MGGTI

So I've been noticing over the past 2-3 weeks that I get some vibration in my steering wheel and brake pedal at moderate to high speed braking. I had the dealership have a look and they say my brake rotors in the front are warped and need to be replaced along with pads at a cost of $560 CAD.
I say WTF? I just bought this car 2 months ago as a CPO vehicle (demo) with 24,400 kms on it and I'm at 29,600 km now. SO... the service tech asked if i wash my car a lot and I said yes once every week or two. He says that if I don't let the brakes cool before hitting the car wash the cold water against hot brake rotors will warp the rotors. Is this guy screwing with me??

He said they tried to get it done under warranty through Audi Canada but no dice.

I'm thinking about calling Audi Canada myself to see if they'll do a goodwill repair seeing as how I just bought it as CPO 2 months ago and I i don't think its right that this should be happening in so short a time. I understand its a "used" vehicle but there's at least 70% pad life left and I rarely use the brakes as I'm using the DSG to engine brake. Anybody had this problem with their A3?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

mjh

Mike,
I have a post in the S/RS forums on this same issue - my car vibrates under hwy braking. It did the exact same thing a year ago and new discs fixed it.
I think the term "warped rotors" is now used to describe any issue where the brake disc is causing vibration. I've read that the notion that a disc can warp is nonsense and to be honest I agree, certainly the Audi tech's hypothesis sounds laughable to me, is he seriously saying that a piece of metal that thick can be warped by being sprayed with water when its warm or even hot? Maybe if you did 20 laps at Mosport and then sat the car in a pool of water a foot deep. And surely this would happen all the time - in all my years of driving, it's never happened before last year.
There's an article by StopTech that describes what's going on here, if you don't subscribe to the warped rotors theory, I'll try and find it again. Bascially says that deposits from the pad can be left on the disc and casue vibrations as the surface of the disc is no longer flat. Holding the brakes on when discs and pads are warmed up is actaully one of the casues. Hence why they say not to put the handbrake on after you've done some hot laps at the track I think. Nothing to do with water though. I don't know if checking the runout on a disc can identify these "deposits", I'll find out when I take my car in.
I have read that a stuck caliper or stuck piston can cause this, which is why I posted - to see if anyone had any experience with that.
I think changing your discs will likely fix the problem, - it fixed mine last year but here i am again with the same issue. Did you cause this by taking your car through a car wash regularly? - in my opinion, no.

MGGTI

Hey thanks mjh, I did read that and I'm not sure what the deal is as I have never had this issue with any of my previous cars... ever!

mjh

Good luck getting it sorted out.

Here's the article for anyone following this thread who hasn't seen it.

3w's.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths

(sorry - fairly new here system wouldn't let me post a link)

After reading this I came away with the impression discs and pads are delicate things.

In the article it talks about the wheel bolts needing to be in good condition - and I noticed some of mine were quite rusty when i put my winter's on in December. I cleaned them up as best I could but maybe they are part of the problem..?

This is well frustrating.

wallyr25

It happened to my TT as well, with replacement rotors after only 6 months. I have a good relationship with the service Tech at the dealership and after some pressure from him Audi gave in and installed new rotors. No charge. Don't give up, keep at them, sounds to me like they should fix it for free

dbuckland

The dealership/garage may have overtorqued your lug nuts as the typical pneumatic wrench is dialed too high. That could cause your rotor to warp. Loosen the nuts and use a proper torque wrench dialed to 89 FtLbs.

valen

The notion of rotors warping if you wash your car right after driving it is either totally ridiculous or the rotors Audi uses are crap. If what they are saying is true, it would mean that if you are driving in the city and your brakes heat up, and then you hit a heavy rain storm or large puddle, your rotors will warp. Gimme a break.

Madturtle

I'd talk to your sales rep. The car should be under their good will warranty if nothing else. Certified Pre-Owned carries a hefty premium and should cover things like this. I had 2 tires replaced on my CPO after the service guys said they were the cause of excessive road noise. The sales rep spoke to the sales manager who arranged it through the dealership manager. No fuss, no muss. I was polite, said I didn't think the problem should have come to light so quickly and wasn't very happy and they all wanted me to be happy.

I'm with Valen on the water warp thing. Hmm. Hot rotors, winter rain storms, puddles vs over spray from a hose when washing. Let me think about that.

MGGTI

hey Madturtle, I actually have been dealing with my sales manager. He's the one who sold me the car as I was referred to him via my boss who has purchased multiple vehicles from him. Anyway, he was taken aback by that explanation about water warping the rotors etc. and now he has the general manager as well as the service manager involved to try and help me out. And moreover he did express that they DO want me to be happy and he doesn't feel that this kind of wear should have happened so early either. He feels that they may still be able to do something for me.

I want to know that when I purchase a premium brand that I'm getting premium service on all fronts and so far so good... I'll keep you guys posted.

MGGTI

Got the Rotors replaced and the front brake pads and calipers serviced all under the CPO warranty. Feeling much better