How long should stock Brake Pads last?

[FaceSmA5h]

My car has approximately 10,1XX miles and I noticed some noise when braking at low speed (sound coming from the rear).

1. Is it time to change it?

2. Is it covered under Audi Care or Warranty (assuming no, but I'll ask anyway)?

3. I got a good price for Hawk HP. Is this the best route to go?

[crisp74]

My car has approximately 10,1XX miles and I noticed some noise when braking at low speed (sound coming from the rear).

1. Is it time to change it?

2. Is it covered under Audi Care or Warranty (assuming no, but I'll ask anyway)?

3. I got a good price for Hawk HP. Is this the best route to go?

1. not sure, depends if the pads are actually worn or if the sound is something else. the front pads tend to wear faster btw. also, pad wear depends on how you drive the car.

2. no

3. depends on where and how you drive the car. track / street, track only or street only?

[bknewtype]

squeaking comes standard on the s5

[staticuxo]

squeaking comes standard on the s5

weird, i don't get any squeaking on my S5. my previous S4 though.. minchia. i'd have to stomp on them to get them to not squeak... then it'd be back the next day

as mentioned above, it depends on your driving style.. i rev match downshift all the time, so i tend to use my brakes less.

[S5xy]

Squeaking is more prevalent during startups on a cold morning. I found that braking hard from as low as 30km/h can make the noise go away.

My car has about 22,000km~ and my pads have just about 50% left. As far as brake pads go, it really depends on what you intend to do with your car. There are street comfort pads (low dust and noise), street performance pads and dedicated tack pads, etc.

[FaceSmA5h]

S5xy, yes I do hear it more often during cold start ups.

I never track the car (never will). I do a lot of street driving, so I probably brake a lot.

Thanks for all the quick replies.

[mr shickadance]

My car has approximately 10,1XX miles and I noticed some noise when braking at low speed (sound coming from the rear).

1. Is it time to change it?

2. Is it covered under Audi Care or Warranty (assuming no, but I'll ask anyway)?

3. I got a good price for Hawk HP. Is this the best route to go?

1) entirely dependant on driving habits, i would lean towards the no category, but how i am supposed to know if you have tracked your car or not...... basically under normal driving conditions brakes should last you about 40-60k before you need to change them, we also have brake pad indicators which will let you know when you have a little life left

2) no

3) hawks are good, i personally have no expirence with them, i am an EBC fanboy, i won;t saying negative about other pads bc i have never used them, but i love my EBC green stuff pads (when i had them)




noise under braking is often not a sign that your brakes are crap or on the way out, squealing under braking is completely normal and totally annoying, you can bring your car to a brake shop and they might score your rotors to help reduce the vibration (bc thats what squealing is, vibration between the pad and the rotor)

[elf_cruiser]

I replaced the fronts at about 15k miles, but that included some track events. I haven't needed new rears yet, and I'm approaching 22K miles. Definitely get the Hawks or Stoptechs - you may not need the increased braking, but they both will make less dust and NOT SQUEAL like the stock pads...

[mr shickadance]

track is a different story


lets say you are on OEM brake pads, and you find yourself at the nurburgring in germany......after 4 laps its recommended you change your brake pads.......4 LAPS!!! granted thats like almost an hour of solid beating on your stock components but still, thats so crazy that you can literally ROAST through OEM pads by tracking your car

[S5xy]

I never track the car (never will). I do a lot of street driving, so I probably brake a lot.

Based on this, the Hawk HPS Street pads or EBC Greenstuff pads are good options to go for. Both of these are based towards more aggressive street driving and "lower" noise and dust.

[FaceSmA5h]

I definitely want new pads just for the reduction in brake dust itself.

I bought a condo, but unfortunately I have to drive to my parents to when I decide I want to wash (which I dont mind).This could mean 2-3 weeks without a wash lol.

[younga5driver]

i have the hawk ceramics and love them. barely any brake dust but when driving in the morning it squecks alot but once its warm its fine. also sometimes you may get some squecking when braking but it goes away. its not an embarassing squeck

[Mops@Nemesis]

I got stoptech street pads and really like them. Next to no dust and no noise either. Younga5....been a while. Ever get an exhaust sorted out?

