Distorted/Corroded Brake Discs - covered under warranty?

[moog]

Morning All,

Just had a conversation with my Audi dealer to the effect that the discs on my 1yr old (8k miles) RS4 Cab are distorted/corroded and need replacing, but that there is only a 50/50 chance of this being covered under warranty; so I need to pay up and hope I get the cost refunded.

Anyone had similar experiences? Naturally I indicated that faulty discs after 8k miles in a £60k car is not acceptable, and I will be suing everyone in sight if it is not covered, but to be honest I would rather avoid the stress of a big fight.

Tks.

[Andyuk911]

Typically rusted dics happen when you wash a car and leave them .. they will rust ... so always dry them off.

Warped ... well that can be down to how you drive ... This is so variable.

I have heard of people having repairs under warranty, but I suspect this not the norm.

I suggest a ceramic upgrade ....

[SR71]

moog,

I have had one set of front discs replaced under warranty for supposed warping.

I don't believe the discs were warped at all - that was Audi's diagnosis. Whilst I drive my car hard I don't think I've ever hammered the brakes that consistently to warrant a "You've warped them!" criticism.

However, I have noticed that these discs are susceptible to picking up a slight vibration if not used heavily every once in a while....

Recently I noticed a slight vibration under light braking and thought "Bollox, they've gone again! But how is that possible...I've hardly been using them at all..."

A couple of high (xx+ mph) speed stops later and they've cured themselves completely.

The quality of the steel used in these discs has been debated previously, but try the above and see what difference it makes....

The mechanism whereby they "warp" without heavy input is unknown to me although I can guess at a couple of things...

[klauster]

they do tend to get clogged up with crap, and the hard breaking does help with them working better, I would also suggest 4 wheel alignment, if you are noticing shudder on breaking.

[P_G]

moog,

How old is your car? you say it is a year old but did you buy it new. There is an Audi customer charter for RS4's which says that discs that have been diagnosed as warped will be replaced one time only FOC if the car is under 2 years and 30,000 miles of ownership. Not a very well known charter but it does exist. It also depends on how well your dealership want to look after you; I have had one set under the charter and the second set under 'goodwill' from my dealer as they recognise it as a common problem. They have one RS4 saloon that is on its 7th set of front discs! And it has less miles on it than mine!

Rusting will not help however the main issue now appears to be the corrosive gases given off by the Pagid pads that supposedly corrode the disks if the pads and discs are not put through a proper bedding in process.

[moog]

Thanks all. The car was bought from new, so is only 1 year old. I don't tend to drive especially vigorously (certainly no more so than a car of this nature should deal with comfortably), so I don't believe that is the cause.

It may be that, since I tend to drive only at weekend, the few days spent sitting with the handbrake on causes some corrosion. It did actually get a little better after i stamped on the brakes a few times, but finally settled down to a sort of low rumble under braking - a bit like going over those big paint strips on the approach to a dual carriage way roundabout if you know what i mean.

May take a while to find out if this is covered, but I'll post something up here with the outcome when i find out.

[hussains]

I have covered 22k miles, warped discs at rear were replaced at 10k miles. I have the same problem again, the discs have alot of thickness. Seeing Audi tomorrow for the disc judder, lets see.
I drive my car hard, still have the problem, just cant shake the judder now. Will keep you posted tomorrow if replaced under warranty or not.

[jimbo1234567]

the problem with these discs is that the holes in them are too small (3mm ish) and easily clogg up with brake dust. ive driled out the holes to 5.5mm and countersunk the surface only because they keep clogging up, i wont have drilled discs again because cleaningt hem out eveery 2k is too much hassle

[UNI555]

the problem with these discs is that the holes in them are too small (3mm ish) and easily clogg up with brake dust. ive driled out the holes to 5.5mm and countersunk the surface only because they keep clogging up, i wont have drilled discs again because cleaningt hem out eveery 2k is too much hassle

But wouldn't that be the same as having clogged ones?

[rjkflyer]

Tend to agree re the hole being too small. Oddly enough I think the countersinking sometimes makes it worse - think i'd drill out and not countersink.

Obvious I suppose, but racing discs are hardly ever drilled these days - drilling seems to be more for looks...

[Virdee Autos]

BMW M3 holes are massive compared to the puny ones on the RS4!!! Couldn't believe the difference.

[sonny]

What about if the discs get the dreaded grooves in them (caused by the pad pins), will this be covered under warranty?

[UNI555]

What about if the discs get the dreaded grooves in them (caused by the pad pins), will this be covered under warranty?

That's what I'm worrying about, I'm sure the answer is no, but it seems wrong that even if you book in for new pads the instant the light comes on it will be too late to avoid damage to the discs!

[moog]

The happy outcome in my particular case is that the disc & pad replacement was deemed to be covered by the warranty; something of a relief as fighting about these things is invariably exhausting.

[P_G]

Excellent news moog, however I will say that the next set if necessary would be done out of goodwill from your dealer. The RS after care charter says only one replecement due to warping / corrosion.