Rusty Brake Discs

[Bill Stewart]

I seem to recall this being discussed fairly recently but cannot find results.
My Boxster had its second annual service yesterday at 10,500 miles, I had noticed a vibration through the pedal when braking and reported this. The suggestion was that the front discs had rust on them and could need replacement at a cost of £422+vat. a) pricy for Discs b) We have a two year old Ka with similar mileage and usage whicg doesn't have rusty discs so why should a £40k Porsche be affected by this??
I look forward to hearing similar cases and resolutions.
[]

 

[oliver]

It's common on a number of performance cars, including the both the Boxster and 996, with drilled discs. It tends to affect cars that aren't used regularly, but cleaned and then left without drying the brakes. The inside of the disc corrodes. This is covered in the handbook.

On a low mileage car the discs can probably be skimmed.

 

[NicD]

Oliver,


if its the inside that is corroded, then skimming wont help, will it?

Bill,
But I cant imagine replacing disks at two years except for lots of track day wear.

You need a second opinion

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Worst case scenario replace them using parts from www.eurocarparts.co.uk
The process involved is as follows http://www.bombaydigital.com/boxster/projects/brakes/change_rotors/
I did it myself, and so have several others on this forum, and is quite simple.

All in cost....less than £50.

£79.31 for a pair of 2.7 fronts -JCB..

 

[oliver]

Bill's discs won't be worn, they will have corroded. It affects cars that are cleaned regularly but not used regularly. If the wheel arches, wheels and brakes get a good hosing, during cleaning, but the car is not driven afterwards, water sits on the inside of the disc. In time the disc starts to rust and this becomes progressively worse. If the disc is thick enough it can be removed and skimmed.

I'm sure it is covered in the handbook. After washing, any car should be driven for 1/2 mile, or so, to air the brakes, and a few applications to put some heat into them.

 

[THX911]

Preventative:
A Carrera4 owner had the exact same problem and did the costly replacement at Porsche. All the tips the guys on the forum have given so far is what he was also told i.e. drive after a wash; if stored for a long period of time then make sure it is rain free environment and the most important bit he was told is majority of the corrosion happens when the car is stored away for several weeks and the last drive before storage was a wet one. He was advised to brake really hard a couple of times during a drive just before putting the car away for any period of time.

 

[Guest]

I'd take the wheels off myself and have a look/feel to see the problem for myself. I'd also go for a drive and do some serious braking to see if that would clean them up

 

[Bill Stewart]

Guys, thanks for all your advice, I'm going to have a pop at Porsche UK, if no joy then I'll whip them off and either have them skimmed or if not feasible replace them myself. Any comments on Zimmerman vs Porsche original items - apart from the price?
regards
Bill

 

[oliver]

Your OPC should be able to skim them.

 

[Bill Stewart]

Thanks Oliver, they didn't offer that option, I've contacted Porsche UK and they are going to speak with Chiswick but "as methods of brake use are covered in the manual they don't normally offer goodwill". I guess I'll have to bite the bullet myself.

 

[oliver]

That's a bit naughty of Chiswick, not to have offered you that option. At 10k miles your discs should still be thick enough for skimming.

 

[nottage]

Hi Bill,

My uncle got a 50% discount off on a good will claim 6 months ago. This was on a set of new discs and pads on all 4 corners for a Boxster S. Saved about £700 against OPC prices.

And this car is never put away wet and always driven after a wash and a few heavy braking stops just to make sure they're dry as well. Still corroded the discs beyond skimming in less than 2 years and 10k miles.

Rgds,

Kevin

 

[garyw]

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_rust_and_how_does_it_occur []

The whole Porsche range suffers from it.[]
It may have something to do with possibly a higher Iron content or something within the discs..[&:]

I see your doing the right thing though to try and limit the build up by driving the car after cleaning etc...

garyw

 

[Geoff_Fields]

It may have something to do with possibly a higher Iron content or something within the discs

It's the lack of chromium in modern discs that's the problem.

 

[oliver]

Water holds in the holes then trickles down the back of the discs. It takes a decent run to get heat into the discs to remove this.

It tends to affect cars that aren't used much, especially if they are cleaned then put away. Inside rears are the most vulnerable

Spec the lovely ceramics next time []

 

[kenparker]

My car sits in the garage for weeks on end. I always worried about it causing a long term problem, but it never has. Once I run up the road and back it's all gone. I remember the first time I used the brakes after long term store you could hear the brakes make a noise. I took a look and the disc's all look new again but you can see the rusty dust as it's been taken off by the pads. I guess it's just one of those things.

 

[ianmac]

mine does the same, its not a problem, dont worry ..........

 

[T200]

It is a problem not just with Porsche, most if not all cars with disc brakes will show a slight film of rust if wet and allowed to stand. It's called oxidisation you only need to look along the line of cars sitting out on car lots and you will see them all nice and red []

 

[Harrington]

I've just had to have all my discs and pads replaced as they had excessive corrosion on the discs, especially the inside edges which are difficult to inspect other than crawling underneath or on a lift. I was told my the dealer that the corrosion was normal due to the fact that a high proportion of the disc was iron. Asbestos used to be used but this was removed for obvious reasons.

I was also told that washing my wheels and leaving the water to sit in the discs hadn't helped so I clean them very carefully now and just use damps clothes rather than a wheel brush.

I've only had my Boxster for a year so wasn't too happy being presented with a bill for over a grand for just the brakes! Never had to do that before with any of my other cars (non Porsches) so perhaps they have a higher iron content than other manufacturers.

Just waiting to see how long these last now that I'm being more careful what I'm doing! Who'd have thought that cleaning your car was a bad thing!

Ro

 

[ChrisW]

The rules ....

1. Wash it before you go out, not afterwards ...

2. Make those brakes work for their living ...

or 3. Choose PCCB's .... yes they are fab for all but the most extreme track work ...