, they look nice and only a couple hundred. I always buy through amazon, but they have other retailers on their site as well. NO AFFILIATION, just good experience. In fact, I damaged a set dropping a rotor, and called to see if I could buy just one rotor. They said they'd send me the whole front kit (pads/rotors), and thanked me for my business. When I got it they threw a hat, 2 Tshirts and some stickers in the box! Great experience, highly recommend. Here's their link to our Q5: https://www.powerstop.com/products/#...t%20%26%20Rear

Mazinger

Anyone has experience about Textar rotors and TRW or Akebono brake pads combination? My rear brake pads have about 5-6 mm left on my 2018 Q5 with only less than 24000 km. The brake pads warning light has not "ON" yet, but I see them almost about time to replace. My front rotors and pads are still okay.

Beside, my local garage shop told me that there was no aftermarket front rotors and pads available at this moment.