Discs and pads down to "Porsche Standard" - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hey, I had my Cayman S serviced a couple of weeks back and the above statement was made to me, so I booked it in for discs and pads, but I've since had an mot and tyres fitted at 2 different independent garages, (non-Porsche specialist). There was no mot advisory for the discs and pads or comment made about them, when the tyre fitter was changing my tyres I asked him to check, and in his opinion they were half worn, so plenty of life left in them. So I was just wondering if people had any experience of this, do people change their discs and pads early? Or are my OPC trying to fleece me of £1200? (Discs and pads front - just pads on rear) Thanks

Sounds like a fleecing to me. Ask you OPC to supply the measurementsf the pads and the discs. Has the warning light come on?

Deep down I think you know the answer..... OPC at it as usual.

Recently went to book my car in (997 GTS) for its first major, 3 years and 27k miles. OPC started suggesting items that are due to be changed at 40k or at the following service. Cancelled appointment and will take my business elsewhere.

There is a slight lip on the discs, but nothing major. Will check my e46 tomorrow to compare. To be fair, if it was my e46, I would say the garage was trying it on, but because its my Cayman, and I want to maintain it to a high standard, I want to make sure I'm not just being tight! Thanks for replies.

Don't know how many times i have heard the same story ......get some one independently to check them .Look on Euro parts web site for oem parts and compare them to what Porsche OPC will charge .

Not from Leicester you won't, they gave me a % worn on the pads when I had my mot done. I actually wanted them to fit new pads but they said only 30% worn. There are some good OPC out there, lei are great bar the n rating thing.

If there's a lip on the discs then it's fair to say it may need discs when the pads wear out (which will be when the brake wear indicator light on the dash shows!), although even then it may be possible to skim the discs to remove the lip if they'll still be above minimum thickness afterwards.

woodysnr said: Don't know how many times i have heard the same story ......get some one independently to check them .Look on Euro parts web site for oem parts and compare them to what Porsche OPC will charge . The parts prices from OPC are usually ok, the labour takes it up. Usually just change when at ware limit or close it.

They try to get you to change tyres at 3mm as well. If the law says 1.6mm, I want to get my monies worth!

nsm3 said: They try to get you to change tyres at 3mm as well. If the law says 1.6mm, I want to get my monies worth! Not quite the same thing though. Tread depth is your friend during wet weather driving...

FarQue said: nsm3 said: They try to get you to change tyres at 3mm as well. If the law says 1.6mm, I want to get my monies worth! Not quite the same thing though. Tread depth is your friend during wet weather driving... Indeed. Massive increase in stopping distance when tread depth below 3mm.t http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/info/tyre_tread_de... Change at 3! (4mm for winter tyres)

FarQue said: nsm3 said: They try to get you to change tyres at 3mm as well. If the law says 1.6mm, I want to get my monies worth! Not quite the same thing though. Tread depth is your friend during wet weather driving... Indeed. Massive increase in stopping distance when tread depth below 3mm.t http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/info/tyre_tread_de... Change at 3! (4mm for winter tyres)

I'm guessing that not changing discs and pads when they recommend will not effect my warranty? Or is it another way for them to wriggle?

ChrisG89 said: I'm guessing that not changing discs and pads when they recommend will not effect my warranty? Or is it another way for them to wriggle? No although at renewal they will kick up a fuss depending on who you deal with.

ChrisG89 said: I'm guessing that not changing discs and pads when they recommend will not effect my warranty? Or is it another way for them to wriggle? No, they're consumables so aren't covered by warranty anyway, and so long as you fit genuine Porsche parts when you do finally change them, there is no warranty issue. So long as their condition is ok, if the brake wear sensors haven't triggered then don't worry about changing them yet, otherwise you are just throwing away money and getting nowhere near the life of the parts. I have had OPCs suggesting new pads and discs all around previously when I knew they were 60% worn at most. When it came to my recent warranty renewal, I was aware that my front brakes would need doing not long after, so just told them up front beforehand that I would get them done when they needed doing. They then said it wouldn't be an issue for the renewal as they were consumable parts anyway.

Hi My Cayman S discs and pads were rusty at 36,000 miles (mainly through a lack of use, rather than wear). My quotes were as follows: OPC - £1200 Independent Porsche Expert - £950 HiQ - £630 Fitting myself: Approx £400. I went for the HiQ quote. They supplied me with Pagids. So far, I'm impressed.

Was the HiQ quote for all four wheels or front only?

It was for all four. Having been rather unimpressed with the fade (on track) and durability of the OE Porsche discs, I didn't see much risk in changing to another brand. I've read good things about the Pagids on other forums and they seem at least as good as the OE discs/pads on the road. Having said that, I've only done 2000 miles with them so far, so I can't comment on durability. The disc change is really easy...I seriously considered doing it myself. It was not the sort of job that warrants OPC labour rates.

I did all my own brakes - it really isnt difficult. I am no mechanic at all but this is one job I feel I can do. My biggest issue was getting the first bloody wheel off - stuck to the hub - took a lump hammer and some wood... Having said that it is a time consuming and dirty job so if you can get somebody to do it for not too much money then why not.

The advantage of doing it yourself is that you can ensure mating surface between hub and new disc is very very clean, and you torque everything up in-turn and gradually. The last thing you want is any runout.

This ^^^^^ Looking at the difference in price between OEM quality (or better) Pagid discs and Porsche-branded discs, Porsche has a huge mark-up on these items (not to mention the workshop time they can charge for) and the OPCs (certainly the ones I've dealt with) seem to be programmed to use the 'your discs are worn & need replacement, sir' as an additional revenue raiser every time they see your car. As cmoose says, they ain't knackered until they're knackered, so throwing them away with useful life left is pointless.

From experience, the next thing thing the dealer will start pestering him about will be the "worn shock absorbers" Also it will be one of the fronts and one of the rears which will mean changing all four. Luckily I have a magic Cayman and at the next service, the shocks had miraculously self-healed! Ooh, and after that it'll be the geometry check, even though the tyres are wearing perfectly evenly.