Rear brake pads

[Nifty Swifty]

Hi

I'm trying to identify which rear pads my A3 (8P) 2012 Sportback 2.0 diesel quattro 168bhp has without having to take the wheels off and look. I'd hoped that somewhere on-line I could simply type my vehicle registration number and it'd be straightforward but apparently not. Has anyone got any suggestions? (Or do I need to take the wheel off before I can even order the pads?).

Thanks (and any advice of make of pad welcomed)

 

[Magnet]

Hello Ian,

What make pads are you trying to order from where? I take it not from an Audi dealer.

If a three letter word on-line motor factors offering impressive discounts off so called retail prices, then it might be worth checking what others are charging without discounts! Often cheaper. 

I can only go from personal experience of our A3 which when new had impressive braking. It was decided to use aftermarket pads at the first pad change, but after bedding in, the braking efficiency of theses pads were no where near a match for the originals. Such was the difference, that they were removed shortly after and replaced with genuine VAG ones. 

I appreciate we all like to ‘buy on price’, but often you get just what you pay for at a cheaper price. If you buy from Audi, then you generally do no have to worry about exactly what pads/callipers are fitted - their system will record that. 

If you are genuinely interested in buying genuine VAG pads then please come back and I can give you a contact for such at discount if you don’t already have one. 

Kind regards,

Gareth 

[cliffcoggin]

Interesting comments about pad quality Gareth. One of my few dislikes about my A3 is the excessive amount of servo assistance which makes gentle joltless stopping impossible, so I would be interested in having some pads that give less grip. What brand were yours?

[Magnet]

Hello Cliff, 

I drive old vehicles during the non winter months, and have got used to anticipation- braking, or sending the cars a post card! To me the A3 has always instilled confidence in normal braking where I tend to start braking early and changing down. On occasions when more rapid braking has been necessary then again I’ve never felt insecure with it - thank goodness! 

I cant really say I’ve found the servo assistance on this one to be excessive, but perhaps such things may vary from car to car ? 

The aftermarket brand we fitted to this one was Apec. I can’t really argue about their quality, but can confirm that - in our case - they just didn’t provide the same braking confidence that the genuine VAG pads did prior - and after replacing, so personally I wouldn’t recommend them. 

Kind regards, 

Gareth.

 

[cliffcoggin]

Thanks Gareth. I'll bare that brand in mind when I come to change pads. I've driven a variety of servo braked auto transmission cars for the last 35 years and have adjusted to most levels of servo assistance, but none has had such savage braking as the A3. Audi and independent mechanics I have spoken to say it is more or less normal for the model but agree that the level of servo assist is high.