Vermont Etron

AT 8,000 miles on my '22 Etron dealer is recommending either replace the front brakes or start "Aggressively Braking" in order to clean the rust off the rotors.

I am not even sure how to aggressively brake this car without scaring everyone around it including me.

Anyone else dealt with this? Thoughts?

Ryanthegreat1

Click it into neutral and then apply the brakes. This will force the use of the mechanical brakes.

If they aren't too bad they should clean up after just a couple of stops.

Vermont Etron

Wow was not aware of this thanks for the tip.

Tronification

Unless you've left the car sit for months, exposed to the elements and with salty grime on the rotors, this should not be an issue. Rust on the rotors is superficial and should easily wipe off, after a few stops. The surface will rust again a bit following the next rain, then it will be be wiped clean again ... perfectly normal.

Post a picture of your rotors! I bet they were just poking to see how gullible you were and maybe get a brake job out of it.

rdgrimes

Stop listening to dealers about brakes, they only want your money. If there's any question about the function of the brakes, go to an actual brake shop for an opinion.

SDakota

If you hand-wash your car, be sure to drive it afterward and apply the brakes while in neutral to dry off the rotors. If you don't do that and leave it parked overnight, rust will form between the pads and the discs because the e-tron applies at least the rear brakes when parked. I find that driving around the block and braking in neutral 3-4 times is sufficient to dry the rotors.

Vermont Etron

Interestingly the service department said nothing, but the tech on the video walk through suggested it. Unfortunately in our state rust on the rotors can be cause for you to fail inspection. People bitch about it all the time but I still hear of people failing for it. Stupid I know.

I have noticed surface rust on mine but never anything more than just a few spots from intermittent moisture. On the drive home I tried the Neutral trick on the highway and they were shiny and new looking when I got home. Made a mental note to do this on my way to my next inspection which is not until December.

BTW I asked about both electrical recalls and the answers were "we have no cables at this time" and "your electrical modules are being monitored over the air and so far they are fine. When Audi has a permanent fix we will let you know". At least I did not get the bloody stickers - all systems go!

JNealCox

When you first start the car, the car will deactivate regen in the pedal so that the first couple of braking actions will force the car to use the mechanical brakes to help clean them off. Unless you have some unusual circumstances, this should largely take care of that problem.

Regarding the recalls, as far as the charger cable replacement goes, Audi may be slowing things down. When I had my cable replaced, I found that the replacement cable has the plug installed facing the wrong direction, meaning you can use it only if the top of the unit is FACING the wall or floor, unless you twist the 2 foot cable 180 degrees. I contacted my Dealer and they contacted Audi USA, which said they were aware of the problem and working with their supplier. My temporary fix was to get a 3 foot extension cable. That lets me twist the cable to the outlet while putting little stress on the plug. So much for precision, German engineering!