How to Replace Audi Brake Rotors


1. Park the Audi on a flat surface and put the parking brake on. If you will be replacing the front rotors first, place wheel chocks behind the rear wheels. If you're replacing the rear rotors first, place wheel chocks behind the front wheels.
2. Slide the floor jack under a solid part of the car frame on the end of the car that you'll be working on first. Carefully pump the jack and raise the car until it's high enough to slide jack stands underneath.
3. Slide two jack stands under the car on opposite sides of the end you're working on. Make sure they're positioned under solid parts of the frame. With the stands in place, carefully lower the jack until the car is resting on the stands, then pull the jack out.
4. Approach the first wheel you want to work on and use the tire iron to remove all of the wheel lug nuts. When the lug nuts are off, pull the tire toward you to remove the entire tire and wheel assembly.
5. Study the caliper and brake pad assembly clamped to the rotor, and if you have a service manual for your car, open it up to a diagram of this assembly. The goal is to determine exactly how the caliper assembly is held together. On many Audis, there is a thin wire clip that surrounds the entire caliper assembly, but this may not be present. You should also see one or two bolts holding the caliper itself in place, and another series of bolts holding the caliper mount against the rotor.
6. Remove the wire clip, if applicable, using a pair of pliers.
7. Use a hex socket wrench or screwdriver, depending on your caliper bolt style, to remove the bolt or bolts holding the outside of the caliper against the caliper mount. When you do this, the caliper will come loose. Make sure you support the caliper and do not allow it to dangle from the brake line.
8. Attach the caliper to the underside of the frame using twist ties so that it will not dangle from the brake line. Allowing the caliper to dangle may damage the brake line, which is very dangerous.
9. Pull the two brake pads, which should now be exposed, out of the brake caliper mount.
10. Remove the bolts holding the brake caliper mount onto the rotor. This will require either a hex socket wrench or a screwdriver, depending on the bolt design. Pull the mount off of the rotor when the bolts have been removed.
11. Slide the old rotor off the wheel spindle.
12. Slide the new rotor onto the wheel spindle.
13. Put the brake caliper mount back on the rotor in the same position it was installed on the older one. Insert the bolts and tighten them all back down.
14. Slide the brake pads back into place in the caliper mount.
15. Take the twist ties off of the brake caliper and place it on top of the caliper mount. Replace the bolts holding the caliper together and tighten them down.
16. Slide the tire and wheel assembly back onto the wheel spindle and tighten down all of the lug nuts.
17. Repeat steps four through sixteen on the other wheel on the same end of the car.
18. Slide the floor jack back under the frame and pump it up so that the car rises and inch or so above the jack stands. Remove the jack stands, then slowly lower the car off the jack.
19. Repeat this entire process on the opposite end of the car.