How long should rotors last?

[Ti Kan]

Richard Hoffman writes:
> Well, the title explains it all!  The reason I ask: my parents 97 A6 Avant
> Quattro has 90k miles and is in need of its second set of rotors - they are
> all just under the minimum thickness.  The first brake job was done under
> warranty at 45k miles, so I am seeing a 45k mile interval here.
> For the record, the kind of driving they do is pretty typical average
> American commuter driving...some stop-and-go, some city, some highway.
> Pretty well rounded, non-agressive driving. All brake hardware is 100% OEM,
> dealer sourced and installed.
> It just seems to me that the rotors should at least last as long as a set of
> pads...the pads still have about 5mm of material on them!

This also depends on the rotor and pad material.  I am not familiar with
the 97 A6, but if the rotors are wearing out before the pads, than it
indicates a particularly soft rotor and hard pad combination...  I suggest
looking into getting Ate brand rotors for replacement, and while they're
in there, change to Mintex red box pads.  Not only does this combo work
well for the street, a bonus is dramatically reduced brake dust compared
to the OEM pads.

-Ti
2003 A4 1.8T multitronic
2001 S4 biturbo 6-sp
1984 5000S turbo
1980 4000 2.0 5-sp
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