tester123

Been away for a while... I hope everyone is doing well here.

Quick question. Need to replace front rotors / pads on my '01 4.2. Last time got Meyle (I think)... anyway, looking at Blauparts' U-slot and regular rotors / pads packages...

Are those U-slots worth the extra cost? Some have mentioned vibration after a while or even worse, immediately. Please share your experiences / thoughts.

Thanks!

SloopJohnB@mac.com

what makes you think you need rotors? I just slap new pads on. The wear limit is i mm/side which is pretty low. Rotors should last a couple pad changes…worst case is knock off the outside ridge with a grinder.

tester123

No, they are in a bad shape and I feel its just easier to replace them with new ones while I have everything open rather than to mess with old rotors new pads, seating/bedding issues etc.

Think I'll stick with aftermarket OE type for now... but just curious if anyone had experience with blauparts rotors.... that's what I wanted to know.

Gsrob

When I went to replace my brakes I was looking at all the options too and there is really limited info available out there about them. Most of what I read was similar to your first post in content. I ended up going OEM as well. Be very diligent in what rotors you purchase as far as size goes. If you have the four pad per side rotors you're looking at a different offset with the same diameter rotor as the heavy duty ATE 2 pad per side calipers. Both rotors are 320x30mm but one offset is like 16.7mm and the other is 22.7mm... I can't remember which are which but I think Europa lists the differences with the Zimmermans.

Metronet

I really like the EBC Ultimax Slotted rotors and so I think the U-slot might be better than the regular version?

Not sure about the 4.2 but I had to measure the rear rotor hat for the right replacement (I used paper instead of measuring without the wheel). For some reason my option code sticker doesn't show whether I have 0N5 (1.75" offset) or 0N6 (1.50" offset)...

SloopJohnB@mac.com

I would have gotten the p/n for the OEM rotor. There should be a crosswalk, but measuring it is good too. I'm surprised there is only a Ľ" difference in offset….

tester123

Well, here is an update:

I got the pads/rotors from Blauparts and was surprised that they sent Textar (supposed to be OE Audi/MB uses?) pads along with their "HCC or High Carbon Chromium" (supposed to be higher carbon content and perform better...[we'll see down the road]). In any event, the rotors and pads (8 pad setup) are perfect fit and had no issues during install.

A quick road/brake test was a positive experience. The brakes are very effective and able to stop the car without any issues. Moreover, the brake "feel" is very good and "predictive".

Overall, I'd give them a very good rating right now. Will have to see how they hold up after some mileage.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Good for you. FYI, the OEM pads on my E46 M3 are Textar and they're quite good if quite dirty/black powder. I used OEM pads on the M3 at 66K miles (first time) without replacing rotors…I have slightly over 90K on those rotors and about 24K on the pads without noticeable wear (there would likely be pad wear if I measured it and certainly rotor wear but what the hey!). The M3 convertible weighs about 3800# so it's comparable to my 2K4.2A6 and 02S6 except that the M3 has a manual transmission. The automatic Audis seem to wear brake pads more.

tester123

Seriously? I guess I don't have that kinda luck for brakes... For one, the fat guide pin (in the middle) on passenger rotor rusted and stuck so that froze the carrier and caused all sorts of issues. Replaced pads and rotors (Zimmermans -I think). That lasted for a while and wore out that I changed pads and rotors again (not enough meat to resurface). Then went with Zimmermans and Pagid pads. During spring, didn't drive for a week or so and rust buildup -which went away but must have glazed the pads or something because braking caused severe vibration and I mean severe like the bearing lost a marble. Replaced them now with HCC from blauparts. Almost all the vibration went away immediately but the rears were also shot. So, went a different route this time with Wagner. Yeah, wagner from AdvancedAuto! along with Wagner's Themoquiet pads. Basically that's wagners top of line pads. Contemplated Pillengis and textars but saved over $130. Flushed the brake fluid completely including reservoir. The brakes are so good now it feels like a new car! LOL Lets see how they hold up.

Gsrob

Before I did my front brakes, I contemplated Wagner (the best quality ones) since they had mostly favorable reviews. I ended up going with them however since they had to be ordered as well and were not stocked. Also, I cannot comment on the overall quality of the many aftermarket pads, but I can say that the ones I got from Audi were incredibly heavy duty compared to the POS ones the PO put on from some no name autoparts store. He then proceeded to leave the anti rattle springs off the front calipers because those pads he got didn't have the clip on the outside to fit them. For the longest time I thought I had to redo my recent control arm refresh but it turned out to be my brake pads literally bouncing back and forth in the calipers.