DIY Audi Quattro A4 Brakes


1. Loosen the lug nuts that hold the wheels on using a lug wrench or a socket of the appropriate size and a ratchet. Use the floor jack to raise the car. Slide jack stands under it at the appropriate points and lower the car onto the jack stands. Finish removing the wheels and put them aside.
2. Open the cap on the brake master cylinder to avoid building up pressure in the master cylinder during the brake pad change. Remove about half of the brake fluid in the master cylinder with a baster or syringe.
3. Start at the front of the car. Remove the large spring clip on the brake caliper by prying off both ends (which are hooked into the caliper) with a pair of pliers. Remove the two black plastic caps on the back of the calipers with a flat-head screwdriver.
4. Remove the two 7-mm hex head screws under the plastic caps. Slide the caliper off of the rotor without damaging the ABS sensors and the brake lines.
5. Remove the pad from the inside of the caliper by pulling it straight out. It is held in with a three-pronged clip that fits inside of the caliper piston. Remove the outer caliper, which is not held on with anything once the caliper is removed. Support the caliper with a piece of wire or on a box so that there is no weight on the brake line.
6. Remove the two 17-mm bolts on the back of the rotor that hold the caliper carrier on. Remove the caliper carrier. Pull the rotor straight off of the hub. Spray the rotor-to-hub mounting surface with brake fluid and wipe it down with a clean rag.
7. Spray brake cleaner on the new rotor and slide the rotor onto the hub in the reverse order by which the old one was removed.
8. Install the new pads in the caliper in the reverse order of removal. Test fit the pads by trying to slide the new pads over the rotor. If there is not enough clearance, remove the pads and compress the piston into the caliper with a C-clamp until there is enough room for the new pads to slide over the rotor.
9. Slide the caliper over the rotor. Tighten the caliper screws, replace the plastic caps, the spring clip for the caliper and then the wheel. Repeat the above steps for the other side of the vehicle.
10. Move to the rear of the vehicle. Remove the two bolts that hold the caliper on by placing a 13-mm socket over the bolts and a 15-mm wrench over the other nut.
11. Slide the caliper off of the rotor. The pads may stay on the rotor, since there is nothing holding them on once the caliper is removed.
12. Compress the caliper piston with the special piston tool. The tool has pins that fit in the holes in the piston and allow you to turn the piston and retract it. Completely compress the piston.
13. Remove the 8-mm bolts that hold the caliper carrier on. Remove the caliper carrier. Slide the rotor straight off of the hub. Spray brake cleaner on the hub mounting surface and the new rotor and wipe them down with a rag.
14. Slide the new rotor onto the hub and reinstall the caliper carrier with the two 8-mm hex bolts, tightening them firmly. Place the new brake pads onto the rotor in the same place the old ones were.
15. Slide the caliper over the pads. Ensure that the pad’s spring clips are oriented correctly, without the spring poking out of the hole in the caliper. Install the caliper mounting bolts. Repeat the above steps for the other side of the car.
16. Replace the wheels. Lower the car off of the jack stands and onto the ground. Refill the brake fluid reservoir with brake fluid if the fluid is low. Pump the brakes until they feel firm again and the pads are seated against the rotors. Break in the new pads according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.