Replacing your brake pads is one of the easiest jobs to perform on your Boxster.
In general, you should inspect your brake pads about every 10,000 miles, and replace them if the material lining of the pad is worn down enough to trigger the pad replacement sensor. In reality, most people don't inspect their pads very often, and usually wait until they see the little brake-warning lamp appear on the dashboard. It's a wise idea to replace the pads, and inspect your discs as soon as you see that warning lamp go on.
If you ignore the warning lamp, you may indeed get to the point of metal on metal contact, where the metal backing of the pads may be contacting the brake discs. Using the brakes during this condition will not only give you inadequate braking, but will also begin to wear grooves in your brake discs. Once the discs are grooved, they are damaged, and there is often no way to repair them. Resurfacing will sometimes work, but often the groove that is cut will be deeper than is allowed by the Porsche specifications. The smart thing to do is to replace your pads right away.
Brake pads should only be replaced in pairs: replace both front pads or both rear pads at a time. The same rule applies to the brake discs that should be checked each time you replace your brake pads.
The procedure for replacing pads on all the wheels is basically the same. There are slight configuration differences between front and rear brakes, but in general the procedure for replacement is similar. The first step is to jack up the car and remove the road wheel (slightly loosen the lug nuts before you lift the car off of the ground). This will expose the brake caliper that presses the pads against the disc. Make sure that the parking brake is off when you start to work on the pads. NOTE: If your car has brake dampers, it's is recommended that you replace them along with the pads.
Begin by using a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove the brake pad sensor (see Figure 1). The pads are held within the caliper by two retaining pins. There are also small retaining clips that hold these two retaining pins in the caliper. Start by removing the small retaining clips, and then tap out the retaining pins using a small screwdriver and a hammer (see Figure 2). When the two retaining pins are removed, the cross spring which holds the pads in place will fall out. Now, the pads can be pried out with a screwdriver (Figure 3). Use the small holes on the pads that normally surround the retaining pin as a leverage point for removing them. They may require some wiggling to remove, as it is sometimes a tight fit. It is important to keep in mind that the caliper piston is also probably pressing against the pads slightly, and will add to the difficulty in removing them.
Once you have the pads removed, inspect the inside of the caliper. You should clean this area with some compressed air and isopropyl alcohol. Make sure that the dust boots and the clamping rings inside the caliper are not ripped or damaged. If they are, then the caliper may need to be rebuilt (see Pelican Technical Article: Rebuilding Brake Calipers)...
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Project Time: 2 hours
Tab: $150
Tools: Screwdriver, isopropyl alcohol, wooden block
Parts Required: Brake pads
Performance Gain: Better braking
Complementary Modification: Caliper rebuild, brake disc replacement, install stainless steel brake lines
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Applicable Models:
1997 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible 2.5L H6
1998 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible 2.5L H6
1999 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible 2.5L H6
2000 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible 2.7L H6
2001 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible 2.7L H6
2002 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible 2.7L H6
2003 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible 2.7L H6
2004 Porsche Boxster Base Convertible 2.7L H6
2000 Porsche Boxster S Convertible 3.2L H6
2001 Porsche Boxster S Convertible 3.2L H6
2002 Porsche Boxster S Convertible 3.2L H6
2003 Porsche Boxster S Convertible 3.2L H6
2004 Porsche Boxster S Convertible 3.2L H6
2004 Porsche Boxster S Special Edition Convertible 3.2L H6
