Removing and installing vibration dampers: Audi A3
Step-by-step removing and installing vibration dampers for the Audi A3: 8 steps, 1 torque figure. What to remove, what to tighten and to how many Nm, what.
Some brake calipers on the Audi A3 (8V, 2012–2020) and the other platform code listed below carry a bolt-on vibration damper, a small mass that stops the caliper ringing and squealing. Changing it is a short job: pull off the protective cap where one is fitted, take out the bolt and lift the damper off the caliper. What makes the difference is the preparation of the faces and the fasteners. Clean the caliper where the damper sits and clean the damper itself, so it beds flat against the casting and does not rattle. It goes back with new bolts, tightened to 10 Nm, and the protective cap is refitted if the car had one. Reusing the old bolts or leaving corrosion under the damper defeats the purpose of fitting it.
🧭 Before you start
Remove the protective cap if present, undo the bolt and take the damper off the brake caliper. Clean the mounting area on the caliper and the damper, fit the damper, insert new bolts and tighten them to 10 Nm, then refit the cap where one was originally fitted.
Fits: Audi A3 (8V, 2012–2020); platform code 85
Don't miss
- Always use new bolts and tighten them to 10 Nm.
- Clean both the caliper mounting face and the damper so it sits flat.
- Refit the protective cap only if one was fitted originally.
- A damper that is loose or sitting on corrosion can bring back the brake noise it is meant to stop.
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
🔩 Torque settings
Values can differ between engine variants — check the code stamped on your block.
| Torque | Fastener / step |
|---|---|
| 10 Nm (7.4 lb-ft) | Insert new bolts (1) and tighten |
ℹ️ Always cross-check the exact figure against your vehicle's factory manual before final tightening — a wrong torque can damage the engine. These values are extracted from workshop data and may not cover every variant or revision.
📋 Procedure
- Remove protective cap if fitted.
- Remove bolt (1).
- Remove vibration damper (2) from brake caliper.
- Clean brake caliper in area of vibration damper.
- Clean vibration damper.
- Fit vibration damper in brake caliper.
- Insert new bolts (1) and tighten to 10 Nm. — 10 Nm (7.4 lb-ft)
- Install protective cap if originally fitted.
Other AUDI procedures
- Removing and installing toothed belt – Audi · 56 torque figures
- Removing engine – Audi A8 D3 · 41 torque figures
- Removing camshaft timing chain from camshafts – Audi A6/A7 C7 · 38 torque figures
- Installing engine – Audi A8 D4 · 36 torque figures
- Removing and installing camshaft timing chain · 29 torque figures
- Removing and installing printed circuit with tiptronic switch F189
- Removing and installing driver's airbag unit with sports steering wheel · 1 torque figures
- Removing and installing sports steering wheel – Audi A2 · 1 torque figures
- Removing and installing fixed lightweight rear seat backrest
- Removing and installing upper attachment – Audi A2 · 1 torque figures
Who makes these pages, and how
TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.
The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.
Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.
Seen a figure that does not match your manual? Write to us — we correct it and note when. support@torqfix.com
The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.