Brake Pad and Rotors Question

[fcienfuegos]

I have an 05 Cayenne S with 31k miles and my brakes are starting to squeak...is there supossed to be a light on my dash that will come on when I need new breaks? is not what the sensor is for? should I wait until the said light comes on to change my break pads and rotors? and lastly, can I just change the pads or do I need to change the rotors as well?

Thank you,

Francisco

[DDiggler69]

squeeking may or may not mean that your brakes need replacement. You may have lost a shim...take it into any tire center and ask for a free brake inspection (don't do the service there, just the free check). The brake warning light means that your pads have worn down to a level where the rotor ate through the brake sensor, firing off the light so you replace the pads. It has nothing to do with squeeks.

As far as pads/rotors...I just did a post on this a few weeks back. Do a search on this (21st Nov called "Brakes & Rotors"). In my case, the rotors were worn down past 50% on my first set of pads so another set of pads would have put them below spec had I not replaced them. The only way you know is to go buy a rotor micrometer and check. Porsche is kind enough to give you 2mm of tolerance before the rotors are shot.

Edited December 12, 2008 by DDiggler69

[Dennis C]

I suggest waiting for the sensors to tell you that the brake pads are worn. When you change the brakes, you'll need to do pads and sensors at a minimum. As DDiggler suggests, you need a caliper to make sure the rotors are in spec before you decide whether or not to replace them. I changed my four original pads at roughly 41,000 miles, and my rotors were still well within spec, so I didn't change them. The sensors actually had not yet been activated on my rear pads, but I went ahead and changed them anyway.

The change is quite easy, especially if you've done brake pads before. If you need to do the rotors, you'll need a certain tool to remove the, I think it's a Torx T50, but you can confirm that by searching the forums.

Good luck.