Changing Brake Pads
 

It is getting tome for me to change the brake pads on my 2002 S.

Is this a DIY job or should this go to the dealer?

If it is a DYI - can anyone recommend the brake pads and maybe some instructions?

Thanks in advance

If you have a few simple hand tools, you can do this yourself. In fact, once you learn how to do it, you will never let a dealer do it for you ever again. Pads are so easy to change its nearly a sin how much shops charge for this ;)

If you like the performance of the original pads, get another set. For everyday use, they are hard to improve upon.

You mention its time to replace pads.. when was the last time the brake fluid was changed? If its been more than 2 years, you might want to add this to your list of things to do. Not difficult here either, especially if you buy for about $100 or less, a Motive Power Bleeder and catch cans. It becomes a one man job.

I recall porsche recommends changing Rotors too, somewhere around every 2nd brake pad change. Something else to consider. And again, not a hard thing to do either.

Or, take it to the dealer and have them do all this work for likely $2000!

Lots of folks out here will lend advice and if you are close enough, someone would likely volunteer to come over and help you out!

It's one of the easiest brake jobs there is.
Here's a link to DIY for pad change (along w/ links for rotor change and bleeding if you're so inclined)....

Can't beat DIY. Don't forget to reward yourself accordingly when finished :cheers:

Trygve Brake DIY Link

Definitely a DIY! The least expensive brake pads for street use are probably Mintex (in the red box)...w/c you can purchase on Ebay for roughly $120 for both front and rear brakes.

IMHO, I don't think you'll need to change out your rotors unless there's something wrong with them (re: warped), you have close to 100K, and/or you track your car often.

As for the brake fluid, as racer_d mentioned, you can purchase a Motive Bleeder (<$70 from Performance Products or elsewhere---do a quick search on the forum) that will allow you to bleed the brakes yourself.

Good luck and enjoy learning about your car!!

Keep us posted :cheers:

You should definitely check the rotors. Rule of thumb is every other pad change. Pads go 35k mi. maybe, so at 70k mi. you're definitely due.

Or you can be precise and check them with a micrometer or a vernier caliper. For Boxster S, you have a minimum thickness of 22.6mm (0.89") Fr and 18.6mm (0.73") Rr.

Wearing the rotors below this minimum thickness will drastically reduce your braking efficiency and can cause a premature rebuild or replacement of the calipers.

Also, if sticking with the existing rotors, be sure to at least sand them down with #40 paper and a block. This will remove the previous pad material and allow a layer of fresh pad material to build-up on the rotor face - a necessity for reaching max braking efficiency.

:eek: Is that 40grit? Or do you mean 400grit?

Yep 40 Grit. Just a light twice around with the paper on a block will do it. This will also create enough roughness for the new pads to wear-in properly. May seem agressive, but it's not.

If you used 400 Grit, you'd likely cause the rotor/pad to glaze

I bought my brake pads (Mintex Red Box), motive bleeder and 2 ltrs (?) of ATE brake fluid from Pelican Parts. Got free shipping for the whole lot. Just check your master cylinder under the front boot to see what color brake fluid you currently have and buy the opposite, i.e. if it's blue buy gold, if it's gold buy blue and you can easily tell when you have bled all the old fluid out of the brake system. I didn't check what I had and used the same color, so it was kind of a pain to tell when all the old stuff was bled out.

If you are flushing the brake system I used a flavor syringe I bought from the cooking section of Target for $1.99 and siliconed a section of tubing on the end to extract all the old fluid out of the reservoir. Also, be sure to buy a roll of tubing from Home Depot so you have a long enough piece to set the container that catches the old fluid on the ground, the one the power bleeder supplies you with is pretty short.

It took me about 2 hrs to do all this and I have never replaced brakes before in my life. Another tip if you order the Mintex pads, before you try to push the wear sensors back into the pads you might want to pre-drill them slightly, I broke two of mine trying to get them back in.

Good advice! But, if you get pads w/o the groove for the wear indicators, you can leave them connected to the harness and cable-tie them out of the way. That will keep the Brake Wear Warning from lighting on the dash. It's really not at all necessary for anyone who is diligent with their car's maintenance, kind of a toy accessory.

My pads are always changed before the wear indicator comes on anyway. IMHO, anyone who relies on these wear sensors is either a little lax when it comes to maintenance, or a little lazy. If you don't service your own car, a dedicated mechanic should warn of the upcoming need, again long before the Wear Indicator lights.

If youre short on time, has anyone taking it to a regular brake shop like midas or something, or is that bad?

Just me, perhaps, but I wouldn't let the local Midas change brake pads on a tricycle!

Brake Wear Sensor
 

Has anyone bypassed the brake wear sensors?

I just put on new pads, but did not buy new sensors.

Some are worn down, and the break wear light is still on in the dash.

Can you twist the 2 wires together to bypass the sensor?

The wire is the sensor. Once worn through, it completes the circuit for the warning light. You should be able to strip the ends and twist them together. Then just hang or wire tie the wire out of the way, but still plugged into the conector.

It's fairly common for people to do this and not bother putting the wear sensors back on the new pads.

Many owners are so tuned into their car's maintenance, that they don't need a reminder to let them know the pads need changing anyway.