hey guys,
bassically i have just replaced the front pads on my car, porsche are also saying to me that it needs new front discs as well, no fair enough on the pads...as they were very worn, but the discs look ok to me
what do you guys reckon? ive only done 18k on it, and though i do drive it relatively hard...i brake early ish, and dont regularly stand on them!
just find it odd as my dads rs6 has just needed had new front discs on it at 40k, and its 2 tonnes! plus they did say to him that he had a few k left
cheers!
I find it difficult to believe you need new rotors yet. Of course, without looking and measuring one can't say for sure.
Does the edge of the rotor have a "lip" on it, indicating wear?
Get a set of point mic's and check the rotors.
A friend works at a Mercedes dealership and told me that some of the techs remove rotors that are in spec on a routine basis.
Good advice so far. Also look for any cracks around the holes of the rotors. If there are any cracks between the holes that connect, it'll be time for a change.
That said, I doubt you need new rotors at this stage. The dealer probably wants to change the pads and rotors as a unit to avoid any issues with bedding new pads to the old rotors. From what I understand, until you bed them in properly, the brakes won't feel "right" until the new pad surface has been etched to match the wear pattern on the old rotor. The microscopic peaks and valleys of the rotor must "wear" into the new flat surface of the pad before you're getting 100% of the new pad "gripping" on the old rotor.
Improper bedding could cause customers to come back and complain of poor braking, setting off a round of back and forth with the dealer. It's easier for them to just change everything and send the client off happy but a bit lighter in the wallet.
The track guys here change pads all the time with no issues.
Of course I could be completely wrong, so I await my judgment from those with more experience! :cheers:
Good advice here, I have 60K miles and 10 DEs on my rotors and they are still going strong. :banana:
Check our FAQ for rotor thickness specs, then get a micrometer and check your thickness, as long as they are thick enough, and no cracks between the holes, your rotors are fine.
I'll place my bet with Pete's interpretation; I think he has it nailed. I just replaced the rotors on my '06 after 30k miles, including multiple track events each year.
Interesting topic - I felt the need for new front pads and discs at 17k miles. The brake pedal was getting quite long and soft. I do a lot of country lane driving so am off/on the pedals quite a bit. I also have to go up and down a fairly steep hill twice a day and I used to ride the brakes rather than use gearing. The pads were not at min spec but, from what I could tell, and the tolerances Porsche Swindon gave me, the discs were shot. The rear discs are also apprantly under tolerance thickness but I have since been told twice that they are fine ?! I think riding the brake killed my discs. I have changed my driving style now to try and compensate for this.
