996 brakes !

hi all , i have heard so much talk on the brakes but i just want to hear some advice / opinions on mine ! i leave the handbrake off whilst garaged but i still tend to hear that rubbing sound when i apply them ! what does this suggest ? do i need new pads (shouldnt as car was brought from opc in november ? ) or have i got new pads and they are being bedded in !! ? is this a common live with thing or should i bring this to attention of opc ? other than this i really do LOVE my car and hope to for many years ! i often see older cars and would hope my 03 c4 cab will give me many years of pleasure - unlike much these days !!! [ ]

Hi Christopher. You've got nothing to worry about. I would say that the sound you're hearing is just mild surface rust coming off the discs after you've not driven it for a while, that's all. Mine sound bloody awful when I first take the car out after maybe just 3 to 5 days of not using it. You don't mention that the sound disappears after a mile or so of driving but I'm assuming that this IS the case....? When I first got my C2 996 I would wash the car and put it 'to bed' without taking it for a spin to dry the brake discs off! BIG mistake ! My discs ended up rusting like there was no tomorrow and I only just managed to save them by doing some serious driving and braking to polish them back up! Assuming that your car isn't pulling to one side when you brake and that the grinding sound disappears after some braking - I'd say that you're ok. Just don't forget to dry the discs off after you've washed the car or if they get really wet and aren't warm or hot from a recent drive. Otherwise they'll rust and you'll be starring down the barrel of £250 per axle - and that's from an independent Porsche garage NOT an OPC (they'll be more like £400 per axle + VAT!)[&:] Hope this helps and that you enjoy your new car! Adrian.

thanks adrian , the car has not had much use as i only use it weekends and also had a convalessing time following appendictus ! but i guess the more its used the better ! i read about washing it always give it a blast before putting away but i was worried that something could be iffy ! my mrs sometimes says it feels like a bit of a delay when braking but i would say i found that in my boxster that you had to brake a bit harder than a lot of other cars ?- what would you say? other than that i have done about 2k miles since i picked up car and loving every time i drive it , i have no regrets on trading the boxster and feel i have more of a car now , also would say that i did love my 2.7 boxster but i feel the roads are overloaded w1ith them now and whenever i see a fellow 911 driver i always turn my head with excitement , just as i did before i got mine ! i hope to keep this car and love it forever , yes i would one day like to have a newer car (997) but with the doom and gloom im just grateful for my 996 and for advice /comments on here ! - for me the help / advice on here is invaluable as my knowledge is limited on any cars really so thanks for advice ! i hope to make ace cafe one saturday in summer and hope to see you there ! regards .

I agree that, compared to most modern cars, the brake servo seems to be a lot less on/off with the 996. I recently had a hire car which was a brand new BMW 1 series and the brakes were as sharp as anything. It took me a few miles to get used to them as I am obviously used to applying more pressure to the pedal on my Porsche. When I went back to my Porsche I thought that the brakes were nowhere near as good in comparison - BUT I'm glad to say that I was wrong. The brakes on my Porsche are just more 'progressive' - which is a good thing as you'd be through the windscreen if they were as harsh as some of the more modern cars and you were doing the speeds that the 911s are capable of![ ] Just to clarify, Christopher; the 'grinding' noise that you're getting does disappear after you've covered some braking distance in your car?

This thread has given me some reassurance regarding my 996 brakes. I must admit, I don't take it for a spin after washing but i will now. I do find that I need more pressure on the brake pedal compared to our every day car a citroen C4. I ended up bleeding the system through to make sure that there wasn't air in the pipes, the pads and disc are fairly new so I knew that wasn't the problem. Major service soon so I'll get some more reassurance then.