ABS sensor removal

Later cars (facelift onwards) had small allen key bolts holding the rear ones in. Otherwise the rest need pulling out. Gentle tapping with a small hammer or leverage with a flat blade screw driver sometimes helps but be careful because it is easy to break them.

They are £119 each new.

John

i have a similar problem at the moment but not just when turning left. managed to get all sensors out bar one which would not budge, had to mangle it a bit to get it out but i had already bought a new one from a guy on ebay.de for 68 quid including postage.

this is what mine looked like



i believe this is the other type mentioned by quantumjohn



sensor in place................



..........cover removed



i used lots of release oil like wd40 or dpr or something, then held a big blade screwdriver as shown to apply a bit of pressure on it , not too much, then wiggle the sensor by hand, even just back and forth - side to side and it will come free. this only worked for me on 3 out of 4 so maybe there is a better way.



after getting all four out and cleaning both the sensors and the surrounding area, the problem disappeared. unfortunately it came back after two days. have since asked an audi technician and he reckons it could be a wheel bearing at fault and it is affecting the gap of the sensor, this could be true as in the past i have had a very slight noise at around 50mph , but now seems noticable at other speeds. should be able to just push the sensor back in and it will be ok again, but of course this is not a permanent fix.

want to do the bearing myself, just have to pick my time to do it.

great info.. I was wondering on how to get those suckers out! I need to clean mine. got a faulty wheel sensor so hopefully a clean will fix it... don't wanna have to buy another one..

Hi. Sorry for digging up this old thread (at least I went and looked) but...I've got a rear sensor to replace in the next few days and was wondering...
Is this the best method for removal? & is it easy to fit a new one?
Cheers
Si.

O.k, well, to answer my own question...NOT EASY AT ALL!!
Peeled back boot, gave it a good soaking with WD40 24hrs before. Tried wiggling by hand, no chance, tapped it about a bit with a hammer, no chance, Metod mentioned above, no chance, Moderate twisting with mole grips, no chance. Lots of force with mole grips resulting in sensor coming apart. Now left with the outer shell well and truly jammed in its hole
Garage job now I think.
Every ****** job I try and do on this car ends in tears.
Si.