I'm new to Porsche ownership and new to this forum. My 2002 996 needs new brakes and rotors all around. I work at a car dealership. I've had some major (to my checkbook) maintenance and repair work done at an excellent local indy shop with great results. My question is this: are Porsche brakes pretty exotic fare that should only be done by a qualified Porsche specialist or can they be replaced by a highly qualified mechanic who has never worked on Porsche brakes? Are there special tools? I went online and saw lots of extra doodads such as backing plates, dampers, mounting kits, etc. Does the hydraulic system really need to be flushed and bled? I can save alot of money if I buy the parts and pay my dealership hourly rate. Or should I just pony up and pay the Porsche pro price. Any advice will be appreciated. The money I save can then be spent at my indy shop for some other niggling things that need to be put right on my car.

 

996 brakes are extremely straightforward. Nothing magic about servicing them.

Any competent mechanic should be able to change pads and rotors as well as flush the brakes with no difficultly. Anyone whose worked on Brembo brakes could do them in their sleep.

It's a pretty easy DIY project as well if you really want to spend some money.

To answer a few of your other questions:

• Porsche, as well as many other manufacturers, specify replacing certain bolts rather than reusing them. That's what the mounting kits are about. It's a bit overkill...
• You might not need new rotors, depends on how worn they are.
• You don't need to bleed or change fluid just because you are changing pads, but if you haven't changed fluid since your last brake change, you are probably due on time.
• You can reuse the old anti-squeal backing plates.
• No special tools, other than allen sockets, a torque wrench, and large pliers to drive the pistons back in the bore.

 

Buy the pad dampers. You will save a lot of time by replacing them and not try to clean the old ones. Check suncoast and/or sunset for pricing on pads and parts.
You wont need the sensors unless you have a warning light on the dash or you damage one during the repair. There is a guy on rennlist that did a video of both the rears and front. Great videos. You should be able to find it on youtube.

 

Changing the pads and rotors is a pretty simple process. I'm not very mechanically inclined, but I have changed my own pads/rotors several times. I don't think its much different than any other car I've worked on. Best of Luck!

 

I just bought all of the parts (oem) and it was about $1300. I went whole hog and bought new pads, rotors, bolts, springs, dampers, etc.. There is a great video on Youtube that shows the replacement process step by step. Search for 996 brakes.

 

if you don't buy rotors with painted hats you will have to paint them yourself or they will rust and look terrible...

 

I ordered my rotors and pads off pelican and changed them all by myself in my home garage using basic tools. I spent around 30 minutes per wheel so all in all around 2+ hours. Just remember to tighten all the parts with the correct torque requirements. I found replacing pads on my Japanese cars more difficult than the P. So anyone who has basic knowledge could do it and save a lot of money. I suggest putting what you saved to higher quality performance brake parts then. Enjoy!

 

md- there are several how-to's here on 6Spd. You can certainly do the work yourself (pads & rotors) as well as many other items, plus you'll learn interesting things about your 996. We offer rotors & pads from several brands. The swap should not take you longer than 2-3 hours.

For pads, click here which includes several OE brands including Genuine Porsche

For rotors, click here which starts with front left rotors with the balance of the rotors on the following page.

Here are great install instructions for the pad change
And install instructions for the rotor change

Let us know if you have questions!
Mark/Pelican Parts