Jcampbell3

Well we are in Edmonton, and broke!

Well...we are just about busted. I am extremely disappointed in Audi. We arrived in Edmonton at 12 noon to resolve a braking problem. The dealership was great, they inspected the car right away and yes there was a problem! It turns out that all the rotors were shot! They were badly corroded, and pads of course were shot too. Hence the shuddering and poor braking performance we were experiencing on our trip to Alaska.

The car is a 2016 Q5 TDI WITH 6800 km on it when we started out, 11000 now. Car has always been carefully pampered and lived in a heated garage!

I was willing to accept the diagnoses, reluctantly, thinking the repairs would be covered under warranty! Alas, the dealer here called and Audi denied the coverage or any assistance with the repair! Can you believe it?

The bill? Well....It's $2000 bucks for a complete brake job! I called Audi customer service again, and was again told no help as the brakes were corroded! Which cancelled the warranty! Bastards! Would not even meet us halfway.

We are here until tomorrow, no road side assistance, as the warranty claim was denied. The car "maybe" ready late afternoon depends of course if the rotors are here in time! Then we must backtrack towards Jasper and start trip all over ago from there!

I don't know, this is the last straw with Audi. I can no longer trust them! What a royal screw-up! I will not recommend any friend to buy an Audi! Between diesel gate lies and now this the Audi is just not worth headache! They don't stand behind their product in my opinion. Imagine claiming it must be the salt on the roads that's responsible for destroying 4 rotors in 6000 Kms, Does that mean you cannot drive an Audi in winter at all in Canada? A fair weather only?

The dealership is great did however give us another Q5 as a loaner and the brakes on that were great, vast difference, it's a wonder I could drive mine in the mountains at all!

The Mechanic, was good, bright guy, said they are having lots of problems lately with this situation and the brakes! He apologized, and that he had tried to get things done under warranty too but Audi refused them too. Dealer here is fantastic, but of course I'm paying for it!

This "whale" must go! Too bad, because when working it's a great car. Unfortunately, the "A" in Audi stands for arrogant, or A...... Take your pick. I'm done. Now how to get rid of a car no one really wants. I tell you guys all this just So you are all aware of the corrosion warranty disclaimer!

Sorry rant over! I'm just pissed


Cheers

BarryT

Aftermarket parts would have been much cheaper and better. What's the warranty on dealership installed new brakes and pads?

marnes

Road salt and debris can build up on the brakes causing them to bind, leading the way to uneven and premature wear. Also brakes, rotors, and tires are not a warranty item as it's considered normal wear and tear, unless you pay extra to get a special protection warranty.

I once required a full brake job after a day of skiing and coming down the mountain. Something got into my brakes, likely road crud, sand, grit, etc... and was behaving badly. My mistake was to pump the brakes a few times to try to force it out, and my brakes heated up and I could smell some burning. I tried to take it easy by using gears, but it was enough to ruin my rotors -- it wasn't a new car by any means. I decided to go aftermarket.

Driving a shiny new car to Alaska, you would likely have encountered dirt roads, mountain passes, and/or snow and similar conditions... so combining that with a super long drive distance, it would make sense how it would destroy brakes/rotors in a single trip.

I don't really think you can blame Audi for this one...

rez

Wow sorry to hear of your trouble. I just replaced rotors and pads on 2012 Q5 and the rotors could easily have been reused after 89,000km (after suitable turning of course). I bought all the parts through the dealer and did the work myself so had a first hand look at all the components. I'd be inclined to keep all receipts and try and pursue through Audi Canada.

They use plenty of salt on Edmonton roads all winter and the rotors were still in great shape after 4 winters so very puzzled that yours were in the condition you describe on a 2016!? Something sure doesn't sound quite right with this situation.

stash64

I don't understand the rant. I've never heard of brakes being covered by a warranty by any manufacturer. It's a wear item, though I am shocked that the brakes would be completely worn down in just 11k km. I've got about 20k miles (33k km) on my Q5 and the dealership told me the brakes were still like new during my last visit a few months ago.

marnes

Driving from Edmonton to Alaska is about 2500km+ each way, through many mountain passes on some pretty bad roads, possibly including gravel in places depending on where he went.