[younga5driver]

MOPSTA: yea i know been a while. been busy with school and opening up a new business. with the exhaust, unfortunately no.... :/ ive been caught up with the trying to open up the new business and plus im getting a new car soon. so gotta use some of that money towards that. so i can tow more baggage around lol

[Mops@Nemesis]

Need a really good employee with great experience??? Replacing the A5?

[KrisHansen]

it all depends on how you drive- a buddy of mine has some 47,xxx miles in his S5 with original pads

[younga5driver]

mopsta: haha sure come on down to the south. you'll surely enjoy the food here. but im not sure if i want to trade it is. has alot of miles on it. might as well use it as a dd and use the range rover if i need to haul around things. still undecided.

[dcchristopher]

it all depends on how you drive- a buddy of mine has some 47,xxx miles in his S5 with original pads

+1 ... I just passed 50K miles (on all-original hardware) and I ordered new pads and rotors all around but only because I have nothing to do for a week and feel like some DIYing. The frustrating part is that my front pads may only have a few millimeters left (few = more than 2, before anyone starts screaming "unsafe!") but the rears are expectedly healthier, closer to 50% remaining. I'm going to end up wasting half the rears pads because of my OCDness. The rotors look good but I will anyway replace them with Brembo UV-coated discs, just for completeness sake. The pads are, of course, going to be Akebono Euro/ceramic. Including anti-seize and two bottles of brake fluid (another reason for the timing of it all as it has been a little over 2 years since I did the last flush), I'm looking at just over $500 for parts. I believe the dealership charges about 3-4 times that for the entire job. It's those damn brain surgeons they keep hiring ...

A few things to note, for those who are looking at doing a complete brake service ...
1) Make sure you have a VAG-COM or similar tool to disengage the EPB, when doing the rear brakes; quit procrastinating and buy the VAG-COM already ... it pays for itself after a few mods or maintenance jobs
2) When using a C-clamp to push the pistons back in, use an old brake pad as a protective surface between the piston and the clamp's "screw"; calipers are very expensive
3) In addition to 2), optionally open the bleed valve as you push in the piston (obviously, after you have attached the bleed hose and collection bottle); I personally believe it's a superior route for the compressed fluid to take, compared to flowing back through the entire brake system (and having to worry about affecting seals or brake fluid flowing over the reservoir)
4) the front-left pad ought to have a pad sensor built in ... the alert on the dash may or may not come on and it only applies to that ONE pad (so not only are the rears not monitored, it will also not necessarily tell you how the front right pad is doing; there's no promise of even wear)
5) check your own pads with an inspection mirror and some sort of small screwdriver or dentist-like tool to use as reference for thickness (as we all know, "objects are closer than they appear", instead in this case, they will actually look bigger than they really are, which is why you need another object for reference)

People who are changing their brakes after 15-25K miles are either tracking their cars or doing something seriously wrong, like riding their brakes or enjoying being customers of the year at their local dealership. My last car (a 335i boosted to 16psi) also went a good 50K miles before the front set needed replacement. I remember the service advisor asking me "how on Earth are you not using your brakes?" Well, for one thing I used to enjoy annual road trips ... the other reason is, I downshift a lot, before I touch the brake ... let's not even talk about clutch replacement just yet! :)

[OrlandoSly]

Im at 26k miles and they're still good according to my 25k mile visit to audi

1. Check how much is left on the breakpad

2. I dont believe it is

3. no idea but i know where to come back to get information later on when its time to change :)

[LiLS]

what are the best pads that dont cause dust?

[dcchristopher]

what are the best pads that dont cause dust?

After getting f***ed by both Amazon and True Blue Parts (both shipped me brake pads which were damaged by almost non-existent packaging), I finally installed the Brembo rotors and Akebono pads this past weekend. With regard to your question, Akebono pads are considered the ultimate in performance, noise, and dust. I just had the wheels cleaned today so let's see how many days/miles it will take to see a build-up. Previously it would take about a week to see a healthy coating of brake dust and by week two it looked down right filthy. I average about 300 miles a week, mixed.

