Poor braking performance in the rain or snowy or slushy conditions, Audi ag has acknowledged a known problem with brake lining contamination, the following is off of their web page and in automotive news *** www.Audi.com/java/news/index.html reduced braking performance as a result of road salt Audi ag has recently been informed by drivers of its medium-size model, the A4, of sporadically reduced braking performance when the brakes are applied for the first time after the car has been parked, or if the brakes have not been operated for some time. Upon examination in the workshop, in every reported instance no defects were detected. The A4's brakes, which have always achieved a particularly good rating in tests by trade publications, exhibited efficient deceleration. Following initial investigations by Audi's technical experts, whose findings were confirmed by adac experts, it is suspected that new types of road salt, in particular magnesium chloride used in a technique known as "wet salting" affects the friction between the brake disc and the brake pad Audi's technicians are working intensively on finding a solution to the problem as rapidly as possible. Independently of the outcome, Audi ag and motoring associations recommend drivers to follow a well-established piece of advice for winter driving: Traffic permitting, it is advisable to apply the brakes intermittently, especially before the start of a journey and before parking the car. With this simple technique, the driver can thus make sure that the brakes will function properly the next time they are needed press inquiries to Audi ag, press: Product and technology D-85045 ingolstadt telephone: +49 - 841 - 89 32100, +49 - 841 - 89 37947 telefax: +49 - 841 - 89 32817 ***** additionally, this part number supposedly address a problem with backing plates to improve wet braking # 8D0 698 998 addresses an isssue with wet, icy, slushy conditions and poor braking with a larger brake backing plate..*

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