Successfully did Rear Brakes without VagCom
06-20-2018, 12:59 PM
#25
AudiWorld Member
06-20-2018, 10:24 PM
#27
Hats off to the OP! Sorry to hijack this thread but here I go: I am quite reluctant to do anything to my Audi.
A month or so I ago I decided to put on an ACNA license frame that I had bought a few years ago but had not installed yet. As I unscrewed the 4 bolts in the dealer-installed frame the metal nuts all fell into the black plastic mounting bracket (this was at the rear). Apparently they are just a pressed fit and on a hot day when the plastic deformed easily I guess they just slipped out – not ideal!
I tried every trick I knew and could not figure out how to get the nuts out of the bracket. At his urging I visited an Audi dealer while visiting a friend a few hundred miles away from home and asked them if they could fix it and put back the original dealer frame while I waited. They said it would take a long time and would cost about $300 bucks. This was $150 for a new black plastic bracket and an hour to two hours for labor. They said the black plastic frame is held on not only with the two screws I had removed and reinstalled in my trying to fix it, but by a lot of strong double sided tape. They cautioned that sometimes removing the bracket winds up scratching the surrounding paint unless the person doing it is careful and meticulous – hence the high labor estimate.
I said I would do it another time but actually went to an Auto Zone and bought a package of 4 plastic/nylon clip-in nuts that fit perfectly in the four square cutouts in the plastic bracket where the loosely fitted metal nuts had fallen out, then bought shorter bolts at a hardware store (the ones that came with the Auto Zone plastic/nylon “kit” were too long and may have gone into the body and paint under the bracket). This set me back less than a total of $6. The downside is that occasionally (though not every time) I can hear the metal nuts rattling around when I slam the trunk. I may yet drill a few little holes in the plastic (maybe it is some composite material) bracket and spray that expanding foam insulation in to hold the nuts in place and hope it eliminates the rattling noise. I am afraid though that the foam stuff would just come back out and mess up the whole rear of the trunk lid, so likely I will leave it as is.
My point – even seemingly simple jobs can become big deals. Like writing this post lol
A month or so I ago I decided to put on an ACNA license frame that I had bought a few years ago but had not installed yet. As I unscrewed the 4 bolts in the dealer-installed frame the metal nuts all fell into the black plastic mounting bracket (this was at the rear). Apparently they are just a pressed fit and on a hot day when the plastic deformed easily I guess they just slipped out – not ideal!
I tried every trick I knew and could not figure out how to get the nuts out of the bracket. At his urging I visited an Audi dealer while visiting a friend a few hundred miles away from home and asked them if they could fix it and put back the original dealer frame while I waited. They said it would take a long time and would cost about $300 bucks. This was $150 for a new black plastic bracket and an hour to two hours for labor. They said the black plastic frame is held on not only with the two screws I had removed and reinstalled in my trying to fix it, but by a lot of strong double sided tape. They cautioned that sometimes removing the bracket winds up scratching the surrounding paint unless the person doing it is careful and meticulous – hence the high labor estimate.
I said I would do it another time but actually went to an Auto Zone and bought a package of 4 plastic/nylon clip-in nuts that fit perfectly in the four square cutouts in the plastic bracket where the loosely fitted metal nuts had fallen out, then bought shorter bolts at a hardware store (the ones that came with the Auto Zone plastic/nylon “kit” were too long and may have gone into the body and paint under the bracket). This set me back less than a total of $6. The downside is that occasionally (though not every time) I can hear the metal nuts rattling around when I slam the trunk. I may yet drill a few little holes in the plastic (maybe it is some composite material) bracket and spray that expanding foam insulation in to hold the nuts in place and hope it eliminates the rattling noise. I am afraid though that the foam stuff would just come back out and mess up the whole rear of the trunk lid, so likely I will leave it as is.
My point – even seemingly simple jobs can become big deals. Like writing this post lol
Last edited by irenesbob; 06-20-2018 at 10:27 PM.
06-21-2018, 04:44 AM
#28
AudiWorld Senior Member
Hats off to the OP! Sorry to hijack this thread but here I go: I am quite reluctant to do anything to my Audi.
A month or so I ago I decided to put on an ACNA license frame that I had bought a few years ago but had not installed yet. As I unscrewed the 4 bolts in the dealer-installed frame the metal nuts all fell into the black plastic mounting bracket (this was at the rear). Apparently they are just a pressed fit and on a hot day when the plastic deformed easily I guess they just slipped out – not ideal!
