Technical Service Bulletin
46 Brake pad wear warning - pads not at minimum
46 15 05 2038056/2 February 19, 2015. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 46 number 14-94 dated
August 11, 2014 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A4, A5,
A5 Cabriolet

2010 - 2016

All

Not Applicable

Q5

2010 - 2016

All

Not Applicable

A8

2011 - 2016

All

Not Applicable

A6, A7

2012 - 2016

All

Not Applicable

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

2

-

Revised header data (Added model year)
Revised Warranty (Changed Service Number; Added Labor Operations for
rear indicators and harness replacement)

1

08/11/2014

Initial publication

The brake pad wear indicator comes on, but brake pad thickness is above the wear limit.

Technical Background
Water ingress into the connector housing of the brake pad wear indicator can lead to the oxidation of the pins.
This oxidation can increase contact resistance in the connector, which can generate the warning

Production Solution
Not applicable.

© 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
Service
1. Disconnect the brake pad wear indicator electrical connector (at the harness). Use VAS 1978 B to remove
both pins from the harness side connector.
2. If corrosion is present on the pins (black deposits)
(Figure 1), replace the affected brake pad wear
indicator and the wiring harness for speed sensor
and brake pad wear indicator (see ETKA).

Figure 1. Corrosion (black deposits) on connector pins.

© 2015 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 2 of 3

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:

4639

Damage Code:

0040

Labor Operations: 1 Front brake pad wear indicator replace

4639 1999

30 TU

4639 2099

50 TU

1 Rear brake pad wear indicator replace

4639 2999

30 TU

2 Rear brake pad wear indicators replace

4639 3099

50 TU

Harness replacement - See Elsa

See Elsa

See Elsa

GFF

No allowance

0 TU

Road test prior to service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Road test after service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

2 Front brake pad wear indicators replace
(Only applicable to A8 models if both front brake pad
wear indicators are damaged).

(Only applicable to A8 models if both rear brake pad wear
indicators are damaged).

Diagnostic Time:

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 #2038056/2

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 (2038056) 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.

Page 3 of 3

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.