Quoted $1400 to replace front brake pads and disc?

[ruffies]

Is that too much? This is from Audi solitare ofc. I got my a4 serviced and I'm actually surprised they didn't replace it even though the brake pad lights came on and they said only 3mm was left.

[colorado.a4]

audi doesn’t replace brakes during a service. only time they would is a parts warranty which would be 12 month/12k miles, and then only if it’s a manufacture defect.

That’s an average quote for both axle pads&rotors under OEM parts. The dealership I work at also quotes customers for OE pads and rotors which are a little cheaper. so I’d say that 1400 for just front is way to expensive.

Best bet if your comfortable is to buy parts from sites like ECS tuning and install yourself but ranging on what you want to pay could be just as expensive to relatively cheap.


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[audiyadosir]

A brake job is the easiest job you could learn to do on your own car. When you walk away for $300, including nice rotors and ceramic brake pads, all four tires...you’ll be pleased you learned something so easy to do!


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[ruffies]

so i'm better off just buying both pad and disc and go to a private mechanic to do replace them to save $$$? Or could I buy them and take them to audi to install? Sorry, I'm pretty new to cars.

[colorado.a4]

so i'm better off just buying both pad and disc and go to a private mechanic to do replace them to save $$$? Or could I buy them and take them to audi to install? Sorry, I'm pretty new to cars.

that would be an option but doing brakes, especially front, isn’t very difficult at all! there are plenty of forums and videos on the internet that can explain what to do and for a first time could only take a couple hours!

[Novarider]

Here are front and rear Akebono ceramic pads with front and rear Zimmermann rotors for $360. Plus they come with fcpeuro's lifetime warranty.*

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/aud...o-b8brakezimm2


Here are a few videos on how to do the pads/rotors. Even if you have to buy a tool kit and jack/stands to do this you'd still save $800-$900.

https://m.youtube.com/results?search...ad+replacement

*confirm these fit your car before purchasing since you're from Australia.

[Stazi]

If you are that skeptical about doing them yourself, let us know your location (city and state) and maybe someone local to you can help you do them or point you towards a good mechanic in your area that won’t rip you off like the dealership is attempting to do.


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[eurojunkjon]

I’ll assume he is in Australia. Your best bet would be to buy the parts from fcp euro that novarider suggested and either try it yourself or take it to a private mechanic

[Novarider]

Brakes are very easy to work on but can be quite scarry if you've never worked on them before. I used to pay people to do all my brake work because I was afraid to mess them up. Once I realized how easy it actually was I've done it myself ever since and saved a ton of money.

[Smac770]

First time I had my brakes done, I let the dealership do it since it was early on. $1100 USD for front and rear pads and rotors, $700 parts, $400 labor (at 2 "units"? per axle). I still use only OE rotors and pads, but you could obtain them elsewhere at better than MSRP pricing and then take them in and have them installed. Though rotors are heavy; the shipping will likely eat any savings. Of course, there's always 3rd party parts if you need lower costs.

Part cost is going to happen regardless; what you're saving doing it yourself is the labor. $400 is not that much depending on the value of your time and your existing tool set, assuming they'll install parts you supply. It took me several hours to do the fronts the first time, because it was the first time ever doing brakes. You mention rears, you're going to need VCDS or such to retract the parking brake (I have no support for the "just smash the caliper, it'll maybe work" bs). But the cost of VCDS covers itself well beyond a brake job.


A brake related question not related to the OP's scenario.
1LA vs 1LB, the difference is the pads. 8K0 689 151 H vs K. Anyone know what's actually different about those pads?
I see the same for the facelift Q5 brembos (320mm, 1LB vs 1LC; 345mm 1LE vs 1LP). Same parts except pads.

Different unrelated brake question.
B8.0 Q5, 1LA vs 1ZB (TRW 320mm) and 1LJ vs 1ZT (TRW 345mm). The parts look identical. Anyone know what the 1Zx PRs are for? The SQ5 has ATE 380mm 1LV and 1ZK, but those are clearly identified, black vs red paint. The 1LA/1ZB and 1LJ/1ZT seem to have no difference at all. I also notice B8.0 S4/S5 also list both 1LJ and 1ZT.

