How to Change the Rear Brakes on an Audi A6


1. Raise the back of car with a floor jack. Support the car securely with a pair of jack stands. Remove the lug nuts for the rear wheels and remove the wheels. Place the wheels out of the way.
2. Spray brake cleaner on the brake caliper and the rotor. Wipe everything down with a clean, dry rag. Remove the large brake pad spring clips from the outside of the caliper. Use a pair of pliers to pull one end of the clip out and then turn and pull the clip to release the other side.
3. Disconnect the brake wear sensor line. This runs through a small metal bracket. There is small plastic extension on the line that needs to be pulled back to release a pin that holds the sensor line in place. Once the line is removed from the bracket, disconnect the wiring harness, one end of which goes to the brake pad.
4. Remove the plastic caps on the brake caliper mounting bolts by prying them off with a screwdriver. Loosen and remove the caliper mounting bolts with an Allen wrench or the appropriate sized Torx bit. Slide the caliper off of the rotor. Do not let the caliper’s weight hang on the brake line, as this may damage it. Support the caliper with a cardboard box or tie it to the chassis with a zip tie. Remove the bolts that hold the caliper carrier on. Set the carrier aside.
5. Pull the rotor straight off of the hub. Remove the pads from the caliper by sliding it out off the caliper. They should come out easily. The inner pad may be stuck to the rotor. If it is, pry it off with a screwdriver without making contact with the rotor. Slide the new rotor onto the hub. Reinstall the caliper carrier.
6. Open the lid for the brake fluid reservoir in the engine bay and remove about a ½-inch of brake fluid so that the fluid does not overflow when the piston in the caliper is compressed. For the rear brakes on the Audi A6, the piston in the caliper must be compressed to make room for the new, thicker pads with a special caliper tool. (See resource 1.) Place dowels on the tool in the holes in the piston and then turn the tool, which should turn and compress the piston into the caliper.
7. Install the new brakes pads into the caliper. Slide the caliper onto the rotor. Install and tighten the caliper bolts. Plug the brake wear sensor cable on the pad into the sensor line. Reinstall the line in the bracket, ensuring that the pin snaps into place and that the line is secure. Reinstall the brake pad clips with a pair of pliers. Repeat for the other side.
8. Fill the brake fluid reservoir with fresh brake fluid to the full mark. Pump the brakes until the pedal feels firm again. Replace the wheels and lower the car to the ground.