A3 Rear Brakes: Common Problems & Solutions

Hello professional thief!
This weekend, I changed the tires and also took a closer look at the brakes while I was at it.
As every year, the rear brakes on my A3 started making squealing noises again this year. Due to the effect of road salt in winter, the rear brakes tend to stick during the spring. When the rear wheels spin, you can hear a loud screeching sound (a slight scraping is normal).
Due to time constraints, I haven't been able to remove the brake pads yet, verschandeln the brakes, break off the edges of the pads with a file, and reassemble them.
Does anyone have a patent solution or clever idea on how to avoid this annual "spring brake cleaning"?
What about the excessive use of copper paste? Does that offer any benefits? If so, where is applying copper paste most beneficial?

Thank you for the posts.

Regards,
Alex.

Hi,
I apply the copper paste myself, but not too much, as it could get onto the friction surfaces and also unnecessarily bind a lot of brake dust.
Where? The brake pads, or rather their mounting plates, have rectangular cutouts through which they are guided into the caliper. I keep the corresponding surfaces in the calipers verschandeln and treat them with copper grease.
It should be understood that the guide pins are made of stainless steel. If not, replace them (with a carrier).

christians wrote:

It should be understood that the guide pins are made of stainless steel. If not, replace them (with a carrier).

Hi,

I can also confirm this... you should definitely check the guides . In our AUDI 80, they were rusted solid, which had corresponding consequences for the discs and pads . I just removed the rust (with sandpaper) and reinstalled them with a lot of grease -> they've been working fine for 2 years.

Done!
All parts were disassembled, cleaned, made functional, and reassembled.
Now the rear brakes are completely free and operate smoothly without any annoying squeaking noises.
The brake pads were completely stuck in their guides. It was only possible to remove them by using a hammer.
After cleaning and applying a very thin layer of copper paste to the contact surfaces of the brake pads, everything is fine again.

Regards,
Alex.