What is a brake pad sensor?
The brake pad wear sensor accurately informs the driver about the current wear of the vehicle’s brake pad. Mounted in the brake pad, one sensor for the front axle and one sensor for the rear can be installed to determine and indicate when the driver needs to perform a replacement.
Can a front brake pad sensor be replaced?
5F15 DSC Brake pad wear, rear axle plausibility. Determine if you are replacing a front or rear brake pad wear sensor. Jack up the vehicle and remove the wheel. If replacing the front brake pad sensor, jack up the driver’s side wheel.
How does a brake sensor work on a car?
The brake sensor itself is normally a wire that is encapsulated by a plastic compound. Once the compound wears down to what is considered a minimum wear level on the brake pads, the metal wire makes contact with the metal brake rotor, creating a light to display on the car’s dash. This holds true for the rear brake pads and rotors, too.
How do you replace a brake sensor on a BMW?
If replacing the front brake pad sensor, jack up the driver’s side wheel. If replacing rear brake pad sensor, jack up passenger side wheel. Remove the wheel from the vehicle. Locate the brake pad wear sensor on the brake pad. Use a flat head screwdriver to pry out the old sensor. Unhook the sensor from the brake caliper release valve.
What do you need to know about your brake pads?
Most vehicles are fitted with wear sensors to detect when front or rear brake pads are getting critically low. However, there are other signs to look out for too. The most obvious indication is a brake pad wear warning light such as the one above.
Where can I find a brake pad sensor?
Electronic brake pad wear sensors can be found on a variety of vehicles, including domestics like Cadillac and Chevy. Also, brake pad wear sensors can be found on BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Benz and Audi vehicles.
How does wear sensor work on brake system?
Even with built-in wear indicators, they’re often overlooked. Today’s modern wear sensors work with the entire brake system and can estimate the amount of brake pad remaining. This allows the customer to pick the right time to have the braking components replaced.
Where are the brake pads on an Audi?
The location of the brake pad sensors and the number of sensors depends on the model, year and options. On some Audi models, only the front brakes have sensors, while others have them in the front and rear. Some of the more expensive models like the Q7 have sensors on both the inboard and outboard pads.
What’s the difference between front and rear brake pads?
Front and rear brake pads may appear similar, but they are very different. On most vehicles, the front brakes apply the most pressure during braking. This requires the front pads to be larger than the rear pads, but even with their larger size, the front pads normally wear out quicker than the rear.