[HateDCRoads]

This is a friend of mine who has just gotten into DE, only has about 6 track days. I suspect he has worn out his front stock pads. I suggested he invite me over for a free beer and to inspect his rotors. At this point, I know what to look for (thickness, warpage, cracks) and can let him know if Rockville is being aggressive.

The other possibility is that his pads are fine, but his sensors melted. I figured this out when I was a DE noob and learned that the brake wear sensors were not designed with track temps in mind.

I agree with Tony that $1,400 for pads and rotors for both axles is reasonable (esp. on a 997) but don't know what he is getting replaces yet - I suspect his rears are fine but his sensors may have melted at all four corners.

[spiffyjiff]

2 yrs ago i got "gouged" (see footnote below) while rkvl was doing a track inspection for an upcoming DE. they said my pads were thin/wouldnt pass so i would need pads, rotors AND sensors, blah blah blah. tab was #1300. for the front. what could i do? it was 2 days before a track weekend pending their sign off, i had no idea what was "normal" or necessary for brake replacement, had no idea how to do my own maintenance at that time, and the car was sitting on their lift waiting for my answer. i said go ahead. now i DO know a lot better, and DO all my own maint. i swap pads regularly and only change rotors when the cracks are severe or when thickness dictates.

footnote: that all said, i dont think they necessarily do frivolous maintenance just to make a profit (altho let's face it, service bays pay the dealership bills, not car sales). but their policy, albeit put in place to reduce aggravation and liability to both dealer and customer, is annoying nonetheless. and FWIW, ive heard from other folks who have argued this topic before the work was done - some were told to go elsewhere, but some were told "fine, we'll do just the pads, but dont come back if your brakes squeal, etc"

[spiffyjiff]

oh and tell your friend to learn how to do it himself. i am a total idiot, yet i can change all 4 corners, pads, rotors, and fluid in under an hour. with no lift. easy peasy.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by spiffyjiff

oh and tell your friend to learn how to do it himself. i am a total idiot, yet i can change all 4 corners, pads, rotors, and fluid in under an hour. with no lift. easy peasy.

And now you can adjust your swaybars too

[spiffyjiff]

dammit ryan, i was going to add that (and a shout-out-thanks!) but didnt want to hijack the thread

but seriously man, thanks - you literally saved my weekend! instead of being perpetually frustrated with an under-performing setup, i learned how to tweak the sways and it def did the trick.

[Dr K]

Originally Posted by spiffyjiff

oh and tell your friend to learn how to do it himself. i am a total idiot, yet i can change all 4 corners, pads, rotors, and fluid in under an hour. with no lift. easy peasy.

Try changing the front rotors on a Carrera in under an hour

[HoodPin]

Originally Posted by Dr K

Try changing the front rotors on a Carrera in under an hour

Let me guess?........bearings & grease?? early fofo's are the same.

[BlackTalon]

John, if he can wait, have him come to Tech on August 6 at PoTT and we'll look at the pads and rotors.

[racer]

I too think the dealer wants to replace both as a preventative measure against his future time/calls/hassle of "I just spent x on pads nad they sqeak and don't work well." I think porsche assumes that most of their buyers/owners of $70-100K cars are willing to spend money to "do it right" and not have to be hassled 20 minutes after they leave the shop.

That said, its is possible that the factory rotors are either 1) fine and ready for another set of pads only or 2) shot and need replacement

That said, at 14K miles, I am sure he's ready for another set of rear tires too.

Go help your friend.. show him/her how to spend an hour in the heat and humidity of their driveway, how to replace said parts.

[Vicegrip]

14,000 miles on a set for front rotors and they just might be bad. 50,000 miles on the same set and they might be fine. It depends on how they were driven.

They are some of the stuff that is still in the good DIY range. For some reason dealers think they are hard / time consuming to change.