Don't Take Chances With Your Brakes - Repair Them Now!

Your brakes keep your family safe.

Brake rotors for import cars, unlike domestics, are built with minimal thicknesses to save weight - meaning they can't be "turned"; they must be replaced.

Brake rotors for imports are also more sensitive to warping from heat, and overheated brakes are the second most common cause of failure.

Use Your Eyes & Ears to Inspect Your Volkswagen's Brakes

Visually inspect your brakes' condition at least every six months.

For Best Quality Car Service, Speed Towing and Excellent Body Shop Maintenance at Low Cost, visit http://www.RamseyService.com

Constant brake noise is never a good sound and any grinding noise spells real trouble!

Most importantly: As soon as any problem is noticed, get it repaired immediately. Delaying brake repairs is extremely dangerous.

Overstressed rotors and drums can break. Brakes may be too worn or damaged to stop your Audi in an emergency.

Even if you manage to avoid physical harm, the longer you delay fixing brake problems, the more you increase the cost of doing so.

Badly worn, warped or overheated rotors can damage wheel bearings and the complete wheel hub assembly. These parts often cost as much or more than the brakes themselves.

Even if you like doing your own work, every few years your Audi brakes should be examined by an Audi professional. Checking brakes for "run-out", warping, wheel bearing play, proper proportioning balance, among others, are normally more involved than can be accomplished in your garage. This inspection can also uncover underlying problems that could eventually become costly or dangerous.

For Best Quality Car Service, Speed Towing and Excellent Body Shop Maintenance at Low Cost, visit http://www.RamseyService.com

Audi Additional Troubleshooting: When inspecting brakes, check calipers, wheel cylinders, hoses and fittings for any hydraulic fluid leakage.

Inspect the master cylinder, reservoir and proportioning valve assemblies as well. Replace or rebuild as required.

A "spongy" brake pedal or one that's gotten lower underfoot also needs looking into. It could be caused by sticking calipers, worn pads, low fluid or hydraulic system problems.

If you can't "pump them up", then you definitely have hydraulic problems that need work. If you always have to pump them up, at the very least your hydraulic fluid needs replacement.

To check brakes by sound, know how your brakes should sound and listen for out-of-the-ordinary noises.

Most cars have a slight brushing sound from the pads lightly touching the rotors. This is perfectly normal. Sounds to beware of include:

Squeaking may be caused by dust or dirt on the brakes, loose pads vibrating when applied or worn pads.

Rhythmic noise might mean you have a warped rotor. Instead of a solid squeaking noise, it pulsates. In extreme cases, the brake pedal will also pulsate underfoot.

For Best Quality Car Service, Speed Towing and Excellent Body Shop Maintenance at Low Cost, visit http://www.RamseyService.com

From three to twelve cylinders, petrol or diesel: the Audi engines are high-performance machines designed for power, reliability, a long service life and economical operation. These characteristics are retained for a particularly long time if certain tips are observed when running in the car.

The running-in phase is completed after approximately 20 hours. Assuming an average driving style, this is equivalent to a distance of 1,000 to 1,500 kilometres. It is relatively easy to run in a new engine correctly over the first few kilometres if you observe the following:

* When cold-starting the engine, always run the engine warm gently. This will help considerably to make the engine last a long time.

* Vary the engine load when driving on the motorway for the first time: change the load condition and only run the engine at very low or very high revs for short periods. The accelerator pedal should only be pressed right down in emergency situations.

* Only use high-grade branded oil of the quality specified in the owner’s manual. If you have to top up with oil, this should have the same viscosity as the original oil.

* In general, all branded oils from known oil companies meet Audi’s demands and can be mixed with each other.

For Best Quality Car Service, Speed Towing and Excellent Body Shop Maintenance at Low Cost, visit http://www.RamseyService.com

Replace coolant at or before factory recommended intervals with the proper type, mixture and volume of coolant. Always allow the coolant system to rid itself of air before installing the radiator cap.

Replace the thermostat with the original temperature setting equivalent. The electronics in your vehicle may use that setting for other controls. Do not substitute under any circumstances.

Adjust or replace the water pump drive belt (external) at recommended intervals or more frequently, if required. Check belts whenever you're working on any coolant system components.

Replace the fan clutch and/or fan blade as needed (if applicable). Your Volkswagen's temperature gauge is often your best guide as to when your fan clutch needs attention.

Keep your entire vehicle properly maintained because of the effect timing, idle speed, exhaust and other systems have on your engine's temperature. Your Volkswagen's cooling system is designed to function with all other systems operating properly. It cannot make up for a poorly operating or overheating engine condition.

For Best Quality Car Service, Speed Towing and Excellent Body Shop Maintenance at Low Cost, visit http://www.RamseyService.com