Rear pad replacement help please ??

[Tiger-G]

Hi All ,

I'm replacing the rear discs and pads on my 2015 Allroad B8.5 tomorrow and just need a bit of advice on a certain part of the procedure, as there seems to be some conflicting advice online ??

I've checked a good few Youtube vid's and have VCDS to rewind the parking brake, etc.

When I've replaced the discs and pads do I pump the brake pedal first before I close the parking brake with VCDS, or do you just close the parking brake without pumping the brake first ??

The main vid's I've watched suggest you just close the parking brake with VCDS without pumping the brake, but in the comments section some people suggest you pump the brakes first, which seems common sense to me to close the piston up ??

Any advice would be much appreciated as usual

 

[spartacus 68]

Hi All ,

I'm replacing the rear discs and pads on my 2015 Allroad B8.5 tomorrow and just need a bit of advice on a certain part of the procedure, as there seems to be some conflicting advice online ??

I've checked a good few Youtube vid's and have VCDS to rewind the parking brake, etc.

When I've replaced the discs and pads do I pump the brake pedal first before I close the parking brake with VCDS, or do you just close the parking brake without pumping the brake first ??

The main vid's I've watched suggest you just close the parking brake with VCDS without pumping the brake, but in the comments section some people suggest you pump the brakes first, which seems common sense to me to close the piston up ??

Any advice would be much appreciated as usual

If you're using VCDS, then no reason pump the brakes. Install the pads and shims then cycle in VCDS to close them. There after you can pump brake if you're bleeding system as part of brake fluid change.

Best videos are Dave Sterl on YouTube.

 

[Tiger-G]

If you're using VCDS, then no reason pump the brakes. Install the pads and shims then cycle in VCDS to close them. There after you can pump brake if you're bleeding system as part of brake fluid change.

Best videos are Dave Sterl on YouTube.

Thanks for the reply Spartacus, but as I hadn't any replies before I did the brakes, I pumped them before I reset the handbrake . My thinking was......why electronically wind the handbrake out further than you need to, when you can pump the brakes to move the piston to close the gap like you would with a manual handbrake system ??

Would be interesting to find out what the official Audi procedure is, as I can easily undo what I've done should it make a difference

Cheers

 

[spartacus68]

Thanks for the reply Spartacus, but as I hadn't any replies before I did the brakes, I pumped them before I reset the handbrake . My thinking was......why electronically wind the handbrake out further than you need to, when you can pump the brakes to move the piston to close the gap like you would with a manual handbrake system ??

Would be interesting to find out what the official Audi procedure is, as I can easily undo what I've done should it make a difference

Cheers

No problem. My understanding is cycling the rear calipers with VCDS after servicing helps calibrate the system once new pads and discs fitted when closed. I think it calculates a pressure test too from memory.

If you get issues with rear calipers, and your car is of the age that it starts, then Budweg caliper rebuild kits are excellent (Autodoc). I rebuilt the brakes all round on my Allroad last year after a sticky rear caliper. The dust sleeve swells with corrosion. Audi won't even sell you the rear kit, but Budweg parts are excellent. The rubber 'o' ring that the electric handbrake motor spline passes through allows water ingress. You'll need long nose circlip pliers to service and Lockheed red grease. Very satisfying job and will ensure trouble free brakes for a few years. Take it easy on the Torx screws that hold the motor in position to the caliper, they will no doubt be siezed, so clean and use the correct Torx bit tool to remove.

 

[Tiger-G]

No problem. My understanding is cycling the rear calipers with VCDS after servicing helps calibrate the system once new pads and discs fitted when closed. I think it calculates a pressure test too from memory.

If you get issues with rear calipers, and your car is of the age that it starts, then Budweg caliper rebuild kits are excellent (Autodoc). I rebuilt the brakes all round on my Allroad last year after a sticky rear caliper. The dust sleeve swells with corrosion. Audi won't even sell you the rear kit, but Budweg parts are excellent. The rubber 'o' ring that the electric handbrake motor spline passes through allows water ingress. You'll need long nose circlip pliers to service and Lockheed red grease. Very satisfying job and will ensure trouble free brakes for a few years. Take it easy on the Torx screws that hold the motor in position to the caliper, they will no doubt be siezed, so clean and use the correct Torx bit tool to remove.

Yeah....the reason I changed the rear discs and pads was because they were heating up too much under braking compared to the fronts. And as we know, it's the fronts that should be hotter than the rears !! The rears were on their last legs though. Before changing them I went for a drive without using the brakes, coming to a natural stop without braking too. The rears were quite hot, the fronts were ok.

Having put new Brembo rear discs and pads on, I was hoping that would resolve the issue, but it didn't. Same thing, the brakes were over warm going for a drive without braking, and under braking they were very hot in comparison to the fronts. So although the pistons wound in ok when doing the brakes, I've got to assume the seals have swelled causing them to bind on a bit. I took the car to my mates MOT place today and he put it on the brake tester. It showed the rears binding a bit, unless the machine is picking up the drag on the four wheel drive system ??

I'm sick to death at throwing money at this car lately.....time to move on me thinks !!

 

[spartacus 68]

Rebuilding the rear brakes is inexpensive if you're spanner handy. Garages won’t rebuild as it’s too labour intensive, favouring new calipers so they don’t have to deal with queries down the line if something else fails.

I just bought a 2017 plate A4 Allroad, as the 12 plate Allroad was Euro 5 and i can see the way things are going with ULEZ. Mechanically it’s on the money. My wife keeps asking when I’m selling it. I’ve just not got around to it yet!

 

[ninjag]

Slide pins would be the first place I'd look at if the brakes are overheating.

Also, does the All Road B8.5 have torque vectoring via the brake system like the S4 B8.5? If so, then I find the rears can get quite hot, even without using them much because the car is automatically using them.

 

[Tiger-G]

Slide pins would be the first place I'd look at if the brakes are overheating.

Also, does the All Road B8.5 have torque vectoring via the brake system like the S4 B8.5? If so, then I find the rears can get quite hot, even without using them much because the car is automatically using them.

The slide pins are fine. I filed off all signs of corrosion and copper slipped everything

I didn't know about the torque vectoring, will have to look into that ??

 

[Tiger-G]

No problem. My understanding is cycling the rear calipers with VCDS after servicing helps calibrate the system once new pads and discs fitted when closed. I think it calculates a pressure test too from memory.

If you get issues with rear calipers, and your car is of the age that it starts, then Budweg caliper rebuild kits are excellent (Autodoc). I rebuilt the brakes all round on my Allroad last year after a sticky rear caliper. The dust sleeve swells with corrosion. Audi won't even sell you the rear kit, but Budweg parts are excellent. The rubber 'o' ring that the electric handbrake motor spline passes through allows water ingress. You'll need long nose circlip pliers to service and Lockheed red grease. Very satisfying job and will ensure trouble free brakes for a few years. Take it easy on the Torx screws that hold the motor in position to the caliper, they will no doubt be siezed, so clean and use the correct Torx bit tool to remove.

Spartacus......

Can you give me a quick rundown on how to strip the rears please ?? I can't find anywhere online that documents it with an electronic handbrake ??

Do you just go through the same procedure as changing the discs and pads by VCDS'ing the handbrake into reline mode, take the piston out and replace the rubbers, or do you have to remove the electronic handbrake completely to do it ??