Stuck brakes - Page 2 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

I’ve put my ‘22 GT4 under cover in my daughters carport for a bit. Been there about. 6 weeks, totally flat surface and on C-Tek charger. Went to check her today, started first time but weirdly brakes seized on discs despite handbrake being left OFF ( defo as I’ve experienced this before…). Finally managed to unstick them with a hefty bit of throttle/clutch so thought I’d just give her a quick run out with brake application to clear the surface corrosion. However, noise like ive never experienced before, feels like the disc is warped with serious chafing per revolution. Can anyone confirm all it does need is a good run with increasing gentle brake pressure to clear the corrosion - stressing it’s only been about 6 weeks unused. - as I’m concerned I could really do some expensive damage if I’m wrong ? Cheers Matt Edited by SpyderMatt on Tuesday 27th December 20:09

I take it they haven’t cleared? You’d like to think they wouldn’t have pitted already?! I’d be inclined to give them some hard work? I always used to break them dry after washing the car, so I always tried to put it away on a good day.

It's possible that a 'lump' of pad material has broken away from the pad but is still 'welded' to the disc. I'd jack up each corner in turn and rotate each wheel and have a good look at both sides of each disc. Does giving this advice break any of the PH moderation rules?

What does the surface look like? Remember the discs and pads being fairly hard need some work get up to temperature. So any surface rust will take a spirited drive to clear. Were the discs free from surface corrosion and dry when you put it away? Like ags11 I like to put away post cleaning with warm dry discs.

6 weeks is a short time so 99% the brakes just need some work. I would be tempted to take the wheels off however if as bad as you say, if not sorted with a 5 minute run, and if there are any patches with scabby rust or what looks like pitting, or even pad material adhered to the disc, to sand this off with 80-grit paper. May be tricky due to the backing plate but not impossible even without the removal of any parts. Rust is very hard and what can happen is that the localised rust wears away the pads far more rapidly, eventually the discs become ridged as parts of it are not being worn down.

If the pads were initially wet when the car was first stored and it has been standing for 6 weeks with constant wetting and drying especially on exposed areas and possibly some road salt on the brakes as well being end of Nov they can deteriorate very rapidly. GT4 wheel design are not very rain protective of the discs. A photo showing the worst corroded part of the disc would be useful. Edited by av185 on Tuesday 27th December 21:52

SpyderMatt said: I’ve put my ‘22 GT4 under cover in my daughters carport for a bit. Been there about. 6 weeks, totally flat surface and on C-Tek charger. Went to check her today, started first time but weirdly brakes seized on discs despite handbrake being left OFF ( defo as I’ve experienced this before…). Finally managed to unstick them with a hefty bit of throttle/clutch so thought I’d just give her a quick run out with brake application to clear the surface corrosion. However, noise like ive never experienced before, feels like the disc is warped with serious chafing per revolution. Can anyone confirm all it does need is a good run with increasing gentle brake pressure to clear the corrosion - stressing it’s only been about 6 weeks unused. - as I’m concerned I could really do some expensive damage if I’m wrong ? Cheers Matt Edited by SpyderMatt on Tuesday 27th December 20:09 A bonded brake pad & disc is quite common in this cold damp weather. When you say you think the brake disc is warped, do you mean you can feel the pedal pulsating under your foot..? It’s more likely that you’ve just got a build up of corrosion on the surface of the brake disc. A short drive with normal pedal pressure should shift it.

Orangecurry said: It's possible Does giving this advice break any of the PH moderation rules? F-me, its definitely 2022 still.

If the car is in a carport, the damp can cause the brakes to seize slightly, especially jf they were damp from being washed & not driven properly before being put away. In the longterm the brake pads can delaminate but it would take many years. You can have the brake seize even if you put your car in a slightly damp garage BTW. The OP will need to give the car a proper run with some decent braking and it should hopefully clean the surface of the discs.

i've had this and it was odd, like you i park in gear and hbrake off. I just took for a good drive, careful with brakes early on. the rythmic 'feeling' is the fact that the area the pads stuck on is less corroded and grippy than the rest of the disk. ive just changed wheels and was surprised again how corroded the disks were.

Next time. Park it but don't apply the hand brake and chock the wheels. My rs3 had similar issues as it had been stood at the dealer for 3 months and it did take a couple of weeks for the brakes to feel back to normal. I have been driving 25 years and had lots of cars I left outside but it seems that what ever material rhey are using in these modern brakes is prone to it.

gotoPzero said: Next time. Park it but don't apply the hand brake and chock the wheels. My rs3 had similar issues as it had been stood at the dealer for 3 months and it did take a couple of weeks for the brakes to feel back to normal. I have been driving 25 years and had lots of cars I left outside but it seems that what ever material rhey are using in these modern brakes is prone to it. In the first post he said hand brake was left off

blueg33 said: gotoPzero said: Next time. Park it but don't apply the hand brake and chock the wheels. My rs3 had similar issues as it had been stood at the dealer for 3 months and it did take a couple of weeks for the brakes to feel back to normal. I have been driving 25 years and had lots of cars I left outside but it seems that what ever material rhey are using in these modern brakes is prone to it. In the first post he said hand brake was left off Oh yeah... LOL. Well, best get out the hair dryer and some cling film next time!

gotoPzero said: Oh yeah... LOL. Well, best get out the hair dryer and some cling film next time! Or just stick your 90k car in a garage??

