Audi A3 Brake Discs: Specs, Fitment & Wear Symptoms
On the A3, what's commonly called "warped discs" is genuinely almost always uneven pad deposits, not physical warping — plus a genuine hard-braking fix, and an alarming account of genuine replacement discs developing the same fault within 500 miles.
Illustration for editorial purposes
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OEM Part Number: 5Q0615301F (genuine front disc — confirm via VIN) — aftermarket front discs Brembo 09.9145.11 / Bosch 0 986 479 088
| Front brake discs (aftermarket) | Brembo 09.9145.11 (288 x 25 mm, vented, 5 holes, coated, min 22 mm); Bosch 0 986 479 088 (288 x 24.9 mm, vented, 5 holes, coated, high-carbon, min 22 mm); TRW DF4295 (288 x 25 mm, vented, 5 holes, black painted, high-carbon); Brembo 09.9772.11 (312 x 25 mm, vented, 5 holes, coated, high-carbon, min 22 mm); Bosch 0 986 479 058 (312 x 25 mm, vented, 5 holes, coated, high-carbon, min 22 mm); ATE 24.0125-0158.1 (312 x 25 mm, vented, 5 holes, coated, high-carbon, min 22 mm); Brembo 09.C306.1X (340 x 30 mm, vented, 5 holes, coated, high-carbon, drilled, min 27.8 mm) |
|---|---|
| Disc sizes & variants | Three front sizes, 288 mm, 312 mm and 340 mm. The 288 mm disc covers the smaller-engined cars (1.0 TFSI, 1.2 TFSI, 1.6 TDI), the 312 mm disc is the fitment for the 1.4 TFSI, 1.8 TFSI, 2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TDI cars, and the 340 mm disc is the S3 size. |
| Genuine (OE) numbers quoted | 5Q0615301F (genuine front disc number for this model — confirm via VIN, as several disc sizes exist) |
| Fitment notes | Minimum thickness is 22 mm for both the 288 mm and 312 mm discs and 27.8 mm for the drilled 340 mm Brembo. All front discs use the 5 x 112 mm bolt pattern and Brembo quotes a 120 Nm wheel bolt torque. Brembo 09.9145.1X is the drilled version of the 288 mm disc and febi 22902 (288 mm) and 24384 (312 mm) are the budget coated alternatives. |
Audi A3 Brake Discs: The Part That Pads Depend On
On the Audi A3, it's a paired system: let either one wear too far and the other suffers for it, which is why so many "just a pad change" jobs end up including discs once a mechanic actually looks.
Audi A3 Brake Discs: Watch: Replacing It
8V pads and discs, front
Audi A3 Brake Discs: What They Do
Brake discs provide the surface the brake pads clamp against to slow the car, converting momentum into heat through friction. Larger, sportier trims of the A3 typically use bigger discs than standard versions to handle the additional heat generated by more aggressive braking.
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A Genuinely Important, Honest Consensus Worth Knowing — Audi A3 Brake Discs
If you're facing a vibration under braking that's been diagnosed as warped discs, this is genuinely worth knowing: among experienced owners, there's a widely repeated consensus that true disc warping is actually quite rare, and the vibration is almost always caused by uneven deposits of pad material building up on the disc surface. It's genuinely worth trying a specific technique first: braking firmly from around 70mph down to 10mph, repeated eight to ten times without letting ABS intervene, can remove this build-up without replacing anything.
It's also genuinely worth knowing an honest account about warranty cover: one documented UK case saw a dealer initially refuse warranty coverage for a brake disc issue, citing ordinary wear, despite the car having covered only 5,000 miles. Escalating directly to the manufacturer's UK customer service resulted in the dealer accepting a share of responsibility, with the owner ultimately paying only £200 of a bill exceeding £900.
Audi A3 Brake Discs: Wear Symptoms, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice
These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Brake Discs Guide for warning signs to watch for, confirming fitment against your VIN, and choosing a reliable aftermarket disc.
More Audi Brake Discs
The same part, covered across other Audi models.