Vorsicht

No, it is not necessary. The only reasons to change the rotors are:

1. Very badly scored/uneven.
2. Below the minimum thickness. The wear limit is 1mm per side so the fronts start out at 32mm and are allowed 30mm. The rears start at 24mm and are allowed to max out at 22mm.
These numbers refer to the base models (not RS/Turbo).

996scott

so is it possible to have the rotors machined if there is enough thickness?

Mike J

Two schools of thought. One is Yes. The other is yes if you grind them not machine them. Porsche recommends replacing them, but that could be a cash flow device.

RudyP

Ed-

I don't touch the rotor. Just unbolt the caliper and swing it up so that I can get unhindered access to the pads from the bottom of the caliper vs. only through the top if you leave the caliper bolted. I would not remove the rotors unless I was swapping rotors.