honest repair prices
 

I would like to get an idea on a fair price for parts and labor from an independent Porsche repair shop for the following for my 2004 Boxster S with 44k miles. Sure would appreciate your feedback :)

1. "BRAKE WEAR" light came on 3 months ago. The brake pads are still there (not worn away). The repair shop I spoke with said they'd have to look at the rotors too. No sure why. Anyway, what should I expect for the pads alone, and then for the rotors to be replaced?

2. Red light on thermostat temp indicator came on recently.

3. I hear a rattle coming from the front right side undercarriage at low speeds when driving over bumps. That repair shop said it is common for the ball joints to go bad.

If you're in an area with a reasonable amount of Porsches, there's probably another enthusiast that would help you with this stuff for dinner and beers. Especially for just the brakes. That's something I could do in an hour or two, and I'm a horrible mechanic.

1) Read the owners manual concerning what can cause the brake wear light to come on. It could simply be that the pads are worn to wear sensors. No dealership or higher end independent service shop will resurface Porsche rotors; they will simply what to replace them. You can find a repair shop that will agree to resurface the rotors but they will be measured at the machine shop to make sure that the thickness doesn't go below the minimum which is stamped somewhere on the rotor.

2) Read the manual concerning the coolant light first.

3) A worn ball joint will almost never make a rattling sound! Jack up the car, put it on jack stands, and check simple stuff first.

First off, it begs the question why you have been driving round (for 3 months) with the brake warning light on? Porsche went to great lengths to protect the expensive rotors from damage by worn out pads by fitting the light.

1) Because you have an S model, the rotors are cross drilled and that means that skimming / resurfacing them is verboten. Minimum thicknes is 26mm (front) and 22mm (rear) - anything less and they will need replacing. Not a big job, but will be expensive if a shop does it with their full markup.

2) Because the brake wear indicator is lit, you will need to replace the sacrificial cable(s) which has been worn down - there are 2 per rotor. You will need to identify which one(s) are worn through. Some people just short them out to get rid of the warning light but then you don't have any early warning system.....

3) Red light (I assume temp indicator for coolant) can mean many things - is it flashing, is it steady, is it still illuminated what did the guage indicate? Have you checked the level of the coolant lately?

4) A rattle from the suspension can be the drop links - but you need the jack the car up and inspect.

I have a 99 and replaced all four rotors, pads, and sensors for $225 and I did the work. not difficult at all but you will need some special tools to make the job easier.

Judging by your year of manufacture Mikesz you do not have a S model. You will not be replacing four rotors and pads for $225 on a S.

It is a very easy job to do yourself.