Technical Service Bulletin
46 Brake noise analysis and handling
46 15 02 2034181/11 February 9, 2015. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 46 number 15-00 dated
January 23, 2015 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

R8

2014-2015

All

Without ceramic brakes

S6 / S7

2013-2015

All

4.0T

A6

2013

051000 - 999999

2.0T

A6

2014-2015

All

2.0T

A6/A7

2012 - 2014

All

3.0T

A6/A7

2014-2015

All

3.0TDI

A8

2012

All

4.2L

A8

2013-2015

All

4.0T

A8

2015

All

3.0T

A8

2015

All

3.0TDI

S8

2013-2015

All

Not Applicable

A8

2013-2015

All

W12

A5

2013

025203 - 999999

2.0T

A5

2014-2015

All

2.0T

S5

2013

025221 - 999999

3.0T

S5

2014-2015

All

3.0T

A5 Cabrio

2013

900474 - 999999

2.0T

A5 Cabrio

2014-2015

All

2.0T

S5 Cabrio

2013

900474 - 999999

3.0T

© 2015 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
S5 Cabriolet

2014-2015

All

3.0T

A4

2013

A125000 - A999999

Not Applicable

A4

2013

N020500 - N999999

Not Applicable

A4

2014-2015

All

2.0T

S4

2013

124100 - 999999

3.0T

S4

2014-2015

All

3.0T

Allroad

2013

125000 – 999999

2.0T

Allroad

2014-2015

All

2.0T

RS 5

2013

902740 - 999999

4.2L Without ceramic brakes

RS 5

2014-2015

All

4.2L Without ceramic brakes

RS 5 Cabrio

2013

900474 - 999999

4.2L Without ceramic brakes

RS 5 Cabrio

2014-2015

All

4.2L Without ceramic brakes

TT/TTS

2013 -2015

All

2.0T

TT RS

2013

901093 - 999999

2.5T

A3

2015 >

All

1.8T & 2.0T

S3

2015 >

All

2.0T

© 2015 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

11

-

Revised header data (Removed models)
Revised attachments (Updated questionnaire)

10

1/29/2015

Revised header data (Added models)

9

1/15/2015

Revised header data (Added models & model years)
Revised Service (Updated contact process)

8

7/22/2014

Revised header data (Updated model codes)

7

3/25/2014

Revised header data (Updated model codes)

6

02/3/2014

Revised header data (Updated model codes)
Revised Technical Background (Updated Note)

5

01/24/2014

Revised header data (Restructured model codes)

4

01/02/2014

Revised header data (Added model years)

3

12/5/2013

Revised Warranty (Changed codes)

2

8/16/2013

Revised header data (Corrected applicable model code)

1

08/07/2013

Initial publication

The customer may report hearing brake noise from front or rear brakes. The customer may describe these noises
as a squeal, squeak, grinding, groaning, thumping, or creaking.

Technical Background
Note: Before proceeding with any of the following steps, check for any applicable TSBs for brake noise.
This TSB should not be used if another brake noise TSB is available for the vehicle. For additional helpful
information, refer to the Audi Brake Systems brochure.
Brake noise can be attributed to many causes. Seven of the most common causes are:
1. Brake discs or brake pads are close to or below their wear limit.
2. Aftermarket pads or discs have been installed.
3. There is debris (such as small stones, grit, road salt, or sand) between brake disc and brake pad.
© 2015 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
4. Discs are covered with rust. Rust can form when
the vehicle has not been driven for a long period of
time (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Disc covered with rust.
5. Discs are grooved (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Grooved disc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
6. There is chemical contamination on the braking
surface of the brake disc due to wheel or tire
cleaner being sprayed directly onto the brake disc
(Figure 3 and Figure 4).

Figure 3. Discoloration on the brake disc due to
chemical contamination from cleaner that was sprayed
directly onto the disc.

Figure 4. Small spots and discoloration due to chemical
contamination from cleaner that was sprayed directly
onto the disc.

© 2015 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
7. There are “pad marks” on the brake disc as a result
of brake pad material transferring to the discs
(Figure 5). Pad marks can occur when a vehicle has
been parked for long periods of time in a wet or
snowy environment.

Figure 5. Brake pad material has transferred to the
discs.

Production Solution
Not applicable.

Service
For vehicles within the New Vehicle Limited Warranty, Audi of America is requesting your cooperation in supplying
us with technical information regarding brake noise.
1. Check the overall condition of the brakes to determine if the brake noise is caused by one of the causes listed
in the Technical Background section of this bulletin. If the noise is not a result of one of these causes, proceed
with the following steps.
2. Determine the location of the brake noise (e.g., left front, front axle, rear axle, etc.):
• Knowing the location of the noise on the vehicle is critical to properly addressing the concern.
• It may be necessary to have an assistant listening from inside or outside of the vehicle to accurately
determine the location.
3. Obtain a sound or video recording and fill out questionnaire:
• The sound recording can be from a cell phone as long as the noise can be clearly identified.
• Recordings submitted by customers are also acceptable.
• In order to minimize file size, only sound recordings are necessary. Videos should only be sent if it is critical
for understanding the conditions under which the noise occurs.
• Fill out as much information as possible in the questionnaire. Some fields are mandatory.
4. Clean the brake pads and discs:
1. With careful consideration of the traffic situation, perform between 2 and 5 ABS stops from speeds above
50 mph. Between each ABS stop, allow the brake components to cool by driving the vehicle for more than
© 2015 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
one minute at speeds greater than 50 mph.
2. Let vehicle sit for two hours to cool down.
3. Test drive again:
• If the noise was not eliminated after completion of steps 1 and 2, open a Technical Assistance Center
(TAC) ticket using the instructions below. Contact TAC before replacing any parts.
• If the noise was eliminated, provide feedback using the instructions below.

If a TAC ticket was opened, include the following
information with the TAC ticket:

If a TAC ticket was not opened, email the following
information to chassis@audi.com:

• Completed Brakes Acoustic Questionnaire

• In the subject line, type out the VIN

• Sound or video recording

• Attach the following to the email:

• Photos of the affected brake discs and pads that
clearly show the condition of the braking surface

• Completed Brakes Acoustic Questionnaire
• Sound or video recording
• Photos of the affected brake discs and pads that
clearly show the condition of the braking surface
• In the body of the email, include:
• Dealer code
• VIN
• RO number
• Mileage

© 2015 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Warranty
Claim Type:

Use applicable claim type. If vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical Service
Bulletin is informational only.

Service Number:

Front - 4617

Damage Code:

0020

Labor Operations:

Clean brake pads and discs

4617 8099

70 TU

No allowance

0 TU

Includes: Road tests, submission of audio file
and questionnaire
Diagnostic Time:

GFF
Technical diagnosis at dealer’s discretion

(Refer to Section 2.2.1.2 and Audi Warranty Online for DADP allowance details)
Claim Comment:

As per TSB #2034181/11

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2034181) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.

© 2015 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.