Brake pad wires

[Night Train]

Just had my front wheels re-balanced, and all the tyres filled with nitrogen.
Whilst the O/S wheel was off I realised why my brake warning light was on (done less than 2K miles since Audi dealer replaced discs and pads all round - the sender wires were severed on the offside between the pads and the plug!
The nearside ones were chafed and frayed, anybody else experienced this?

I suspect the soldering iron is going to get some use in the next few days

[paulrstaylor]

Do you mean the wires directly attached to the pads? If so I think I'd be heading back to the dealer who fitted them given they have been recently changed!?

[Night Train]

That is exactly right, the job was done just over 2 years ago, but the car wasn't my daily driver, as it is now, due to a change in domestic circumstances.

[paulrstaylor]

Ah so in that case out of any guarantee then I guess, so its either change the pads or repair the wires. I'd be tempted to think about crimping rather than solder given the potential temperature that close to the pads?

I have the opposite issue, someone has cut the loom previously and looped the wires. I think the I'm going to replace both of the front sub-looms but I haven't priced them yet

[47p2]

For what little heat a soldering iron generates I would opt for re-soldering and some heat-shrink tube to keep the water out.

FWIW both the front sensors on my car are disconnected, the reason being that the warning light came on which was caused by the worn disc cutting through the sensor wire and triggering an alarm. Once I fit new discs and pads it will all be back to normal. Just waiting for the pads to wear down a bit (7mm is too much to throw away) and the discs although worn still have a bit of life in them yet




EDIT...
If the warning light is on and you don't want to go to the bother of soldering the wires, cut them somewhere between the pads and the connector block and join the two wires from the connector together

[ainarssems]

For what little heat a soldering iron generates I would opt for re-soldering and some heat-shrink tube to keep the water out.

I think he was more worried about heat from brakes melting solder rather then heat from soldering affecting pads.

[47p2]

Good point, you can buy high melting point solder, I wouldn't have thought the wires would ever get hot enough to melt the solder, some experimenting required on that one

[paulrstaylor]

Originally Posted by ainarssems

I think he was more worried about heat from brakes melting solder rather then heat from soldering affecting pads.

That's the one Will need to be high temp heat shrink also, the standard insulation is pretty hear resistant presumably for a reason