what is the average brake pad life ?

I have a 14CD with 44k on the clock most of the driving is Hwy miles, I noticed that my brake pedal is getting soft and also when stop you can hear a noise similar to when you wash your car and the brakes get some rust ..

is it a must to replace the rotors? anyone had resurface rotors in the Cayenne?

thanks

 

You've probably answered your own question...

40-50K miles sounds about right, especially for the front brakes. You may have 10-20K miles left on the rears. Resurfacing the rotors will lead to warping and pulsation; it's best to buy new rotors. The easiest thing to do would be just buy and install new pads and rotors all the way around.

Once you change the brakes, if the pedal is still soft, you still need to properly bleed the brakes. Even if the pedal feels fine, somewhere in the process you need to check out the brake fluid to make sure it looks normal; if it's brown, change it.

Also, make sure you properly bed in the new brakes. Everyone has their own ideas on how to do this, but they are all basically the same thing. The first result on Google (http://brakeperformance.com/bedding-in-rotors.php) is a pretty good description of how to do it properly.

 

If I do just the pads, no rotors? Anyone with personal experience from the past ? Vibration ?

 

If the rotors are in good shape (i.e. no deep grooves that you can catch a fingernail on), you can just install new pads.

If the rotors need to be resurfaced, you need to determine IF they can be machined and still be within spec. You should be able to find the minimum thickness spec on the internet.

My experience is that resurfacing rotors usually results in them never being perfect again. They always have some vibration, or squeal, or pulsation, possibly because they are now thinner. So, I've given that up and just buy new rotors when I wear out the pads.

 

Have the brake fluid flushed when you have the brake job done.
Brake fluid should be flushed every two years.