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I finally picked up my GTS at the dealer today and drove it about 40 miles. The car is an absolute blast and I had a ball driving it. However it looks like I got the dreaded rock between the wheel barrel and PCCB brake caliper. I never heard anything but when I got home I found saw rock debris (as in pulverized) on the barrel of the wheel. Upon closer inspection I saw paint scratched and a small gouge:
So I wasn’t real happy with that but it’s small and it repairable. You may have seen another post of mine about satin black paint codes.
But later I thought maybe I ought to pull the wheel and give the rotor a good once over which is what I did. The rotor is in great shape but unfortunately I found this:
The first picture is the lower part of the caliper, the most damage was done to the upper part of the caliper which is the second picture. The gouge goes through very thick paint or powdercoat and barely into the metal which I assume is aluminum (although maybe steel?).
I’m pretty upset because this is caused by poor design. There is only 1/4” to 3/8” of clearance between the caliper and the wheel barrel. So any small rock that gets in the wrong place at the wrong time is going to cause damage. I know this is a known issue with PCCB’s, but the first 40 miles???
I have the skills to make the repairs so will do so as I know Porsche will tell me to take a hike on a warranty claim. Going to try to pursue that but I’m pretty sure I know the outcome. Anyway, hope the next day on the road has a better outcome!
I feel your pain. I've had my GTS since May and I've had a series of minor mishaps which have made me feel like I've just been unlucky. First, I while on a trip to Vermont very early in my ownership, a car far in front of me kicked up a rock and I heard an impact somewhere in the front. Turns out it was a good scratch on the lower front plastic valence. Another trip to Boston and there was a branch or something similar that fell (again on the highway, wth?) and hit my right headlight, gouging the lens (I have since sanded and polished that and significantly improved the look). Two weeks ago I was driving to Pennsylvania at night and a coyote crossed the highway in front of me. I swerved hard, felt a minor impact, and was sure I was going to have to replace the front bumper. Alas, I must have run it over very slightly but there was no impact at all anywhere on the car. And then a week ago I got a performance award from a local police officer.
I mean, GOOD LORD! In spite of all of that, I still love the car and can never wait to drive it again.
Good luck getting your situation sorted out. As they said in Apollo 13 when one of the engines cut out early on the launch sequence: "looks like you've just had your glitch for this mission".
Get used to it. I have dozens of scratches like that on my front PCCB calipers and on my wheel barrels.
Unfortunately I think you are right with your assessment. I just thought I’d have a great first day. As my wife often tells me, ‘there you go thinking again’.
Bet the dealer will paint that for you as it is so early in your ownership ( and you havent sent in the dealer ratings yet.
Good point about the dealer ratings. I’m leaving for out of town tomorrow but when I get back next week we are going to talk about it. That said, it seems this is a common problem with PCCB’s so fixing this one might be fighting a losing battle.
Bet the dealer will paint that for you as it is so early in your ownership ( and you havent sent in the dealer ratings yet.
I got tire and wheel insurance so I am sure I can get the wheel painted for free, but as stated earlier it might be of no benefit repairing if this sort of thing is that common.
I feel your pain. I've had my GTS since May and I've had a series of minor mishaps which have made me feel like I've just been unlucky. First, I while on a trip to Vermont very early in my ownership, a car far in front of me kicked up a rock and I heard an impact somewhere in the front. Turns out it was a good scratch on the lower front plastic valence. Another trip to Boston and there was a branch or something similar that fell (again on the highway, wth?) and hit my right headlight, gouging the lens (I have since sanded and polished that and significantly improved the look). Two weeks ago I was driving to Pennsylvania at night and a coyote crossed the highway in front of me. I swerved hard, felt a minor impact, and was sure I was going to have to replace the front bumper. Alas, I must have run it over very slightly but there was no impact at all anywhere on the car. And then a week ago I got a performance award from a local police officer.
I mean, GOOD LORD! In spite of all of that, I still love the car and can never wait to drive it again.
Good luck getting your situation sorted out. As they said in Apollo 13 when one of the engines cut out early on the launch sequence: "looks like you've just had your glitch for this mission".
damn, that’s a lot in that short period of time. Seems to me though the worst one was the performance award
Sorry about your initial drive, but aren’t those caliper scratches hidden from view? My wheel barrels are so dirty, I wouldn’t see any scratches. Maybe treat it as early patina and just drive and enjoy.
Sorry about your initial drive, but aren’t those caliper scratches hidden from view? My wheel barrels are so dirty, I wouldn’t see any scratches. Maybe treat it as early patina and just drive and enjoy.
You are correct, even if you know the caliper scratches are there and look for them you can’t see them. However I’m a little OCD so since I know there are there either I or Porsche will fix them this time. If it happens again anytime soon I’ll let it go and chalk it up as life with PCCB’s. However I go back to it’s a poor design because of the limited clearance between the caliper and the wheel. If Porsche had opted to design an open top caliper such as what Racingbrake.com offers, I would think there wouldn’t be a problem in the first place.
I don't know if it will help, but coat your wheels with a nano coating, something like Optimum Gloss Coat, and hopefully stones and small rocks won't stick to the barrel, or greatly minimize the damage if they do (pop off faster, because they can't adhere as well).
I don't know if it will help, but coat your wheels with a nano coating, something like Optimum Gloss Coat, and hopefully stones and small rocks won't stick to the barrel, or greatly minimize the damage if they do (pop off faster, because they can't adhere as well).
Good idea Lex, thanks. I have some consumer grade nano coating on hand and I think I will do that after I fix this wheel, and will do to the other 3 as well.
As an aside, yesterday afternoon was the first time I had ever pulled a centerlock wheel and while the procedure itself is straight forward and not difficult it gave me a workout physically. I have all the things that are required, Precision Instruments torque wrench, Castrol aluminum paste, and wheel guide so as to not damage the PCCB rotor when removing and replacing the wheel. Even devised a great method to apply the brakes (the wheel is question is front left). However even with a 4' long torque wrench as said quite the physical workout!
11-30-2017, 11:03 PM
First Day on the Road Not So Good ****UPDATE****
