Brake sensors/brake pad part number

[Beck]

Hi all

 

i have an A3 S-Line 2008 2.0TDI 170BHP

need to replace discs and pads all round..... the other half looked at them tonight.

 

just out of interest does anyone know if the car is meant to flash up the pads are low? 

Like I had a warning light come of when one of my bulbs went but at the moment nothing has flagged to say the pads are low??!

second headache I have is that there are 2 types of front pads how on earth am I to know which mine needs.....

 

any help be greatly appreciated

 

 Beck

 

[Steve Q]

Hi Beck, 

You should have a brake pad low warning light. The system works with a sensor and within the brake pad there is a wire. Once the pad wears to a certain level it will brake the wire which will trigger the light to come on. 

Hope I've helped :) 

Cheers

Steve

[Beck]

Thanks Steve

 

i haven’t had any brake warning light come on. I’m assuming who ever changed the discs/pads last time would have replaced the wire?! Not sure.

ill get both front and back and see what the garage say.

[Steve Q]

1 hour ago, Beck said:

Thanks Steve

 

i haven’t had any brake warning light come on. I’m assuming who ever changed the discs/pads last time would have replaced the wire?! Not sure.

ill get both front and back and see what the garage say.

Definitely worth getting them checked. It's funny because it can work the other way, whereby the sensor flags up about brake pad warning even when the pads are fine. 

Cheers

Steve

[cliffcoggin]

It is possible that non-sensor pads have been fitted as an economy measure.

[Beck]

10 hours ago, Steve Q said:

Definitely worth getting them checked. It's funny because it can work the other way, whereby the sensor flags up about brake pad warning even when the pads are fine. 

Cheers

Steve

I’ve brought both.... nearly died with the cost 😂😂

🥃🥃🥃 few  of those to bring me back to life lol, esp when you been used to Peugeot part prices for so long!!

Ive though I’ll just get them change all round, least then I know they’ve been done and when.

 Beck

 

[Beck]

1 hour ago, cliffcoggin said:

It is possible that non-sensor pads have been fitted as an economy measure.

That is what I think has happened. As other half looked at them a said they were low and no warning light either 🤨

[Steve Q]

1 hour ago, Beck said:

I’ve brought both.... nearly died with the cost 😂😂

🥃🥃🥃 few  of those to bring me back to life lol, esp when you been used to Peugeot part prices for so long!!

Ive though I’ll just get them change all round, least then I know they’ve been done and when.

 Beck

 

Good idea, better safe than sorry :) and cliff does raise a valid point. I wonder how that will affect the sensor though? 

 

[Beck]

52 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

Good idea, better safe than sorry :) and cliff does raise a valid point. I wonder how that will affect the sensor though? 

 

Dunno because I definitely don’t have any brake warning sensor/light flag up. All other dash signs seem to work tho, so it remains a mystery, if I remember I’ll ask garage to see what has been done and get back to you 

[Magnet]

Hello Beck,

What have you bought here, pads or sensor wires, or both.? 

We are lacking a bit of fact.

When you say the pads are low (thin) how many mm of lining is left in them (front) - backs very often don't have thickness sensors. The light may not be on because although the pads are worn, they may not yet be worn down to the critical thickness level - or as is being assumed here, they are bellow the minimum thickness, but the sensors are not showing a light.

Until we know the thickness of the front we cannot judge what is at fault here - if anything. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[Magnet]

Sorry about the bellow for below! It was a bit early in the morning. Can't seem to edit it now.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[Dan3222]

If pads without sensors are fitted, most cars would not know this. The way the sensors work is there are two filament wires in the braking material of one or Two pads out of the 4 pads on the front brakes. As the pad material wears away it exposes the filaments which then electrically connect via the disc surface, which then comes up on the dashboard warning light. Well that is certainly how they used to work anyway. Maybe things are slightly less basic these days??

[Ed_8P_TDI]

I got the brake pads warning too. And the warning is correct: the left front brake pad is almost done (need to replace the caliper) so I ordered new Brembos and have them installed next week. Pads without sensors aren't that much cheaper though.