Warped discs and pads - advice required

[JxT]

I've been getting some "judder" under braking in my C7 Performance, when on the motorway. Took it into my local dealer, who has informed me that their diagnosis is that BOTH the front and rear pads and discs are warped, and all need replacement. The cost? £2,500....

The problem? The front pads and discs were only done 6 months ago for £1,500 on advice of the same dealer, and I've put less than 2,000 miles on the car since then given lockdown, etc... all of which were pretty local. The car had an inspection at the same time, and there was no issue with the rear pads and they had plenty of life left.

I've spoken to the service manager, and strongly queried why brand new pads and discs would warp so quickly - and whether there is a warranty issue back to Audi. They were having none of it... apparently its due to "you braking too heavily" or "getting water on the pads when they are too hot". Its all frankly BS and my word against theirs...

Any advice appreciated if other have had similar issues. And potentially I'd quite like to get a second opinion, particularly to check if the discs / pads were fitted properly 6 months ago by someone independent.

Thanks

[innercry666]

Which dealer is it? I've had issues with a few of them over the years but Leicester were by far the worst. Problem is they don't actually know what they are talking about most of the time.

A lot of the time the vibration is down to pad deposits. The brakes do need to be used hard but one problem I find is it is essential to dry the brakes following washing the car - the pads stick to the discs if you don't and can cause residue issues. Also avoid sitting on the brakes if possible after hard braking.

I had an issue on my RS4 with the disc variation thickness, although didn't induce a judder but suspect it also another common issue with the RS brakes. When I moved into the RS6 I adjusted my braking style to be a lot firmer on the brakes earlier but then releasing them and not riding the brake pedal. Seems to be ok so far.

There is quite a lot of information around 'warped discs' on RS cars on here and other forums so would be worthwhile having a search.

If there is life left in the discs then it could be well worth getting them skimmed and putting on new pads...

[Golfather]

Most likely pad deposits

https://alconkits.com/support/brake-pad ... ake-rotors

[MikeFish]

Yeah as said above, it's not easy to actually warp these discs, most like pad deposits from not braking hard enough. Give them a good thrashing and see if that helps. Warps discs shale the car to pieces and gets worse the faster you are going. Pad deposits tend to only be felt when braking with medium pressure; braking lightly or heavily it won't be felt.

[DaytonaMatt]

I had warped discs replaced under warranty..

[Brooner]

this seem to be a common misconception that the disks are warped but it is actually as stated above pad deposits this can be remedied by hard braking to clear the deposits
it would be impossible to warp these disked on the main road as the brakes would not generate enough heat to warp them even if you drove like a lunatic
most long term RS owners will tell you that the solution is 8-10 hard brakes from 70 to 10 Mph consecutively not stopping then drive not using the brake to allow them to cool with rectify the brake judder

Golfather link is the real issue

this is the method i use when bedding in new disks and pads and also if i start to get any brake judder or squeal which is very rare
https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/inde ... =6446_6443

[super7]

I’d totally agree. Just got my RS6 last week (current b7 owner and normally post over there). Had the exact same thing, had some hard driving last night, had some smoke come off the brakes and on more gentle driving, significant judder at around 70-40mph.

I was concerned as I’d warped some B7 discs before, but other sets have had deposit build up. Few good stamps on the brakes 70-20mph cleared them down and back to smooth.

But it was quite hard braking to clear the judder. Glad it did, I would have been pretty annoyed had I warped my discs after a week!

[James_Saleem]

I have the dreaded brake judder as described above - and am going in to the indie on Wed, curious as to what they come up with.
Fronts were changed not long ago, but the vibrations are coming from rear driver side.

Will keep this thread updated - with what they claim the source of the vibrations are originating from.

[Brooner]

if the judder started straight after fitting the new disks i would say they had failed to clean the hub properly before installing the new disks
other wise it as stated above the disks just need to b used properly to keep and pad build up off them which it the main cause of judder while braking

[James_Saleem]

Hi Brooner, the car is still relatively new to me - but, will enquire about their brake changing procedure. The new discs were up front, but the vibration seems to come from the back.

[Brooner]

Be interesting to see there findings if its the rear disks causing the issue

[James_Saleem]

Well they took a look and couldnt fine any warpage on any discs.

Technician. said that pads had about 1500-2000km remaining, and I should try swapping those out first.

Any pad reccomendations? ..... I will never take the car to the track, and I drive most of the time quite sensibly.

[Jiminez]

I’ve had the same problem on both my current and previous RS6 - if you just replace the discs you are wasting your money as the judder will come back. The actual problem is with the hubs - they damage easily on potholes and that then puts the disc out of true and the judder develops as they wear or get pad deposits unevenly.

When it happened on my current RS6 then the workshop report came back with over £10k of recommended work - one new hub, 4 new wheels as all were slightly buckled, and new discs and pads!

All I actually did at Audi was get the hub replaced (about £150 for the investigatory work to measure both front hubs and then £650 to replace the damaged one.

I got the wheels straightened for about £200 at The Wheel Specialist (the infamous 21” ones made of cheese) - although that didn’t make much difference to the judder, it did make the car roll more smoothly.

Here’s the interesting bit though - when I got it back after the hub replacement then the judder was still there, but given there was loads of pad wear left then I decided not to replace discs/pads immediately. However, after around 300 miles then the judder has now gone - my theory is that the uneven deposits have now worn away as the hub is now running true.

So… the lesson here is dont jump to replace the discs straight away - get the hubs checked first and fix that before anything else. It is actually really unlikely that any disc actually warps, and if you can put up with judder when the discs are running true then it will eventually wear away.

Hope this helps someone avoid a huge repair bill!!

[MikeBirt]

So… the lesson here is dont jump to replace the discs straight away - get the hubs checked first and fix that before anything else. It is actually really unlikely that any disc actually warps, and if you can put up with judder when the discs are running true then it will eventually wear away.

Hope this helps someone avoid a huge repair bill!!

That is really interesting. I had the same on the rs4 but my 6 is ok.
I wonder - do the ceramics guys have any stress with their systems due to cheese wheels and damaged hubs I wonder...?

[SchrickRS6]

Jimenez - appreciate this, I will take a look at the hubs, but I will have new pads on the 6th Sept. I am assuming this has no impact, which it probably will not as the discs are most likely coated with uneven deposits - but my pads need replacing so I will wait till they are on and get an investigation done at Audi, its worth the 150 squids I think.