500

Well took the car out for some hard higher speed braking to see if the low speed squeal goes away...it did not. I called my service rep and explained the details to him, he first said, when the brakes are cold it may be normal, but when I explained the circumstances and mine only squeal when hot he agreed something is not right. As I previously mentioned this just started happening at 1400 miles and this the very first 911 I've owned (had a bunch) with a brake squeal. I just hate it when people say it's normal, a characteristic of the car, all high performance brakes do it, etc etc and to just live with it. I cannot imagine every new 997 or the majority of them anyways, have a loud low speed brake squeal and everyone is just living with it; mine sounds like a school bus. I used to own a new MB500 which had the same problem and listened to all the typical BS I referenced above, finally the rotors and pads were changed by the dealer and guess what? No more noise for the remainder of my lease (over 2 years). My dealership and its service personnel are first rate and I know the service guys will do whatever they need to rectify this issue, just sux it's another issue and trip to the dealer and another problem...

RedRocket

yeah....i notice a little squeal when i am coming to a stop too. Its not terrible, but it is annoying on a 90K car. Anyway, I am having the dealership check mine out and if they give me any bs I will take it to a local porsche tuner shop and have them check it out.

500

I see from your avatar your car has yellow calipers...to you have ceramic's?

MyEmily

I have a similar problem too. Dealer said careful w/ the tire cleaner and armor all. Often, the overspray from the cleaner create the squeaky noise. What does it mean?? They can't find nothing wrong w/ the brakes, so they blame it on something else...I'm very disappointed w/ my service guy...

elh0102

I know this isn't what you guys want to hear, but regarding some low-speed brake squeal, you have two options; get over it, or, switch to a specific low noise/low dust pad. I expect the fix rendered to "500" on his MB, was either through a secondary pad compound recommended by the factory, or, a different pad used by the dealer to satisfy such complaints. The rotor will not cause the noise; it's either the pad compound (most likely) or, the pads were installed with no anti-squeal compound or dampers (very unlikely at a dealer). There are some good, low noise pads available, and they are adequate for general street use. I guess a third option, run track pads on the street for a week, then you will appreciate your current noise level! Just kidding, I realize the squeal bothers a lot of folks.

texas911

Overspary? What a bunch of BS. Anything that lands on the brakes will quickly disappear after you first braking session.

RonCT

At Tech Tactics (PCA Zone 1) on Saturday a restorer / detailer talked about how bad wheel cleaners are for wheels, brakes, etc. The stuff is caustic - how do you think it is able to dissolve caked on / baked on brake dust, grime, etc.? Years ago I used the stuff and stopped after learning a little more about it and how it can impact the finish on your wheels, your brakes, etc. I think some of the products might even print warnings on the bottles. So first of, try something else, like a car wash with an emulsifier (Eagle 1 Bucketless Carwash, P21 Total Car Wash, etc.).

Next, these are racing brakes with a relatively aggressive pad - you have to expect some noise from them even though the car was $90k. The colder it is, the more chance of noisy brakes. There's no magic bullet / compromise pad - if you want racing brake performance, you might have to put up with some brake noise.

I don't know of a softer pad for these cars - I think Porsche pretty much put the quietest pad on these - but again, understand these are racing calipers and pad sizes.

500

Thanks for the info. FY,rotors can cause the noise according to both Porsche and MB service.

500

I don't use wheel cleaner and my tire dressing is put on a rag first not sprayed directly on to the tires. Porsche apparently does not reimburse the dealers for brake noise and that may be why some are getting the "run-around".

Matt(inMA)

Mine don't make a sound ~ 8k on the car.

Matt

elh0102

Well, kind of. When rotor related, the source of the problem is the deposits on the rotors, which are transferred from the pad. Depending on the specific combination of old and new pads, these deposits may not be removed by the new pads. So, from the dealer's perspective, it is easier and cheaper in the long run, to simply replace the rotors if they are suspected as being involved in the problem. And it results in higher customer satisfaction, since the average owner has very little knowledge, and even less interest in understanding this stuff. Unfortunately, the same can be said of some of the techs. This pad material transfer phenomenon is why most makers of track pads recommend leaving them on while doing some cool driving (home from the track). The material is tranferred when the pads are hot. The cool track pads have enough friction to clean off the rotors, then the street pads run smooth. I'm no expert but, in my experience, I have found this information to be accurate.

500

Exactly the way it should be!

Deanski

So far, no brake squeal or noise from the PCCB's to date...

However, what was thought to be a hung pad at one point when I was making a turn seems to be a bearing seal. Dealer has checked the system several times and when it's warmer, a PNA rep is to check the noise from the bearing seal. Due to the cost of PCCB's, dealers are very reluctant to replace anything!

As for cleaning, once you do get the wheels fully clean, use a good sealant (Rejex/Zaino/Klasse etc) as this will make it very easy to just wash off later as opposed to scrubbing or using caustic cleaners. Simple carwash shampoo should be able to remove the dust. If it seems harder to remove, clean again and re-apply a sealant. Always wait for the brakes and wheels to cool before washing as you well know.

For noise, check the rotor for any groves from stones. I've heard one brake squeal on one C2S and once the car was rolled backward off the flatbed that brought it in, it disloged the stone from the pad and no more noise. These can be very small pebbles that get caught and are hard to see. If the dealer took the calipers off and pads off, they should have checked for these. Sometimes it can be the piston not fully extended or hung up so you get an uneven pressure which also cause the noise.

Regards,
Deanski

500

I've been told a certain amount of run-out on the rotor can cause vibration which can also create a squeal.