Squeeky brakes on the 996? Help.

I bought this car in May 2000 and after approximately 8,000 miles, have had squeeky (more like screeching!) brakes. It is VERY annoying and embarrassing. The only way to eliminate the noise is by spraying the rotors/brakes. The dealer's only suggestion is to do some occasional hard braking to remove the buildup that is causing the screeching. Well, it only helps a little bit. And yes, I did very aggressive brakes. What I also found out recently is that Porsche does not cover squeeky brakes as part of the warranty. I only have 13,000 miles on the car. How can Porsche do this? 70K+ on a car that doesn't cover squeeky brakes or clutch problems? I also heard the 2002 models are not covered for squeeks and rattles inside the car! Any suggestions? Can this problem be fixed if I bring it somewhere reputable?

Find another authorized service center. Living with it is not an acceptable answer. I have an "occassional" squeek from time to time - but nothing continuous and I don't believe its the norm for the car under any circustances, absent a defect, worn brake pads or maybe a warped rotor, etc.

Ben, Did you by the car used? If so, you may want to have the mechanic check to see if the previous owner installed aftermarket pads. The OEM pads shouldn't make much noise but there are certain types of aftermarket pads (Pagid Orange for one) that will squeal a lot. Also the OEM pads come with anti-squeal dampers attached right to the pad backing plates. These dampers typically get destroyed when the pads are removed and must be replaced with new ones. It's possible that someone serviced the brakes and didn't replace the vibration dampers. Have the dealer check. The only other thing I can think of is that the pads were not bedded properly when the car was new. The OEM pads don't require much other than normal driving to bed in, buts its possible these pads weren't bedded properly for some reason. In that case, the only thing that will stop the noise is to replace the pads with a new set and make sure the new set gets bedded properly.

Thanks for the advice. I bought the car new.

All the porsche people are going to tell you is that it is normal for brakes to squeek some. Here is a couple of thing to try..first..before you drive the car...hose down the pad area..see fi you get a lot of dust out....that might help some..DON'T DO IT HOT or you could warp the rotors! If you have the stock pads..they can pull them off and grind them a bit...To take off any glaze built up from poor bed-in process. Last get a louder exhaust and enjoy your sports car!!! I have Padgid Orange pads on the car the whole time the squeel a little every now and then...but its better to have pads that squeel than tires that do from not having enough brake!!!!! Take it out to an autocross or a drives ed...That should clean off any thing stuck on the pads...but if they are glazed..you have to grind them or get new ones. <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />