Brake pad warning light

[Tiprat]

Good afternoon everyone, bit of an unusual one this I think, wear indicator has come on, on the dash, pads were low, so whilst waiting for new pads to arrive I put a pin in the plug.
The light went out then 2 days later it came back on, checked the plug with a multimeter the wires arnt broke, beared the wires at the rubber bung that keeps the wires in the strut, the light stay on. Checked the fluid level that's fine, no codes showing on my diagnostic machine. I only have a plug on the drivers side, the passenger side was missing when I bought the car and the wires had been soldered together by the previous owner I guess.
Can anyone offer any more suggestions, and also the wiring is attached to the wheel sensor, can you buy a new loom or is it wired into the main harness?
The wiring goes through the inner wing....
Thanks in advance.

 

[B7Tourer]

Hi, first post here but this is one of the most common and frustrating irritants of the B7 (and many other Audis). I have had my brake wear warning on and off, mostly on for the last 2 years, ever since some Kwik Fit type outfit in Southern Spain fitted new front pads to my 2006 Avant 140PS 2.0TDI S-line. And just last week after yet more new pads for the hardly worn ones, in order to sort it, it's still there, even after going back to the garage. Good reliable car, even at 230,000 miles but everything takes 3 or 4 attempts, at tracking down minor things before it's finally solved. Since I'm a not a delete anything type of guy, it's now going to a trusted auto electrician before the MOT in July, since it's the absolute only thing wrong with it now.

Anyway one thing you might try apart from that is to disconnect the battery and leave it off for 20 minutes to see if it clears anything (remember to reset your window remote afterwards). Failing that and if the sensor connectors are all good and clean, the problem will be further back in the loom, or possibly the sensor on the brake fluid filler, as I suspect mine may be. I don't have VCDS but I do have OBDEleven and the brake wear sensor never shows as a fault either.

 

[tr7]

Don't have an answer for you bud but posting again so post says active and maybe someone else has encountered this

And @B7Tourer seems I'm not the only one who took his 06 S-Line to southern Europe. Post up a thread and some pictures

 

[B7Tourer]

@tr7, I will bud and thanks! Give me a couple of weeks (I may put up touring photos before then) it's just had new wings - the only bit of rust it had apart from unsightly surface rust on the engine slam plate, which I'll sort myself - and one was buffed too much and so I it's booked for a respray, coz I'm anal like that ha ha. It's a bog standard, slightly upmarket repmobile, with only BT phone prep, centre arm rest with phone cradle and multi-function steering wheel, as extras (very mean were Audi ha ha). Cloth seats too and believe me I had many a buyer remorse over that one but in the hot Spanish sun I wouldn't trade them for the world. Bought for 1500 quid, 5 years ago and 172,000 on the clock it was then only slightly better than average - now I think it's very presentable and only twice let me down in Europe - 40 euros 1 cost to put right the other free - it came with no aircon and a persistent eml light - all sorted beautifully now. Oh and a fair few dents that a local artist, known as 'Keith The Dent Man' sorted - didn't speak much but by God, what a craftsman ha ha. Any way I'll detail it all very soon if anyone is interested

 

[Charlie Farley]

The low pad warning is a pretty simple setup to be honest.
It's a normally closed circuit , when the wire in the pad is broken by wear the circuit is broken so a low pad alert is triggered.
whether it is on one wheel or 4 makes no odds that if the circuit is broken you will get an alert .
if you have replaced pads and checked the cabling for damage within the wheel arch area then it will be an open circuit elsewhere in the loom for that function eg pads wear sensor.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Sometimes it can be the most subtle of breaks in the loom to cause the problem , just the smallest of breaks or wire damage that just causes a break in the curcuit when going over a big bump or turning on full lock .
the internal wire for the pads is very thin aswell so not really the hardest of wearing .

 

[B7Tourer]

"It's a normally closed circuit , when the wire in the pad is broken by wear the circuit is broken so a low pad alert is triggered.
whether it is on one wheel or 4 makes no odds that if the circuit is broken you will get an alert ."

Thanks Rob, maybe I'm wrong but the sensors are, as far as I am aware, only on the front wheels?

 

[Charlie Farley]

Only on fronts on B7 platform.