How hard is it to change the brake disk's, pads

ghettokartel

Tuner
Points
25
Location
HARINGEY, NORF LONDON
Car
AUDI A4 FSI
Hi all

How hard/easy is it to change all 4 brake disks,pads, drain the brake fluid, put new brake hoses and fit new shocks with lowering springs?

I have been to a few local garages and been quoted £400-£550 for the work which is way too much for me to happily pay. I have now orered a haynes manule and am considering doing the work myself.

However, I have never done anything like this before and am finding the thought a bit daunting. Will a Haynes manule be guide me thru work well?

I dont care if the work takes me a week to complete as Im off work till mid jan and for £520 I can get a wicked draper garage tool set-up that normally costs £1800. Much rather buy that than pay them robbing lot at my local garage:p
 
To be fair that's a good price for all the above jobs.

None of the jobs are hugely technical tho, so yes, they are doable at home with a Haynes. Disks and pads are a pretty easy DIY job. Brake fluid is doable if you have a mate to help or a good one-man system but you must guard against getting air in.

Have a browse for howtos on the brakes on ukmivs, I know you have an audi but the components are the same. For ABS brakes I prefer a mate pressing the pedal, you release the bleed screw and then tighten again before he reaches the bottom of the pedal travel. Repeat til the new fluid shows and dont forget to keep checking and topping up the fluid. I dont like those one-man things myself. Do your disks/pads and then the fluid, not the other way round.

Neither of the above really need specialist equipment beyond a decent socket set and a caliper winder (tenner from halfrauds) but shocks and springs need things like spring compressors, angled spanners and the like, plus you will definitely need to get a wheel alignment done afterwards, which you will need to go to a garage for.

If it were me I'd do the brake stuff myself but maybe let the garage do the springs and shocks, sometimes for instance doing rear shocks you can sometimes need to take the lining of the rear arches out which can be a ballache, and then you snap a connector putting it on and you dont have a spare...
 
if you have never worked on a car and dont have the right tools and are not 100% confident in your abilitys. i think around the £400 mark is fair! cause there are lots of unforeseen things like snapped nuts, the hub nuts are a ball ache!!!! if the braking system is bled dry you need vagcom to bleed the abs system, you will need a torque wrench and torque settings for each bolt and to torque up your strut tops you will need (if doing yourself) to make your own tool;)
+ in this cold it will save alot of swearing and bruising
 
the front pads are easy. the lines are slightly more technical as you need to make sure not to leak brake fluid while your changing them. as herb said youll need VCDS (vagcom) to bleed the ABS and its a ball ache to do. - program license cost around £70 now and an ebay cable is £10 thats for the much older 409 version which i dont think will work with the FSI engines as iirc they are high speed CAN so your looking at £200 odd for the cable, the software is free as the license is in the cable.

spring compressors are needed for springs, will deep offset socket for the struts
rear brakes require a rewind/push back tool as they need turned as they go back.

do able in a day if your confident but as said if your not 100% sure then id get someone else to do it
 
To be fair as long as you dont let the system run dry you can bleed brakes without vagcom. That said, I'd rather the car was at the garage when a bleed nipple snapped than sat on my drive.

400 quid is a fair price imo for all that work. Disks and pads are easy tho, and a wind-back tool is a tenner from halfrauds.
 
You may struggle with the shocks. Make sure you have stands as well as jacks. You dont want to be working under a motor on a jack. All the break (yes HDI that one is for you) things should be ok. Take your time and enjoy.
 
Price is about right for the amount of work. If you are a mechanical n00b then you will need help as that is alot of work to do for a first timer and it has to be 100% perfect. The replacement shocks and lowering springs, is this a kit or separate parts? Normally lowering springs will not require spring compressors to re-fit. The only issue here is fixing removal, no doubt you may come across suspension fixings that are well and truly seized. Prepare for the worst.

If you have no tools then be prepared for spending big as this is not a job for a cheap kit as you will need some hefty tools, breaker bars, torque wrench, trolley jack, axles stands, impact sockets or at best specific ones for hub nuts etc, ball joint splitters etc etc.

Definately have a go, but have someone there who is capable to assist and oversee what you are attempting to do. Safety is key, as the wrong move may bring tears.
 
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