Or choose carbon ceramics ? Then you just need to make sure you warm the brakes up as part of the engine warming process ... the PCCB's (and others) or pads seem to absorb a little water that initially needs to be evaporated ...

Depends what is meant by 'washing' the car. Worst thing is to hose/jetwash the car soaking the brake pads in the process then immediately storing the car for weeks outside because the pads never dry out the discs are wet so corrosion accelerates especially if aggravated by road salt typically found on brakes this time of year. Frequent wetting by poor weather and never drying out compounds the corrosion issue. Sounds like what could well have occurred with the OPs car unfortunately.

Just drive around the block a bit after washing, remembering to apply the brakes a few times. Simples… AV is absolutely right about power washing soaking the discs/pads.

anonymous said: [redacted] Good advice for the future from cossers. Even better if you could brake hard from 60mph or so in neutral - particularly for any car with regen braking. I used to do this (after washing the car) on a nearby downhill exit slip with the handbrake lightly applied to really work and heat up the rears. Discs were still in excellent condition after 10 yrs - this on a Prius that didn't use the discs much. Worth remembering that in a signficant temperature change like we have had recently, from well below 0 to 10°C or so then anything metal will be dripping with condensation and won't dry quickly if under cover.

As said this is caused by parking up with wet brakes, the water sits in the small gap between the pad and the disc and promotes corrosion. Even a couple of firm brake applies at low speed before you pull in the drive would probably prevent it. A good 5-10 snubs from 60-30 with a decent amount of deceleration will clean the discs up. If it happens the best way to release them is to rock the car back and forth, swapping between 1st and reverse, until they free off. If the car is still under warranty I would encourage you to report it to your dealer though, the brakes should have enough running clearance to prevent it from happening. It’s a real issue if you park up on gravel, my second Evora was prone to it and I carved a few grooves in my parents driveway.

My 22MY GT4 had new pads fitted by the dealer at the grand total of 430miles. Exactly the same reason, pads stuck to the discs at the dealer after car was jet washed and then left without being driven. Pulled mighty big chunks out of the pads. I kept them for spares being as I am a tight arse. Discs cleaned up no problem. Moral of story as others have said give it a quick drive after cleaning it. Just to drive away the residual moisture. Rather nullifies the point of washing it mind you

bigmowley said: My 22MY GT4 had new pads fitted by the dealer at the grand total of 430miles. Exactly the same reason, pads stuck to the discs at the dealer after car was jet washed and then left without being driven. Pulled mighty big chunks out of the pads. I kept them for spares being as I am a tight arse. Discs cleaned up no problem. Moral of story as others have said give it a quick drive after cleaning it. Just to drive away the residual moisture. Rather nullifies the point of washing it mind you I have one of these - problem solved

bigmowley said: My 22MY GT4 had new pads fitted by the dealer at the grand total of 430miles. Exactly the same reason, pads stuck to the discs at the dealer after car was jet washed and then left without being driven. Pulled mighty big chunks out of the pads. I kept them for spares being as I am a tight arse. Discs cleaned up no problem. Moral of story as others have said give it a quick drive after cleaning it. Just to drive away the residual moisture. Rather nullifies the point of washing it mind you Yeah this was the frustration after washing it! Unless there’s salt on the roads, sometimes winter washing with power hoses etc is best left to a minimum- unless it’s a good drying day. Power hoses are probably the most destructive things for bearings or the like. Water only ever goes near our combine on a warm summer day, followed by grease and a run afterwards!

anonymous said: [redacted] I never wash a car then store it even for a week even in the summer and even cars with ceramics. Far better to wash the car including brakes etc properly BEFORE taking it out for a proper drive so the brakes etc dry out properly whilst driving and the heat from engine and exhausts dries off any possible remaining moisture on the car in the garage.

Great response, thanks all. So no one has said don’t drive it which is what I was checking on. She’s sitting there unstuck so I can get up there on Friday and take her out for a drive and hopefully gradually grind the corrosion off. Will probably report to OPC anyway as a precaution.

SpyderMatt said: Great response, thanks all. So no one has said don’t drive it which is what I was checking on. I did. I said to check each disc. Fingers crossed I'm wrong. I'm sure the OPC will recommend new brakes all round.

Good news, took her out, some gentle then heavy braking and seems all good… still surprised how stuck they can get after just 6 weeks but you live and learn. Brought her back to my home so a 30 minute drive, reminded yet again how good these are to drive, even taking it easy with standing water and potholes the size of craters to watch out for ! Thanks for all the feedback here folks… roll on Spring

Honestly mine will bind overnight if parked wet. They will really start to stick after a couple of days. So 6 weeks is no surprise tbh.

SpyderMatt said: Good news, took her out, some gentle then heavy braking and seems all good… still surprised how stuck they can get after just 6 weeks but you live and learn. Brought her back to my home so a 30 minute drive, reminded yet again how good these are to drive, even taking it easy with standing water and potholes the size of craters to watch out for ! Thanks for all the feedback here folks… roll on Spring Good news. Parking a car with warm or hot brakes should drive away any moisture. Parking a car immediately after washing it is probably the best way to promote some brake disc and pad corrosion.

SpyderMatt said: Good news, took her out, some gentle then heavy braking and seems all good…