Brake/warranty/dealer question

I've owned my '03 996 new since end of Oct 2003. It now has 9500 miles on it and has done about 6 days of track time(DE) and several autocrosses on it. It has GT3 seats, a roll bar, harnesses, fire extinguisher and Sport Cup track tires on it. The brake pedal is not firm like it was when I got it new, or like I recall any other 911 or Boxster I have driven. It feels like the brake fluid has some air bubbles in it. Once I get past the squishiness the car stops fast and hard as normal. So I went to my dealer and asked them to fix it. Their reply was that I would have to pay for it since I drive my car differently that the warranty expects. Obviously the tires and seats and roll bar etc has let them know I track the car. I think if these items were not in the car, the would have done the work. To me this is unfair. It's a Porsche! It's mean to be driven hard. I'm sorry its not just a status symbol for me and I actually drive it. Then when I told them I would pay for it, but they had to put DOT 5 or ATE Super Blue fluid in, they said it would void my warranty on the brakes. Needless to say, will changing the brake fluid void my brake system warranty? Should they do the job for free in the first place? Also if I buy ATE Super Blue, how much do I need to flush and fill the system? Is this the best choice in fluid for the 996? I've used it in my other DE cars and been happy with it. Thanks.

Wow, how sad is Porsche getting these days? CYA is all over the place at dealerships... Porsche built its business on high performance cars. Often they touted how their product is just a street legal race car.. I guess in their eyes its not the case any longer Sorry, had to vent a little.. Either find an independant wrench or do it yourself. Really easy with the Motive pressure bleeder. Since you track the car, do use ATE super blue. Flush until you see a steady stream of blue. The original brake fluid will most likely be a gold color. This will more than likely cure your mushy pedal problem.. Good luck!

Thanks Chris. I don't have a problem doing it myself and I've done it before(on a Boxster) but I am a. annoyed at their response for the product you are selling and b. worried that if I do the ATE Super blue it will cause me other problems down the road.

Since your not going to get your car until the end of October 2004, I don't see why you have an issue. But anyway, changing the fliud and bleeding your brakes shouldn't be a warrantty item. It is not unreasonable to pay for that, as it is routine maintenance. You can find a lot of info on upgrading to super blue etc. I run my car pretty hard on the stock fluid and have no issues with boiling. I can't see them voiding warranty on your brakes but if that is their stance, I'd stick with stock fluid until I see a problem. Remember, this car shares the fluid with the clutch system. As far as warranty after you have tracked the car, any reasonable dealer still honors the warranty. I've read of a few that don't, but that seems rare. However, if you read the warranty booklet that comes with the car, it states that the warranty is void if you track the car.

oops typo....2003...how else could I have all those track days and mileage on it lol

That's strange. I swear I read that Porsche was one of the few that DID honor the warranty car on the track. That's why I bought it!

I guess it depends on dealer to dealer. They flushed my brake fluid with ATE SuperBlue because I do track the car and also had them do the brakelines and Pagids. Now I did pay for the service which wasn't an issue but for them to say they void your warranty that's bogus. I walk to another independent or another dealer if it were me. Now with 03MY it's ok to use DOT5(mine is a '99-has it changed with new model?) I remember only DOT4 is recommended? Will it void the warranty : )? Is DOT 5 better? Regards. Mike

In practice, for the most part, they do. I'm just stating what I read in my book.

Looks like you've got one of THOSE dealers. Most other dealers will honor warrantee despite track use, within reason of course. Knock on wood, the only warrantee work so far has been MAF sensor, leaky cam covers, and bad cats. I've driven the car to the dealership with melted track tires and talked to them about coil-overs, and their only comment was to offer to do my Tech inspection before the events I go to. I track my car too often to expect to have the dealers fill and flush the brake system. I do it myself after every 2nd or 3rd event, or twice a year depending on use. I use the gold version of the ATE. The blue dye will stain the reservoir, and why push my luck with the dealer? The ATE gold looks just like stock but performs the same as the blue. No fade, no mush.

Go to hear that the ATE is clutch friendly at least. I guess I'll suck it up and do the fluid swap and deal with the warranty or a different dealer if the need arises.