I tried every trick I knew and could not figure out how to get the nuts out of the bracket. At his urging I visited an Audi dealer while visiting a friend a few hundred miles away from home and asked them if they could fix it and put back the original dealer frame while I waited. They said it would take a long time and would cost about $300 bucks. This was $150 for a new black plastic bracket and an hour to two hours for labor. They said the black plastic frame is held on not only with the two screws I had removed and reinstalled in my trying to fix it, but by a lot of strong double sided tape. They cautioned that sometimes removing the bracket winds up scratching the surrounding paint unless the person doing it is careful and meticulous – hence the high labor estimate.
I said I would do it another time but actually went to an Auto Zone and bought a package of 4 plastic/nylon clip-in nuts that fit perfectly in the four square cutouts in the plastic bracket where the loosely fitted metal nuts had fallen out, then bought shorter bolts at a hardware store (the ones that came with the Auto Zone plastic/nylon “kit” were too long and may have gone into the body and paint under the bracket). This set me back less than a total of $6. The downside is that occasionally (though not every time) I can hear the metal nuts rattling around when I slam the trunk. I may yet drill a few little holes in the plastic (maybe it is some composite material) bracket and spray that expanding foam insulation in to hold the nuts in place and hope it eliminates the rattling noise. I am afraid though that the foam stuff would just come back out and mess up the whole rear of the trunk lid, so likely I will leave it as is.
My point – even seemingly simple jobs can become big deals. Like writing this post lol
A month or so I ago I decided to put on an ACNA license frame that I had bought a few years ago but had not installed yet. As I unscrewed the 4 bolts in the dealer-installed frame the metal nuts all fell into the black plastic mounting bracket (this was at the rear). Apparently they are just a pressed fit and on a hot day when the plastic deformed easily I guess they just slipped out – not ideal!
I tried every trick I knew and could not figure out how to get the nuts out of the bracket. At his urging I visited an Audi dealer while visiting a friend a few hundred miles away from home and asked them if they could fix it and put back the original dealer frame while I waited. They said it would take a long time and would cost about $300 bucks. This was $150 for a new black plastic bracket and an hour to two hours for labor. They said the black plastic frame is held on not only with the two screws I had removed and reinstalled in my trying to fix it, but by a lot of strong double sided tape. They cautioned that sometimes removing the bracket winds up scratching the surrounding paint unless the person doing it is careful and meticulous – hence the high labor estimate.
I said I would do it another time but actually went to an Auto Zone and bought a package of 4 plastic/nylon clip-in nuts that fit perfectly in the four square cutouts in the plastic bracket where the loosely fitted metal nuts had fallen out, then bought shorter bolts at a hardware store (the ones that came with the Auto Zone plastic/nylon “kit” were too long and may have gone into the body and paint under the bracket). This set me back less than a total of $6. The downside is that occasionally (though not every time) I can hear the metal nuts rattling around when I slam the trunk. I may yet drill a few little holes in the plastic (maybe it is some composite material) bracket and spray that expanding foam insulation in to hold the nuts in place and hope it eliminates the rattling noise. I am afraid though that the foam stuff would just come back out and mess up the whole rear of the trunk lid, so likely I will leave it as is.
My point – even seemingly simple jobs can become big deals. Like writing this post lol
06-21-2018, 08:21 AM
#29
When I received my car one of those stupid metal nuts was inside the plastic frame. It was deleivered from the dealer like this. It was not allowing me to use the 4 holes in the nice license plate frame I had purchased. I was able to fish it out with a small tool that looks like a right angle pick and a LOT of patience. It can be done! Good Luck!
06-23-2018, 05:17 PM
#30
AudiWorld Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Some important clarifications for at least those with a C7 S6, but I can’t imagine it’s different with an A6
1) You need a 35 torx bit to remove the e-brake assembly from caliper, the heads will easily strip so use a firm grip. No breaker bar should be required.
2) You need a 45 torx bit to retract the e-brake gear. You can simply hold the torx socket in your hand and turn it (no wrench needed).
Starting to feel like the OP didn’t actually do this
. No problems at all, brake light is off and e-brake works.
good luck and take it slow, it’s barely harder than a regular brake job
1) You need a 35 torx bit to remove the e-brake assembly from caliper, the heads will easily strip so use a firm grip. No breaker bar should be required.
2) You need a 45 torx bit to retract the e-brake gear. You can simply hold the torx socket in your hand and turn it (no wrench needed).
Starting to feel like the OP didn’t actually do this
. No problems at all, brake light is off and e-brake works.good luck and take it slow, it’s barely harder than a regular brake job
Last edited by mdloops; 06-25-2018 at 12:31 PM.