jamfish

Dear Rennlisters:

I am the proud owner of a 1996 993 with 39K miles. I am the second owner, but the car was and has always been maintained by the local Porsche dealership where I live. As you will notice when you read this, I am not a mechanic and I know only enough to not necessarily trust what I hear coming from the dealer's mouth.

I recently took my 96 993 to the dealer to have the infamous wiring harness recall work done. While my car was there, I thought I would have them check out my brakes...This may have been a big mistake.

The reason I wanted them to check the brakes was because I had been noticing some play in pedal and the need to pump the brakes a little bit before they would grab at the spot where you would normally expect them to. Also, sometime you could hear the brake squeak. My first thought was that I was low on brake fluid and sure enough it needed to be topped off. No problem. I ordered some ATE TYP 200 brake fluid and filled the reservoir. According to owner's manual it is normal to loose some brake fluid over time.

After that the brakes didn't really squeak much anymore, and the play in the pedal improved somewhat, but not where it should be. My next thought was that maybe some air got into the lines and it would either go away eventually, or possibly the brakes would need to be bled.

Now what I was expecting the dealer to tell me was that my front pads where worn and needed replacement and the brakes needed to be bled. At worst, I was expecting it to be time for the rotors to be replaced as well. But to my surprise, they tell me that because I having changed my brake fluid twice a year, contaminants must have got into the lines causing the fluid to caramelize, which in turn ruined the ABS pump, master cylinder, etc.. to the tune of over a $3000 repair! Something sounds fishy. The car has been regularly maintained by this dealership and nothing about changing the brake fluid was ever mentioned to me or the fact that if you don't do it, you will ruin your ABS Pump, etc. Can anyone out there offer me any insight advice? I have had prior experience with this dealer that causes me not to necessarily trust them.

Thanks in advance for your help with this matter,

Best regards,

Jamfish

STLPCA

Jellyfish
First, if your brake fluid level is a "little low" it would not cause a soft pedal nor result in brake squeal.
Second, it is not normal to lose any brake fluid - it's a sealed system & must remain that way to hold the fluid pressure. What is normal is that as the pads wear the pistons move further out from the calipers opening more area for the brake fluid and that causes the fluid level in the reservoir to drop.
Third, it is possible for contaminant buildup in old fluid to degrade the fluid to the point that brake components, such as the ABS pump, get clogged and/or corroded. It's highly unlikely that would occur in just a few years.
Last, given the service history of your car, IMO someone dropped the ball in the preventive maintenance dept if your fluid got that bad. I'd certainly seek a second opinion from a reliable shop.

PS I couldn't tell from your post if your fluid was changed twice a year or wasn't changed every 2 years (as Porsche advises).

jw97C2S

I would first attempt to flush the fluid a couple of times in the hope of eliminating the contaminants.
Jim

914und993

There have been reports of 993 brake reservoirs with a firm, waxy substance at the bottom of unknown composition. Mine had this, and on flushing the system the old fluid looked cloudy too - no doubt the same stuff. I'm guessing that this may have been the original fill of brake fluid. In any event, since thoroughly flushing the system and digging the waxy stuff out of the reservoir, no serious problems have arisen and performance of the brakes has been good.

I would suggest getting a second opinion on this. One of those Atlanta area dealers has a bit of a rep for gouging customers on maintenance - as my brother can confirm.

Chip

jamfish

Dan,

I have owned the car for just under one year and I have not flushed the brake system yet. How can you tell the ABS Pump is really bad. Wouldn't the check engine light or some other sensor go off?

Thanks,

Jamfish

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

J-fish:

If the ABS pump or controller goes bad, they normally log a fault and light up the "Check Engine" light. You'd need the PST-2 to retrieve and read that code.

That aside, I would strongly recommend that you flush the brake system every year to keep everything healthy. Its FAR cheaper to buy brake fluid, rather than brake parts,....

Stevarino

Jamfish:

I had this problem when I bought my 24k mile '95 last year - the car was driven only 4k miles since '99. Two flushes of the brake system solved it - at least so far. These cars don't like to sit.

Give it a try immediately. It doesn't make much sense to dawdle when it comes to brakes. Good luck.

STLPCA

Obviously you should do a brake flush (or two). It's an easy DIY w/the right equipment (floor jack, jack stands, Motive bleeder & an 11mm flare nut wrench). Maybe one of the guys in ATL will be willing to give you a hand if you don't think you're up to it alone. In any case, the info from the dealer sounds very odd to me & you should get another professional opinion. Like others have said, don't cut corners w/brakes.

jamfish

Thanks to everyone with your helpful responses. I am going to get a second opinion as you all suggested. For what it is worth, my check engine light does not stay on. I say "stay on" because it does come on when I first start the car, but I am pretty sure it has to do with my airbag sensor needing to be reset because my battery got real low several weeks ago and I have had to have it reset before (another task that the dealer was supposed to take car of).

It sounds to me like it may be possible that the dealer thinks it is more profitable to replace my ABS pump, master cylinder, brake fluid reservior, etc. for $3000 plus, rather than just flush my system.... Imagine that.

Thanks again,

Jamfish