With regard to the brake job, holy shit! I booked the lift/bay for four hours and it ended up taking me six hours total (pads, rotors, brake fluid flush), and that's including me leaning on a much stronger, much younger mechanic who happened to be available and was willing to help. Fortunately the owner was understanding and was able to juggle the other customer work at the remaining two bays. Besides the brake sensor being a pain in the ass to remove (first time for me and my young apprentice, took about 10-15 minutes), an hour alone must have been spent on using a sledgehammer to knock the rotors off. After 50K miles, they were completely fused onto the hub with rust. The mechanic had never seen such resistance. I would have never been able to do this alone in one day. After three hours of just removing crap, I was exhausted. He helped me bolt everything back on. Also, due to the "unforeseen delays" (read: lack of experience with things going wrong), I didn't do any of the "good housekeeping" I had planned (like using brake cleaner to get the crud off of all the parts we removed, using brake part lubricant around the piston boots, etc).

At least it's all over for another (hopefully) 50K miles or two years, when the brake fluid flush is due. Also, despite the overruns, $500 for parts and $300 for the bay and mechanic was still worth the learning opportunity, never mind the $1500 saved by not going to the stealership.

Some tips for people trying this stuff:
- invest in a sledgehammer and penetrating oil (Kroil or PB) in case your rotors are welded onto the hub with rust (needless to say, take care not to damage the hubs or other parts around your axle, especially in the rear of the car)
- use a small flathead screwdriver to lift the "notch" of the front-left brake pad sensor carrier assembly before attempting to rotate down; this part was a PITA because until you see how it goes back in, it's hard to imagine what is needed to take it off ... I'm still cussing it out ... Google some images of what it looks like so that you'll be prepared
- the Akebono brake pad sensor had a tip with too much plastic so it stuck out from the pad too far and could not be effectively routed; I had another sensor in a backup set of Bosch QuietCast pads I ordered and it was the correct part but was broken into pieces due to poor packaging; my suggestion: order an additional OEM sensor (by itself) from a reputable seller or even from a local Audi dealer; I ended up reusing the old one as I had no viable replacement
- don't forget to plug the f***ing brake pad sensor back in; I hastily put the wheels back on, started the car and almost crapped my pants because the BRAKE indicator came on along with a graphical warning about "Brake Pads" ... once I realized that there's only one sensor on the car it dawned on me that I never plugged it in ... fortunately you don't have to take the wheel off again, just lift the car, find the two dangling cables, connect them, and rotate the connected cables back onto the carrier so that the notch clicks back into place ... done!
- the brake lines are routed through rubber grommets which click into metal brackets welded onto the suspension arms; you have to squeeze those rubber grommets out of the metal brackets so that you have more brake line slack to move the calipers around
- I hung the calipers on the top suspension arm and zip-tied them so that they wouldn't fall off while we were performing Verdi's Anvil Chorus on the rotors ...
- the brake piston tool for the rear is a MUST! It rotates the piston (which has three notches, equally spaced from each other at 120 degrees apart) while pushing it in; it's only $40-60 online and well worth it ... expect this to also take a little bit of energy and time ... unlike the front pistons where you go slow intentionally, on this one you have no option ...
- the 21mm bolts in the front needed quite a bit of force and a breaker bar to remove; the ones in the rear were next to impossible to reach and also need to "break" before you can start undoing them; before taking the rears on, invest in tools which will offer a lot of torque with not a lot of room to rotate (MAYBE a foot inside the wheel well); you'll have to get creative about getting a nice angle in there; I found that going through the suspension from the rear of the car (close to the gas tank) offered enough room to break the bolts free with a longer breaker bar but only for about a 15 degree travel; again, just enough to break them free

I can't think of anything else but feel free to PM me with questions. Good luck!

