taga8

So if any of you are thinking about replacing the rear pads on your A8 here are my
recommendations:

tools:
13mm combination wrench
jack
Lug wrench / socket whatever
vice grips needle nose pliers
newer vag com

Supplies:
1 can of breakcleen
pad set from the dealer (comes with the tension brackets, bolts and pads for about $70)

Procedure
1 - make sure you put your car in jack mode before you start
2 - Make sure you open the rear calipers per the ross-tech before you do anything
see - http://wiki.ross-tech.com/index.php/Audi_A8_%284E%29_Parking_Brake
3 - the calipers come off really easily, it should take you more time to jack up the car and take the wheel off than to take the calipers off - you will need a 13MM 6point combination wrench and a pair of needle nose vise grips (or a slim 17mm? wrench to hold the inner caliper pin bolt)
4 - compress the pison with a simple piston compressor, you don't have to rotate like the older audis - make sure you suspend the caliper and not let it dangle by the electronics
5 - pull the pads out of the carrier bracket, should come out easily, the inner pad will be more worn than the outter, so if you otter is at about 5mm your inner is shot.
6 - clean the carrier assembly and put in the new tension clips, put the new pads on, start with the inner pads and then the outer.
7 - put the caliper back on - it shouldn't take any force to put it back over the pad, if you are using force, you are doing something wrong
8 - bolt the caliper to the carrier and torque to spec, make sure you use the new bolts in the kit
9 - once you have done this with both sides and have the wheels back on, take the car out of jack mode
10 - now do the adaptation for the new pad thickness
11 - now close the parking brake through the vag-com
12 - freak out because the warning pad light is on in your car - this is not a big deal. All you need to do is shut the car off, turn it back on and clear the code, you should be ready to roll

This should not take you more than an hour total, if it takes more than that then lay off the heineken

Mister Bally

Was very similar to yours. I did not get the warning light you mentioned in step 12 though. Mine is a 2004 model.

I had my 13 y.o. son do most of the work so he could experience what he will be dealing with when he's older.

My post included a photo of the unique instrument cluster indicators too. Others here have posted that they did not use the diagnostic software, they just pusehed back the piston and it also pushed bach the electric parking brake gozmo as well. Then again some here have had parking brake problems but no one ever related those problems to a rear brake pad replacement job.<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a8d3/msgs/43551.phtml">&lt;&lt;&lt;Link to my procedure&gt;&gt;&gt;</a></li></ul>

MP4.2+6.0

The electric motor retracted it completely.

For anyone using one, I suggest you use only the type with the plate that spreads across the inside of the caliper through which the compressing bolt is typically threaded. I remember a post where someone used a clamping type, or maybe it was a C clamp, which destroyed the parking brake motor assempbly bolted directly behind the piston area.

Doc_A8

Changed rear pads/rotors yesterday. Used this post as a checklist, and everything went well. Thanks again guys!

audimaniac312

This is the cheapest only tool that will get it retracted besides that vag com. http://amzn.to/2x6eHdJ It’s a scanner made by autel. You click on the EPB setting pick euorpean, vw , special functions, then deactivate brake, it will rewind the brake piston, turn ignition off. Then you change the brakes as normal. When finished go back to the scanner, same thing and this time activate the brakes instead of deactivate on the scanner. The 12 volt method can cause damage to the ecm

richard-tx

I use the method shown in the ross tech video. No piston retractor needed. Just a pry bar.