So...I need new front brakes. Got 3 estimates. 2 of the estimates are from true indy's. Their estimates were only $7 apart. The 3rd guy is a highly respected Porsche "Indy" that works from his house. His estimate was WAY below (a third of what the others are charging) the others and now I am wondering how he can do the work much lower than others.


What questions should I ask to make sure the comparisons are apples to apples? Off the top of my head I am thinking of asking if the house indy is planning to replace both rotors and pads or just the pads.

 

Ask the indy for what brand pads and rotors he is using. There's a fairly good chance he is using real time and not "shop time" for labor. Truthfully, you should be able to a full brake job, front and rear, in about an hour.

Do you plan to track or AutoX the car or is it strictly for street use?

 

The cheap guy told me that there are two types of OEM pads for the car and he has both in stock and he plans to put one or the other on. He spouted the names of them off to me, but I didn't write them down. I will find out what rotors he's planning to use.


I am doing my first AutoX in a few weeks.

 

I highly recommend you look into doing the work yourself. Porsche brakes are quite easy to do and rather low on the home mechanic difficulty meter. The best work is always done by the guy who's butt is on the line.

 

I was just looking at doing pads and rotors myself. Plan to go with cool carbon pads, for dust reasons. Fairly inexpensive overall, and a simple project
If you plan autoX, you may want to ensure better parts are used.
What is the opinions on rotors for this? Meyer, sabro, brembo?

 

I concur with RDL if you are somewhat mechanically inclined search a few DIYs and turn wrenches on that 996. Plus purchasing the items (brand and quality) either OEM or aftermarket might be cheaper for you. Also any tools that you may have to purchase for the job will pay for themselves a few times over.

 

Brakes on a 996 couldn't be easier. If rotors are ok, you don't even need to take the calipers off........

 

This will give you an idea of what pads cost:

http://www.warehouse33auto.com/parts...910/3/0/1684/0

And what rotors cost:

http://www.warehouse33auto.com/parts...910/3/0/1896/0

You have to add shipping but can take 10% off the cost of the parts using the promo code RENNLIST

Figure a couple of hours labor at most for each axle if you are replacing the rotors, plus whatever the shop's markup is on the parts. If just replacing the pads, then 1 hour total for labor front & back.
Or, do as the others suggest: save the labor and parts markup and DIY.

 

There are lots of choices for rotors

http://www.paragon-products.com/Brak...351.406.01.htm

and pads

http://www.paragon-products.com/Brak...352.949.02.htm

Like the others mentioned, you may just want to do it yourself.

 

Thanks. This info gives me more comfort. Based on the links that kcattorney sent the brakes and rotors seem to suggest that his estimate is legit, but still tight for him to make any money. He must be figuring about 30 mins of labor or so because he quoted me approx $275 + state tax.


The brake work caught me by surprise because I've owned the car only 2.5 months. I will look to try to do some of my own rears when the time comes.

 

A 996 front brake job generally includes:
Pads, Rotors, Rotor set screws, caliper bolts, wear sensors, vibration dampers

The price will vary depending on whether the shop is going to reuse your existing rotors or install new rotors; replace the caliper bolts or use the existing ones; reuse the wear sensors (if possible) or use new ones, etc.

My guess is that the lower cost guy isn't planning to replace the rotors, wear sensors, and caliper bolts. It would be good for you to determine what each shop thinks is involved to make sure you're comparing apples to apples.

There are also some decisions YOU need to make, such as whether you want to keep using the wear sensors or just want to zip tie them up out of the way. I no longer use the adhesive vibration dampers because they add to the cost of the brake job, make the brakes take longer to change, and (in my opinion) don't really cut down on brake noise.

A front-end brake job at shop A might be:
* New pads

While at Shop B:
* New pads
* New rotors
* New caliper bolts
* New wear sensors
* New vibration dampers
* Fluid flush and fill

 

 

Pelican has good walkthroughs on replacing rotors and pads. As others have said, it is pretty straightforward.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...rake_Discs.htm

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...Brake_Pads.htm

 

There are some things to consider.

One is Porsche calls for all the brake hardware to be replaced when the brakes are done. The pad retainer, the pin that holds the pad retainer in place and the spring clip that holds the pin in place along with the wear sensors. In some cases Porsche has dropped from the parts list the anti-vibration pads that stick to the pad backing plate and have a metal basket that presses into the open end of the piston.

Pretty sure Porsche also calls for the rotors to be replaced too. If the rotors get replaced the caliper bolts get replaced along with the one or two small counter sunk flat head screws that hold the rotor to the hub when the wheel is removed.

Regarding replacing just the pads: While the rotors may not be worn down to below their minimum thickness the odds are very high they will be before the new pads wear out.

(Roughly a 1mm "lip" at the edge of the rotor is a good sign that if the rotor is not not worn out it are really close to it. Needless to say pads/rotors are replaced on an per axle basis.)

Anyhow if you keep the old rotors in service for some time you are driving on worn pads and worn out rotors.

While the cost is more my advice is to do the job right vs. just cheap and to follow Porsche in this regard and replace both pads, rotors, and all the assorted hardware. It has been a few years since I did the brakes on my Porsche Boxster but Porsche offered at that time a kit -- one per axle -- that includes all the hardware except maybe the caliper bolts. These bolts were not super expensive.

Also, don't forget: After you have the brakes done and before you do the DE you should have the brake fluid (and clutch fluid if your car equipped with a manual transmission) flushed and bled.

For factory pads/rotors and all the rest of the hardware I no longer remember the cost per axle for my Boxster and chances are high the cost for a 996 would be different (and likely higher) even if I could remember anyway.

 

I did my brakes having never before done brakes on any car. I used the videos posted above and it was very easy. I replaced everything front and back, including the bolts and dampers, using OEM parts. I'm sure that is overkill but I feel comfortable doing it that way. All in I believe it was about $1300 for the parts and shipping, including the brake fluid. The dampers are surprisingly expensive. Many people save money by reusing some of the parts and buying non-OEM replacements and I'm sure that's fine. I'm old and I probably won't have to do it again.

To illustrate how OCD I am when it comes to this car, I even bought the same gloves and impact screwdriver shown in the videos.