Lastly, was TRW 345mm 1LD on any US facelift A4/A5? I don't ever remember noticing an option for a big brake kit factory for the A4/A5. Maybe it was a ROW thing and ETKA just not being absolutely accurate.

I wonder why they switched the Q5 at facelift from TRW to Brembo but left the A4/A5 on TRW.

[Novarider]

First time I had my brakes done, I let the dealership do it since it was early on. $1100 USD for front and rear pads and rotors, $700 parts, $400 labor (at 2 "units"? per axle). I still use only OE rotors and pads, but you could obtain them elsewhere at better than MSRP pricing and then take them in and have them installed. Though rotors are heavy; the shipping will likely eat any savings. Of course, there's always 3rd party parts if you need lower costs.

Part cost is going to happen regardless; what you're saving doing it yourself is the labor. $400 is not that much depending on the value of your time and your existing tool set, assuming they'll install parts you supply. It took me several hours to do the fronts the first time, because it was the first time ever doing brakes. You mention rears, you're going to need VCDS or such to retract the parking brake (I have no support for the "just smash the caliper, it'll maybe work" bs). But the cost of VCDS covers itself well beyond a brake job.


A brake related question not related to the OP's scenario.
1LA vs 1LB, the difference is the pads. 8K0 689 151 H vs K. Anyone know what's actually different about those pads?
I see the same for the facelift Q5 brembos (320mm, 1LB vs 1LC; 345mm 1LE vs 1LP). Same parts except pads.

Different unrelated brake question.
B8.0 Q5, 1LA vs 1ZB (TRW 320mm) and 1LJ vs 1ZT (TRW 345mm). The parts look identical. Anyone know what the 1Zx PRs are for? The SQ5 has ATE 380mm 1LV and 1ZK, but those are clearly identified, black vs red paint. The 1LA/1ZB and 1LJ/1ZT seem to have no difference at all. I also notice B8.0 S4/S5 also list both 1LJ and 1ZT.

Lastly, was TRW 345mm 1LD on any US facelift A4/A5? I don't ever remember noticing an option for a big brake kit factory for the A4/A5. Maybe it was a ROW thing and ETKA just not being absolutely accurate.

I wonder why they switched the Q5 at facelift from TRW to Brembo but left the A4/A5 on TRW.

Only save $400? He was quoted $1400 for JUST the front. Akebono front pads are $80. If you want factory pads they are $140. Rotors are $70 each. That's $280 in parts........

[LmG7119]

Is that too much? This is from Audi solitare ofc. I got my a4 serviced and I'm actually surprised they didn't replace it even though the brake pad lights came on and they said only 3mm was left.

I think this is really really too much. It is 2 ish hours by the book. My body's good year charges $135/h. I end up with $300. Bought a kit from FCP for $300 Zimmermann/Akebono when they were on sale.

[jfo]

Remember, he's in Australia so you can't just compare to USD directly. His $1,400 is probably about $950 US. Still high compared to North America, but parts and labour need to be split out to compare. It may be that parts are more expensive to land in Oz, especially OE Audi parts. In any case, I agree that the best approach would be to shop for the best price on suitable parts and take them to an indie shop...nothing unusual about Audi brakes that would benefit from a dealer or specialty shop.

[Smac770]

Only save $400? He was quoted $1400 for JUST the front. Akebono front pads are $80. If you want factory pads they are $140. Rotors are $70 each. That's $280 in parts........

Oh, saw the price and assumed it was front (and rear) ..., but see now the (and rear) is not in the title. Who asks such a question for just two corners? That's of course an absurd price for just a front brakes job. But where's the breakdown? Where is the absurdity? Is it labor, is it parts, is it "shop fee", is it exchange rate, etc? We don't even know if he has 320mm rotors, or it's just FWD with 314mm rotors. Or maybe he somehow got 1LD 345mm. Who knows.

There's too little detail to know if it's worth doing the work himself vs just sourcing the parts himself, not to mention what does the stuff cost to get where he lives in a time frame he can accept. OE parts from a dealer on site will always be your highest part cost, but ordering the parts from the same dealer over the internet sometimes can be the lowest cost OE parts option, and sometimes can be not much more than 3rd party. Can get the OE pads and rotors from the dealership for $320, but then you have to see how much shipping adds. In the OP's case, I doubt ECS or FCP or such ship free to down under.