[dcchristopher]

what are the best pads that dont cause dust?

For the last month or so, I can only hold off for two weeks before I have to get the car washed ... but, for once, it's not because of the wheels!

These Akebono pads ("euro" series) leave next to no dust. They're a bit mushy at first but the feeling improves every day and they acquired a healthy bite after a couple of weeks. I got the chance to really test them when someone popped in front of me and the car stopped on a dime.

[Canadianwraith]

Nice write up! A lot of very good info

[Brozee]

After getting f***ed by both Amazon and True Blue Parts (both shipped me brake pads which were damaged by almost non-existent packaging), I finally installed the Brembo rotors and Akebono pads this past weekend. With regard to your question, Akebono pads are considered the ultimate in performance, noise, and dust. I just had the wheels cleaned today so let's see how many days/miles it will take to see a build-up. Previously it would take about a week to see a healthy coating of brake dust and by week two it looked down right filthy. I average about 300 miles a week, mixed.

With regard to the brake job, holy shit! I booked the lift/bay for four hours and it ended up taking me six hours total (pads, rotors, brake fluid flush), and that's including me leaning on a much stronger, much younger mechanic who happened to be available and was willing to help. Fortunately the owner was understanding and was able to juggle the other customer work at the remaining two bays. Besides the brake sensor being a pain in the ass to remove (first time for me and my young apprentice, took about 10-15 minutes), an hour alone must have been spent on using a sledgehammer to knock the rotors off. After 50K miles, they were completely fused onto the hub with rust. The mechanic had never seen such resistance. I would have never been able to do this alone in one day. After three hours of just removing crap, I was exhausted. He helped me bolt everything back on. Also, due to the "unforeseen delays" (read: lack of experience with things going wrong), I didn't do any of the "good housekeeping" I had planned (like using brake cleaner to get the crud off of all the parts we removed, using brake part lubricant around the piston boots, etc).

At least it's all over for another (hopefully) 50K miles or two years, when the brake fluid flush is due. Also, despite the overruns, $500 for parts and $300 for the bay and mechanic was still worth the learning opportunity, never mind the $1500 saved by not going to the stealership.

Some tips for people trying this stuff:
- invest in a sledgehammer and penetrating oil (Kroil or PB) in case your rotors are welded onto the hub with rust (needless to say, take care not to damage the hubs or other parts around your axle, especially in the rear of the car)

- the Akebono brake pad sensor had a tip with too much plastic so it stuck out from the pad too far and could not be effectively routed; I had another sensor in a backup set of Bosch QuietCast pads I ordered and it was the correct part but was broken into pieces due to poor packaging; my suggestion: order an additional OEM sensor (by itself) from a reputable seller or even from a local Audi dealer; I ended up reusing the old one as I had no viable replacement

- I hung the calipers on the top suspension arm and zip-tied them so that they wouldn't fall off while we were performing Verdi's Anvil Chorus on the rotors ...
- the brake piston tool for the rear is a MUST! It rotates the piston (which has three notches, equally spaced from each other at 120 degrees apart) while pushing it in; it's only $40-60 online and well worth it ... expect this to also take a little bit of energy and time ... unlike the front pistons where you go slow intentionally, on this one you have no option ...

Not to be rude, but a brake job on this car sure as hell shouldn't take longer than 2 hours (honestly an hour).

- You don't need a lift or garage to do this; so minus $300. Jack stands and a jack work perfectly fine.
- My brakes took 45 minutes total to do the front and rear pads and rotors
- Not sure why yours was so stuck to the hub, I used a hammer and with one thwack was able to have the rotors dislodged.
- The brake piston tool that rotates isn't needed either.
- I have no comments on the brake flush.
- I am by no means anything more than a simple DIY'er

To the OP, I had 34k on my car with stock pads and it seemed to still have decent life left.

[milesed]

My car has 25k miles and one trackday of use on OEM pads with about 50% left. The noise is not likely from worn rear pads.

I switched to EBC redstuff pads and swap out to Carbotech for track use. Redstuff are quiet and low dust so far.