997 C2S Brake Discs & Pads

[KOKSRACING]

Hi All,
I am sure that this question is asked regularly but used the search button and couldnt find a recent post. I have just had my Porsche serviced and they have recommended that my 997 C2S Gen 2 has new discs and pads all round at a cost of £920 for the front and same again for the rear £920 from an OPC dealer.

I havent yet asked for the Porsche Club discount but just wanted to check if people had similar quotes elsewhere in the country or had the work done from an Indy using geninue Porsche parts cheaper.

thanks

Pete

 

[RCS]

The price is scary isn't it? When we had the 997.2S last year we too needed discs and pads all round and an indy I trust quoted, for the lot, less then your quote for one end (thats pads, discs, sensors etc etc), using Porsche parts for warranty protection. Their comment was because they were using Porsche parts the price was still madness. So I would guess it'll be less again if they can use quality alternative parts (probably the same part but without the Porsche box!!)

Not sure where you are in he country but I'd ring a couple of local Indy's that folks recommend near you and see what they say.

 

[ralphmusic]

Many garages seem to do discs and pads rather than replacing them separately. My pads need replacing more frequently than discs with my usage pattern. I'd suggest you ask the Centre if the discs need changing because of wear (thickness below allowable level) or cracking, and what the pad thickness is.

I have started using a good Indy for consumables and their cost to replace rear pads was two-thirds of Porsche Centre price after Club parts discount. You might want to try an Indy as a price check but also whether all the parts need changing.

If you want a price comparison, my old 997 GTS needed 3 sets of front discs in the last 12 months I had it (it lived on track) at £850 a time with centre lock drive pins but excluding pads.

 

[kasspa]

I'm sure an Indie using Porsche parts will be cheaper on labour rates alone..... try looking at Type911.co.uk for prices.....
I went for Sebro discs with Textar pads for my 996 4S as recommended as an ideal combination, DIY circa £600 including new sensors & dampers...
My Indie charges £1200 for 997 C2S 3.8
hth

 

[Gordon Attar]

The replacement of discs ànd pads due to rust is a regular OPC (the not so good ones) requirement when they are short on sales, highly recommend you get a second opinion.

 

[STiG911]

Wow.
Last time I enquired about discs and pads for my C2s at an OPC was two years ago during a winter health check and they wanted £495 just for the front. £920 !?!? Yesus.
A few months later it went into Autostrasse for a minor service and they said there was nothing wrong with either front or back. Makes you wonder about the tolerances Porsche go by.

Well now they're actually getting near replacement and I can get Pagid OEM discs and pads for all four corners for £500ish from Euro Car Parts. They're genuine Porsche as Pagid along with Brembo supplied Porsche at the factory. It just doesn't say 'Porsche' on the box. Which gets binned anyway.

Its not a difficult job but a good Indy won't charge much more than the cost of the parts to do the work like RCS said.

 

[KOKSRACING]

Thanks all - appreciate the quick and detailed responses. I am going to ring round a few Indy places near to Bristol in the next couple of days just to get some comparison prices. Dont expect the OPC dealer to be the cheapest by any means but £2k for brakes and pads seems slightly expensive especially when they found both my rear shock absorbers are leaking so trying to avoid a £3-£4k bill just before Christmas.

Thanks

Pete

 

[jcat]

To add my experience to the mix... Last service at OPC I was told car needed pads at front (deteriation/cracking) and discs/pads at rear (inner face rust). As my car is garaged and not overly used(10 years old 42k) I was fairly sanguine but felt it time to check out a local indy who also have disc skimming service (Autofarm). To my surprise front pads fine... Rear discs did have some surface rust which was dealt with for £180... Pads were fine and brake discs still within Porsche tolerance. Plenty of miles and use since with brakes working just fine. Second opinion highly recommended!

 

[guitarplayer63]

two years ago I needed my rear discs and pads replaced - OPC quoted £1,200 - I then pointed out they replaced the front ones for £1,000 previously and they "generously" dropped the price of the rears to match...

having read the posts above, the OPC will not be getting any further benefit from consumables...

 

[Tamer]

May be worth considering skimming, as suggested above.

 

[Gordon Attar]

Gentlemen
Seeing yout responses just underlines my comment. The AFN OPC'S are particularily good at this and being "absent minded" about past work.

 

[SR911tt]

Try RPM Technic, they are a well respected indie!

 

[C2dweller]

The book time for replacing brakes is approx 1.3hrs for the fronts and 1.5hrs for the rears.
You should then see about 60/70
difference per axle for labour between an Indy and an OPC, based on labour rates.
An OPC will use genuine parts, versus OEM. Here is a big difference. We like Brembo, which are loosely half the price of OE.
Next you have the list of parts which are changed. An OPC has to change everything. An Indy will inspect parts and replace as required. You may save another 50/75 per axle on careful reuse.
Overall an Indy should be about half the price of an OPC for the above reasons. Should you want everything changed, using OE parts then the difference will be a lot smaller. It's about what you want doing.
KR Lee

 

[Lancerlot]

People think nothing of spending thousands on a roarty exhaust or a fancy sound system, yet seem to make a lot of fuss over spending a few hundred on brakes - a fairly fundamental part of any high performance sports car and definitely not minor maintenance.

Personally, I wouldn't skimp on brake components and would only use genuine Porsche parts unless I could be certain some other component was superior. I certainly wouldn't be making a judgement based solely on cost.

911's have a bi-yearly service schedule, so when a PC sends a car out, it is assumed they won't be seeing it again for 24 months. Servicing takes account of this, renewing everything that's worn, suspect or lifed.

By all means get quotations elsewhere, but be sure you are comparing like with like. []
Regards,

Clive