[Novarider]

Oh, saw the price and assumed it was front (and rear) ..., but see now the (and rear) is not in the title. Who asks such a question for just two corners? That's of course an absurd price for just a front brakes job. But where's the breakdown? Where is the absurdity? Is it labor, is it parts, is it "shop fee", is it exchange rate, etc? We don't even know if he has 320mm rotors, or it's just FWD with 314mm rotors. Or maybe he somehow got 1LD 345mm. Who knows.

There's too little detail to know if it's worth doing the work himself vs just sourcing the parts himself, not to mention what does the stuff cost to get where he lives in a time frame he can accept. OE parts from a dealer on site will always be your highest part cost, but ordering the parts from the same dealer over the internet sometimes can be the lowest cost OE parts option, and sometimes can be not much more than 3rd party. Can get the OE pads and rotors from the dealership for $320, but then you have to see how much shipping adds. In the OP's case, I doubt ECS or FCP or such ship free to down under.

It's always worth doing the work yourself.

Not only do you save money you also learn a new skill that will serve you for the rest of your life, the sense of accomplishment is great as well.

[Smac770]

That will always be a decision for the person them self. My uncle would never kill a few hours changing brakes on a car. He makes good money, has seven cars to maintain, and has a car mechanic buddy he trusts that he takes all his stuff to. He'd rather spend free time he has on a boat, at a concert, hitting me up to do some gaming, doing another house project with the wife, spend time with his kid, etc. We've done car work before ourselves, sorting out the turbo on his GL and such. Any of the car stereo upgrades, we do that ourselves, as we're into audio systems. But he's simply got more valuable to him things to do with the free time he can find.

I myself do my own work because it's satisfying ... to know some mechanic didn't screw something up and try to hide it, didn't do it wrong and try to slide past it, etc. I do my own work because I can't trust others to give an f about something that's not theirs. Plus I only have one vehicle to maintain. I am always happy to pay for convenience, but it better be done to the par as if I had done it myself. Plus learning how to do things correctly can be time consuming, and building the correct tool set to do the job correctly can add up to more than some people might be in for. And if you're living at an apartment complex, your options for DIY might be less inviting.

[BrianVan]

That's a 100% rip off. Brakes can be done at any brake shop. Audi's...the rear brakes needs a Euro shop or at least call them to make sure they can do the rears. The emergency brake needs to be retracted and a shop NEEDS to know how to do that. As a DIY'er, its easy but because I've done it. Without a Vag-com. It just disassembles and you by-hand spin it back in....Pads are two bolts, rotors are two bolts (plus the hex to keep the rotor on the hub) for a total of Four bolts.
If you don't have the tools, know-how, or a buddy that knows what he's doing, (as you both have some beers as you work)....or you really know nothing about working on cars...you'll need to take it to a shop.
Most of us wrench our own cars so we know us telling you jump right in is a little daunting. And there's no specific "list of tools" you'll need. We all have gobs of tools and we all still end up running out for that "special" tool we just didn't have.
Owning a high end top-tier luxury sports sedan is not cheap. You think a regular maintenance brake job is expensive, wait til something really breaks on it.

[captain_video]

Doing a brake job is the best way to get your feet wet in learning how to maintain your own car. Aside from changing an air filter or changing the oil, it's by far one of the easiest tasks that require the use of hand tools. Dealerships will always charge you more than independent mechanics because they have much higher overhead and that cost gets passed on to the customer. I started working on my own cars when I was a teenager because I just didn't have the money to pay someone else to do the work. Luckily, I had a buddy of mine that was a mechanic and he showed me a few things. I'm now 68 and still work on my own cars. My cars only see the inside of a dealership when they're still under warranty.

[XLR8 Craig]

Just chiming in quick with another option for OEM replacements!

StopTech has their 4-corner axle packs (with drilled/slotted rotors & street pads) for ~$615.00. They also have blank rotor and ceramic pad options which end up closer to the $550-600 range. Just don't forget about the pad wear sensors!

Feel free to shoot me a PM or check us out online if you need some pricing.

Happy modding!