Brake Balance

[Dan DiBiase]

In the past, I have questioned the 'balance' of the brakes on my car ('04 A4 1.8T) - the rear wheels consistently display a larger amount of brake dust than do the fronts. I understand that the front brakes do most of the braking, normally, in a car. I think I have some proof now that something is unusual with my car, if not amiss.

As part of the oil change service by my local (trusted) shop, they provide a printout with a bunch of other data - tire tread depth, pressures and 'brake life remaining', which I assume is a simple measurement of the pads. My reports states that the front brakes have about 65% life remaining, while the rears have 45%. Now, I'm assuming that the pads begin at the same thickness (i.e., rears are not thinner for any reason). 

So, what would explain this? I have not noticed any lack of braking power from the car. 90% of the driving done in this car is with only the driver aboard. I have just over 40k on the car and these are the original pads. Is this normal for a quattro?

Thx,

Dan D
'04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6
Central NJ USA