front brake caliper bolt fell out!!!!

**robbyg** · 21-06-2017,08:54 PM

The above happened today. I heard a bang, thought i'd hit a rabbit run out from the hedge. Within a minute the brakes were banging and juddering but still working. Pulled over a mile or two later where safe to inspect.

The caliper has shifted outwards and scoured the wheel. Bottom caliper bolt gone. Fortunately top bolt remained hand tight and kept the caliper roughly in place. Imagine that jamming into a wheel spoke....

AA man found a spare bolt so we bodged it to get me home.

Discs and pads were changed 2 weeks ago by my local dealer

EPIC FAIL

QUESTION
Does anyone have the official audi instruction on how to change the pads / discs? I assume new bolts should have been fitted? Would like to go armed with the info to the dealer.
Does anyone have a drawing of that area? Passenger side. I fear the "carrier" which holds the caliper to the suspension may have damaged thread and need replacement.

Thanks
rob

**zollaf** · 21-06-2017,09:07 PM

ouch, i would have had that recovered straight back to the dealer, surprised the aa bloke was happy to bodge it on the side of the road, should have got you straight into a loaner. even if the bolt wasnt replaced, it wont just come loose. someone needs a good slap and a p45 for doing that. corporate manslaughter comes to mind if you were less fortunate.

**robbyg** · 21-06-2017,09:45 PM

In a perfect world yes. But It happened 4pm and the garage have no cars available this week. So i would be stuck at the closed garage needing a taxi after a 1hr wait for a recovery truck plus driving 100miles at truck speed.
The bodge is fine short term to get me home. Probably fine for ever as its the right size (not grade) bolt but thats not the point.....

**zollaf** · 21-06-2017,09:47 PM

has the other side been checked..

**shabazmo** · 21-06-2017,10:02 PM

Bolts should be 30NM. I never tighten them that much an have never had any problems. Poor chap is in for a bad time. If you had the car relayed back, they would have sent you home in a taxi or certainly paid for it. This may be a simple mistake but as Zolaf says, this is potential manslaughter. Imagine if you were braking from 70mph and the wheel locked up!

**zollaf** · 21-06-2017,10:05 PM

more than that, this is the big bolt that holds the carrier onto the strut, m12 probably, 100 odd nm.. finger tight, cup o tea roy ....... forgotten about.

**shabazmo** · 21-06-2017,10:12 PM

Ah!, the carrier bolt. That's 196NM and a new bolt each time. I doubt I even tighten these to 100NM. So he must only did it finger tight. One big apology coming up. I think a free service also. Thet wont want you to feed that back to audi, or anyone else.

Bolt

q	With washer

q

2x

q	Always renew if removed

q

196 Nm

**FrenchAudi** · 22-06-2017,06:23 AM

Similar bolts on my VW and Alfas have blue locking compound on the threads when new.

Unless they are damaged in any way, I clean and replace the old bolts in the cleaned threads, but put Loctite thread lock on them. Not sure which number, probably 222 or 242.

Never had any problems in 20 years.

**Rob69** · 22-06-2017,07:25 AM

You've been lucky that big caliper was caught by the wheel, smaller caliper with a bigger clearance to the wheel might have let the pads come adrift as well.
That's one job where you don't want a distracted mechanic, needs to focus on the job and see each step through to completion before knocking off for tea. Who knows whatvgoes on at that workshop? service manager giving the guy his next job before completing this one, the guy having a few jobs on the go at the same time, sandwich van turned up, another mech asking the guy to come and 'have a quick look at this timing belt '. Sacking the guy is an easy quick resolution, maybe he is just incompetent but assuming not, looking deeper at the reasons why this happened and workshop management and organisation of the place is more difficult and makes management look at themselves and how they run the place. If this had resulted in a fatality, a coroners inquest (i think) would look at that kind of thing.
Good luck getting it resolved.

**robbyg** · 22-06-2017,08:26 AM

30Nm no way. Wheel nuts are 120Nm and this appears to be the same size at a glance.

I would expect new bolts or at least new loctite every time.

I fear the carrier is damaged they may have simply cross threaded it.

Re asking:
Does angine have an exploded drawing and or the official audi instruction on changing discs and pads?

Coporate manslaughter requires gross negligence on part of management. You would need a strong of deaths to pin that. I am sure this is simple human error although that doesnt make it any better.