Brakes that get gritted up can be worn out and destroyed in record time especially when combined with long distance driving and ignoring warning signs. I once drove to Alaska from Vancouver. Definitely epic. Don't think I'd want to do that again.

plat27265

I suspect that the main issue is not much about corrosion. I doubt if there is corrosion on the face of the rotors, the edges maybe. Any corrosion on the face of the rotors will be burned off due to heat. You mentioned shuddering. Shuddering is a sign of warped rotors. Warped rotors are not covered by Audi Warranty. It is considered wear and tear along with worn brake pads.

The way you pamper your car and how it is stored does not make the brakes last longer. Brakes last longer if you do not apply them aggressively or use them extensively. Driving habits dictate brake wear unless there is a known problem of premature wear for the Q5. I do not own a Q5 so I do not know but I have not heard of such an issue. I do know that my S5 and your Q5 are very heavy vehicles. Coupled with aggressive or extensive use of brakes (especially downhill) will make your brake pads and rotors wear out faster. One way to ease up on the use of brakes is to use engine braking together with the brakes.

Manufacturers will spec 'just the right size' brakes that will do the job for daily driving use. Often times, they're borderline to save production costs. If you know you tend to rely on the brakes heavily or use your car for lots of long drives, it would be best to consider upgrading the brake rotors and pads to something beefier like a Big Brake Kit (BBK) that would take more heat.

I feel sorry for you having to shell out $2,000 for the brake job. Any brake place should have been capable of replacing them at a lower cost. Also, too bad that you were in the middle of your road trip. That $2,000 cost should have gone to beefier brakes.

Your Q5 TDI is a great SUV especially if it is not giving you any headaches. I hope you decide to keep it.

MP4.2+6.0

Agreed with a bunch of what you said...until you got to the quoted part. Audi and other German makes in general are not like some American and particularly the Asian vehicle brand stuff. The Q5 brakes are designed to stop the car reliably from the Euro rated speed for it. That means at least 130MPH given the governor. In practice it often means 155 or whatever the vehicle will do with the given motor in Europe and the oft 155/250kph governors used there. In the US, Canada or most anywhere save the Autohahnen, good luck finding anywhere you can use the brakes remotely to this potential. Having done so with Euro delivery of the Q5 Hybrid with the same basic rotor set up as the TDI as well as similar vehicle weight (high end of the Q5 range), I can confirm the brakes work quite well when needed way up there on the speedo scale.

In plain English, 345mm rotors are actually pretty meaty brakes by historical standards even at the vehicle weights involved. Even though I do brake mods myself, the Q5 set ups are more than capable stock.

plat27265

@MP4.2+6.0 You have a point there about the brakes being beefy enough for Autobahn use. That portion of my post you quoted I experienced in my old '98 Nissan 200SX. The brakes on that one were 'just the right size' with no headroom to take the rigors of daily city driving. No question that the Q5 brakes will do their job especially on the Autobahn. However, what we do not know is how the OP uses brakes especially downhill. I regularly visit a client whose location is up a steep hill. The hill side is a 3.1 km stretch of road. When I drive downhill, I shift to manual mode and stay in M4 then apply the brakes once in a while to maintain the allowed speed limit. I make sure I allow the brakes to cool down a bit before applying them again. I see other cars' brake lights on continuously all the way down that stretch. That will surely overheat the brakes to a point that the rotors will eventually warp after repeated drives through that same area.

The OP's drive to Alaska through Alberta includes going up and down the Rockies and other mountainous areas in Northern BC and Alaska. That means a lot of long downhill roads. Having your foot constantly on the brakes for long durations will eventually warp the rotors due to heat build-up even if they're designed to take Autobahn speeds. In the Autobahn, you do not slow down often unless there is traffic or you're nearing your exit. You apply brakes for only a few hundred feet to get down to the right speed or stop. This kind of braking action is not enough to warp these brakes.

We do not know the OP's braking habits but the braking scenario I described above and the mountainous areas with lots of downhill drives will cause the brake discs to warp and pads to wear out faster than normal city driving.

jimdolian

Part of the problem can be attributed to storing a car in a heated garage in areas where salt is frequently used on the roads for snow and ice removal. The heat greatly accelerates corrosion. I understand the comfort considerations, but there is a downside. I've always lived in such areas and will never consider a heated garage.