Easy Brake Job on '03 S
 

Well, I did it, and feel stupid for every questioning the ease in which it was done. For those still on the fence, mind you I have really basic tools, and no real garage experience. I did a photo shoot during the process and it goes a little like this:

1st:

Take off the wheels :D

Just for information purposes, this is going to be a dirty job:

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Now the real part of the job. :p

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For this part I used an old screwdriver and mallet. It doesn't take a lot of pressure and is even easier if you push down on the spring clip:

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This part freaked me out a little, because I was afraid of breaking the wires, but they are pretty strong. Don't strong arm it, but they come out with needle nose pliers pretty easy.

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The clip really just lifts off.

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This part confused me at first. There is a part that is glued (not strongly) to the brake pads. I couldn't get a good picture, but you can see and feel it. I used a plastic paint scraper and separated the two pieces. Until it is separated the pads will not come out.

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then:
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Repeat for the other pad, then reverse the procedure to put the brakes "back together. When re-inserting the support bar (don't know what it is really called), it is really helpful to clean it off, and push down on the spring. It will slide in pretty easily that way.

Now do the same to the other side, and.........


Tada, new brakes.

Thanks to this board for the gentle push to do it myself.

OMG you made it look so easy,

Do you need to bleed brakes?? Or why people bleed brakes on the first place?

Sorry for the dumb questions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great DIY!!! Very clearly explained with useful photos. :cheers:

^ Brake Fluid Bleeding is to replace old brake fluid with new brake fluid. Porsche recommends this be done every two years (regardless of mileage). Brake fluid is hygroscopic so it absorbs water, and too much water in your brake system can lead to mechanical and safety issues.

Bleeding does not necessarily need to be done when you change your brake pads, but if you already have the wheels off the bleed valve is right there. You can check your brake fluid's health with a $20 tester.

Yes, changing the pads is easy peasy

always a good idea to bleed the brakes when changing pads

Did you reinstall the dampers or not? Do they make a real difference noise-wise?

When I did mine (2000 S) I cleaned the front shims, but some "anti-squeal" on the backs, put them back in, and then installed the brake pads. On the backs my shims (a different style) were missing, and I did not get new ones (major $$$ and I was in a time crunch). They have been fine, and I have heard of folks not using the front shims either. And I think they base may not even come with shims.

Steve

Yes, you're right, I think the base does not have the dampers installed.

I left the dampers in, yes. That is the section where I said I had to separate the plate from the pads (I used a plastic paint scraper). I couldn't think of the name when I originally posted this.

Nice work and explanation of this DIY job.

Did you check the the disc to ensure they are still within spec to last through your next set of pads?

Nice work, and we appreciate the effort to take pictures along the way. Maybe time to invest in some gloves? :P. Home Depot has those Gorilla gloves for cheap. I love them because they're super thin and grippy. Was the brake wear sensor worn? If not, did you reuse it?

I did not check the thickness with anything other than feel and eyes. This is the first set of pads that the car has gone through and they looked good. When I was young and stupid (16), I ate through a set of rotors so bad they almost fell apart when the brake guy did them. My dad was PISSED. Since then I keep a pretty good eye on them and feel for wear pretty regularly.

Gloves.....? We don't need no stinking gloves! :p Probably a good idea, but I do like "feeling" what I am doing. GoJo gets my hands clean pretty quick after. Besides, my wife kinda likes it when I get dirty. My desk job doesn't do much for her.

The brake sensor was not worn, so I did reuse them.

You muct have some really well calibrated fingers and eyes. Getting a micrometer or calipers to measure the rotors is probably a good idea as it is only 2 mm between new and worn out

You can get a decent digital caliper from harbor freight for around $10-$15 when they are on sale which is nearly always.

I put a washer on both sides of the rotor as I had a little lip and then subtracted the washers thickness to get the correct measurement. In my case, 65k miles and just under 1mm of wear IIRC

No I don't, lol. I will get one of those. I have 80,000 miles on the car, mostly highway as it is my DD, so I wasn't overly concerned. There was very little lip on the rotors, and this was the first brake change on the car. I figured next brake job would need rotors too. Now you have me all panicked.

One step I would have performed. While everything is disassembled spray all with brake cleaner!! Amazing what a difference it makes...

Didn't want to panic you, you are probably fine, its just swag measurements for things like brakes and clearances don't cut it

Get them measured and worst case, you will need to replace them.

That's why I like those Gorilla gloves. Not much compromise, if any at all, in "feeling", but no more black gunk in my fingernails. What brand were the pads?

I did have to replace my rotors around 80k. I put the caliper on them and they were just under the allotted thickness. Don't panic and remember those wear numbers have some safety built into them. It's a good idea to replace if they are under the minimum spec but I wouldn't stop driving mine just because of that.
j

Hey there... I wanted to send you a quick note to thank you for the 'push' that I needed to take on this job myself. The first brake took me about 25mins total as I got stuck on the step where something was glued to the back of the brake pad and I couldn't pull the pad out. I still have no idea what the purpose of whatever is glued to it... anyhow once I figured that the other tires took about 5mins each. Its crazy how simple it is and even more crazy that the shops charge SO much to do it. Thanks again for all your help - I wanted to make sure I passed my gratitude on...

Cheers
Scott