Brake Pad Wear Sensor Repair Guide - Repairing the Socket

This is a guide to repairing the brake wear sensor plug and socket.

Disclaimer

This guide is used entirely at your own risk. The author is not responsible for any consequences in following this guide. This guide is definitely not recommended for fixing the wheel rotation sensor.

Safety

As you will be working under the wheel arch without the wheel on, then support the car with axle stands. I slid a car ramp underneath the suspension with a block of hardwood on top. He then lower the vehicle until the ramp begins to take the weight (see photo 0)

0 A2 jacked up with saftety ramps under.jpg

Problem

The brake pair wear symbol is displayed on the dash board.

Note: the sensor is only on the near-side front brake pad. There is an electrical circuit through a wire in the pads. When the pads wear the wire is broken (open circuit) and the brake pad wear symbol is displayed. The symbol will also be displayed if there is a break in the wiring (cabling). A circuit diagram and diagnostic guide for an A3 can be found here:
http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?68730-should-my-car-have-brake-pads-wear-indicator The A2 might be similar but diagnostic guide is probably the same.

Possible Reasons for the Fault

1. The brake pads are indeed worn – replace.
2. The wire from the pads to the plug/socket situated on the front suspension is broken – buy new pads.
3. The plug/socket is broken – if the socket is broken then buy new pads. If the plug is broken then either buy a sensor wire repair kit or repair as per this guide.
4. The wire from the plug/socket to the dash board is broken – if it is broken between the plug/socket and the main wiring harness then buy a sensor wire repair kit or possibly repair the wire yourself. If broken in the main wiring harness then a new wire will need to be run to the dashboard.

This guide covers situation 3.

Official solution for 3: The sensor wire repair kit is about £50. The kit has a Y cable for both the wheel rotation sensor and the break pad wear sensor. The cable is threaded through a hole in the wheel arch to the engine compartment. Here the old cable is cut and the new one soldered into the wiring harness.

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As far as I’m aware you aren’t powering anything - it’s just a loop circuit which breaks to show wear point has been reached. Polarity doesn’t come into it.


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Cool!

Thanks. I'm totally newbie. So, I prefer to ask before turn on my soldering gun and transform our a2 in a chicken XD

Knowing it is not important the way wires are connected, I'm ready to next step!

There I go!

Thanks!
 
This may be of help to someone who needs to repair or replace wiring connectors on their car. I recently needed to replace the fuel temp sensor wiring plug, the coolant temperature sensor plug and the brake wear sensor plug. I found this seller on fleabay h2fconnectors2016 and bought 3 correct (doubt OEM but very good) plugs prewired with about 9 inches of nice quality insulated wire , butt connectors to connect to existing loom and lengths of split corrugated plastic tube that slips over to protect the wiring afterwards. I have no connection - sorry for that- with the seller but they provided and excellent service and are good quality. They sell the plugs only or as a prewired mini loom. Prewired makes life easier and are better to solder the old thin Audi wires onto. There is always the Audi repair kits, but this is much cheaper and you can just change the plugs if that is all that is needed.
 
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