snagitseven

Last fall I decided to get ahead of the game and purchased a set of Zimmerman rotors and OEM pads for my A6 with the intention of having my Audi dealer do the labor. Based on previous experience, with 42K miles I figured it was only a matter of time before the brake wear light would appear.

I brought my car in for the 45K service and was told I still had 10mm front and 8mm rear on my pads and plenty of rotor thickness with no scoring all round which surprised me. I thought well, no problem, I'll just leave the pads and rotors in my garage for a few months.

My brake pedal was getting soft and low to the floor so I thought it was time for the 2 year brake flush. I thought I might as well load the rotors and pads in the trunk and have them replace the brakes while the car was in for the service. Surely they must be getting worn down with another 10K miles to 52K. The Audi tech measured my pads again and I still had 8mm in front and 6mm in the rear. He told me it would be a waste of money to replace them now. So, the rotors and pads are back in my garage. (And the brake pedal height and feel is now normal again thanks to the flush).

I can't think of any of my Audis I've owned that didn't need new brakes by 50K miles including my wife's allroad. So my question for anyyone who has replaced any of their pads or rotors on their A6 C7, at what mileage was it done?

Acuransx

Snagit that is encouraging news. Can't help you out with the question as I only have 18,500 miles on mine but in fact thanks to Audi replacing all rotors and pads at between 8500 and 10,500 miles I guess I only have around 8-10,000 on my brakes! What is your split between city/highway driving?


And (admittedly off-topic as this relates to one of your other posts) when you get some clarity on the walnut shell valve cleaning (cost/name of indy or dealer) would you mind sharing that information?


Best,
Jeff

jujuC6

I did not have same luck and sure most can say the same. I recently hit 50k and my brake light came on. I think if one does more highway driving or put more stress on the brakes then it might speed up the process. In my case most of my driving is on the highway with some bad commutes at times so I guess it sort of explains my situation. But you are right, every other Audi I had did not go extended time like you described before change was needed, these are heavy suckas. On that note, my little 135i just hit 40k today and Pads and Rotors look and feel like new. Nothing on the service records about change of brakes, I believe they are the originals. I think weight and driving conditions dictates longevity. Well, if it ain't broke don't fix it and that's a blessing with these cars. Good luck, hope it makes it another 20~25k.

snagitseven

My best guess is 40% highway, 55% suburban, <5% in stop & go traffic. No daily commutes anymore.

DB22

My last car, Acura RL, had fronts changed at around 90k and I never changed the rears and it had 166k miles. My A6 has over 55k and there is a lot left on the pads and rotors.
I always drive so that I slow early enough so that I do not brake hard for corners as opposed to some people think that you must either be pressing on the brake or the accelerator.

davidglt66

2014 A6 TDI, 50 50 highway and local, 60,000 and still 4.5 mm front, 4 mm rear, rotors do have a well worn ridge at outside edge and will need replacing with pads maybe by 65,000.

hotlips

Just got mine back from a 40k visit due to a small light button problem. They wanted me to do a brake job, saying fronts at 8mm and rear pads at 4mm inside. Told them no at this time. Don't know why rears are so much less than fronts - thinking it's the cruise braking the rears to maintain space. Anyway, I expect another 5-10k but will monitor. I'm not aggressive with braking and usually have gotten 60-70k miles in the past. Will probably do the Zimmerman non-slotted rotors and Akebono pads to kill the dust which I can't stand.

newmoon

Pads
25k mi: 10mm F, 10mm R
35k mi: 9mm F, 9mm R
45k mi: 9mm F, 8mm R

I'm at 55k now but I did the service myself so didn't measure the pads. I think the minimum is 5mm right?

I'm a very comfort oriented driver, so I don't hammer the brakes unless it's an emergency. In fact, I have never had to change brakes on any of my vehicles, the highest of which was 75k when I sold that one. On the other hand, I've ridden with other drivers that do what I would define as hammering the brakes at every single stop light. Then they usually complain about the cost of maintenance...

snagitseven

I was told by my tech the alert should appear at about 3mm and the minimum is at 2mm.

Maverick61

Can't recall the exact mileage but it was in the 40 to 45K range where I had to change brake pads.

One benefit - I switched to the Akebono ceramic pads and love that there is virtually no brake dust . The OEM pads left my wheeels looking crappy after a week or two