larman2001

Hi all,

Dealership told me in Oct 2011 (prior to winter storage) that my front brakes needed to be replaced shortly. Dealer said they only change pads AND discs together. This with sensors is $1600 CDN at Porsche.

Another independent shop who only works with Porsche says that at 40,000kms / 25,000 miles, there's no need to change the discs as well. This job will only cost me $600 CDN.

Is there any truth to the latter?

I am not a hard driver, and most definitely am not hard on my brakes.


Thanks in advance.

Spokane5150

Well....the cross drilled rotors cannot be turned so the dealer is taking the conservative route and replacing them both. You may be able to reuse the old rotors but you'll have to check tolerences so long as you don't have any grooves or pulsating. You can do it yourself for $650.00 with OE parts. Do your own brake flush too....see link below for parts.

http://www.suncoastparts.com/category/997238brakes.html

Edgy01

There is no firm and fast rule on this when it comes to mileage. The technician has to evaluate the pads and the rotors together, regardless of the miles. If the rotors are grooved then most likely they will have to be replaced. Unfortunately, the service life on the front brakes of modern Porsche cars is very low, save the PCCBs, which are an entirely different design and composition.

PJorgen

Agree that it is not always necessary to replace rotors when you replace pads. There is a minimum thickness spec that should be checked. Not sure what it is for your car but IIRC it was 27mm for my '02C4S. You need a micrometer to measure. If below the spec you should replace.

Also inspect for cracks. Cross drilled rotors will usually show some cracks, that's normal. However, if you observe cracks that connect two or more holes, cracks that extend to the edge of the rotor, or cracks large enough that you can stick your thumbnail into them, you should replace rotors.

Might be worth asking the Porsche dealer why they recommended replacing rotors. "We always replace them together" is not an acceptable answer.

nkelley

PJorgen,

Love the garage set-up, what did you paint your floor with? NK

PJorgen

Had it professionally done by a company called Premier Garage. It's a multi-step process with epoxy and plastic chips. Costs about $4 per sq ft.

JW911

Hard to imagine you need brake pads at 25K miles. I'm at 60K miles and I have about 30% pad life remaining. Did your dealer show you or tell you how much pad was remaining? You can see the pad thickness quite easily through your wheels for a visual check.

As for your rotors, if they are not scored or cracked and they are above the minimum thickness required, then you can just replace the pads without replacing the rotors. But seriously, I question the need for pads on a low mileage car like yours.

deijmaster

Very interesting as I was just thinking about my brakes (more curiosity than need as MY06 only has 20 000KM). With this in mind, I'm with you JW911. Maybe Porsche is a different beast, but with most of my other cars I usually change pads then rotors and pads, unless a "serious" situation arises...

Now if larman2001 would of tracked his baby, that would be different situation, but as mentioned in his post, he pretty much drives like I do...

deijmaster

Very nice setup, do you have any other pictures of the process... How much time did it take? Thanks.

DMoore

Brakes, like tires, depend entirely on usage. My GTS has only 15K miles but lots of track days, and I just had my dealer replace my front brake pads for the 2nd time. The rear pads have been replaced once. I asked about the front rotors, and was told they're not needed quite yet. With the next set of pads I'll need new front rotors. Ouch - that one will be expensive.

So I guess it varies from dealer to dealer, but my experience shows clearly that they do NOT have to replace rotors with every pad change.

FWIW, I'm also on my 3rd set of front tires - just installed last week - and my 4th set of rear tires. DE's (1) are highly addictive and (2) eat tires and brakes.

By contrast, my Panamera with almost 2 years and 22K miles is still on its original tires (PS2 summer, Sottozero winter) and brakes. But it never goes to the track...

DMoore
'11 GTS
'10 Panamera 4S

Jay H

They tell you this because they can make a lot more money swapping rotors along with those pads. There is very little additional labor involved with a rotor swap if the pads are being replaced, so the extra margin on new rotors and the additional book value of labor is lucrative to the dealer.

Most people simply go along with what their dealer recommends without researching the issue and many service writers get commission on what services they sell to you (yes, you are still in the Sales department while you're in the Service part of the dealership).

At this point, I'd question even if your pads need replacement.

user 72902

I don't know if it is corporate policy or not but my P Dealer will not do a brake job without replacing the rotors.

PJorgen

Sorry, no other pics. Had a new slab poured in the garage which had to cure for 30 days. Coating took about 3 days, mostly drying time. Then no parking on it for 10 days.

larman2001

I checked the invoice from my last service, they noted about 4mm material remaining on front brake pads.

I am the second owner of this car and I purchased it at 12,000 miles / 20,000 kms. My CPO checklist (Oct 2009) showed Front at 55% / Rear 75%

Minok

Indeed.

Its not the going forward (the mileage) that wears out brakes. Its the stopping/slowing that uses them up. The same mileage driven can have huge differences in brake usage.