Technical Service Bulletin
46 Brake noise analysis and handling
46 14 91 2034181/8 July 22, 2014. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 46 number 14-76 dated March
25, 2014 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A3/S3

2015

All

Not Applicable

A4

2013

A125000 - A999999
N020500 - N999999

Not Applicable

S4

2013

1241000 - 999999

Not Applicable

A4/S4

2014 - 2015

All

Not Applicable

allroad

2013

125000 - 999999

Not Applicable

allroad

2014 - 2015

All

Not Applicable

A5

2013

025203 - 999999

Not Applicable

S5

2013

025221 - 999999

Not Applicable

A5/S5

2014 - 2015

All

Not Applicable

RS 5

2013

902740 - 999999

Without Ceramic Brakes

RS 5

2014 - 2015

All

Without Ceramic Brakes

A5/S5 Cabriolet

2013

900474 - 999999

Not Applicable

A5/S5 Cabriolet

2014 - 2015

All

Not Applicable

RS 5 Cabriolet

2013

900474 - 999999

Without Ceramic Brakes

RS 5 Cabriolet

2014 - 2015

All

Without Ceramic Brakes

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

S6, S7

2013 - 2015

All

Not Applicable

A8/S8

2012 - 2015

All

Not Applicable

R8

2014 - 2015

All

Without Ceramic Brakes

Q5

2013

010909 - 999999

Hybrid

Q5

2014

All

Hybrid

SQ5

2014 - 2015

All

Not Applicable

TT/TTS

2013 - 2014

All

Not Applicable

TT RS

2013

901093 - 999999

Not Applicable

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 1 of 7

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

8

-

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.

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 2 of 7

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.

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 3 of 7

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.

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 4 of 7

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

© 2014 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
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 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, attach questionnaire and
sound or video recording to an Audi Technical Assistance Center (TAC) ticket and contact TAC before
replacing any parts. This will assist us in diagnosing any potential issues with the condition noted above.
5. Provide feedback to Audi of America:
1. Fill out the attached questionnaire with as much detail as possible.
2. Email the questionnaire and sound or video recording to: chassis@audi.com.
3. The subject line of the email should contain the VIN of the vehicle you are working on.
4. Include the following information in the body email:
• Mileage
• TAC access code (if applicable)
• Repair order number

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 6 of 7

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

Diagnostic Time:

Clean brake pads and discs

4617 8099

70 TU

Includes: Road tests, submission of audio file and questionnaire
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 #2034181/8

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.

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 7 of 7

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.