Rear Brake discs

Hello. I have an Exeo 2.0tdi 143bhp SE Tech.
I have been researching changing the rear pads and discs, and all seems starightforward, so I started doing the job at the weekend.
After reading some on line guides ( for Audi A4 B7's) that said you have to take the caliper mounting bracket off to get the discs off, I was very pleased to see a consensus that in fact you don't. I saw videos showing that you can wangle the old disc off with the caliper bracket still in place. This is a big deal because the lower bolt for the caliper bracket is a real pig to get at due to lack of space.
Anyway, I got the caliper and pads off no problem, but there was no way I could get the old disc off without taking off the caliper bracket, and due to the limited space that would mean moving the damper out of the way first, and with my arthritic joints I didn't fancy that, so ended up putting it back together again !
Does anybody know for sure - do you have to take the caliper bracket off first?
Many thanks.

quite often people will say you don't need to remove caliper brackets. what they don't say is that they did it with worn discs, and couldn't get the new discs back on, but won't admit to it. very few cars allow you to do this.. i can't say for sure on your car, but you couldn't, so thats good enough , surely..

Well yes, I agree, I did think that even if I can force the old discs off, the new ones are going to be a real struggle obviously. I just wondered if there was some technique that I had not mastered!
Anyway - I thank you for your reply. I am going to leave it to the experts!

i had some a while back on a b6 a4. i read that you don't need to remove the carrier, but yes, you do. simply impossible to do without removing it. yes the bolts are tight and not easy to get to, but on a lift with a comprehensive toolkit, anything is possible, almost.. on the floor with limited extensions and big ratchets, i wouldn't fancy doing it..

I could have got the top bolt out I reckon, but due to the space I could have only got either a 1/4" socket on it, or a cut down hex key and some sort of extension, but not certain.
But what really put me off was the bottom bolt and having to loosen the damper, and then tighten everything back up to the correct torque with minimal space and pulling high torque whilst on axle stands. Not worth it I think.
I must be just getting old I think!

A wise man who knows when to back out !
They are usually v tight and you need a good swing angle as your bar bends so much, difficult to do on stands but shouldnt cost you too much for labour at the garage.

I hope not, but you are right about knowing when to back out. I have done technically far more difficult car jobs, but I really didn't fancy this one once I realised what was involved. The Seat dealer quoted me £295 with parts, which is why I thought I would do it myself. After querying it they came down to £250 but that still seems quite a lot for rear brakes to me. Maybe I am just out of touch.

I should have said at an indie garage! That's probably about right, maybe 1.5 or 2 hour dealer rate labour +parts. The big bolts are torque to yield and the heads can get a bit chewed when removing, so they may have included replacing them as well.

Yes probably right.
OK thanks. Anyway - brakes are non-negotiable so it will be sorted this week.
I hope the fronts are more straightforward when it's their turn!