At my last tech inspection at an indy shop, prior to a track day, I was informed that I needed front rotors and pads (Est $800, installed) on my '01 Boxster S with 30K miles. I ordered $515 in parts from the very helpful and knowledgable guys at Pelican: Front pads $118, Vibration dampers $76, Retainer Spring Kit $39, Rotor Screws $4, Front Rotors (Zimmerman) $259 and Wear Sensors $19. I bought a "deep-throat" Fowler digital Metric Micrometer from Amazon for $61 to check rotor thickness and found that my rotors were well-within spec at 27mm (I think they get replaced at 22mm?). I set the rotors, etc, aside for a later date and just changed the pads and dampers, using $194 in parts. In retrospect, I could have re-used the old dampers, if I had purchased the right glue, but Napa isn't open at 6:30 AM, so I used the new ones and saved the old. This is an easy job for someone with very modest mechanical skill, but read Wayne Dempsey's write-up, buy a can of brake cleaner, and I find using 2 sticks, not one, is best for retracting the pistons. Pay attention to the level in the brake fluid reservoir when doing so.
