Rear brakes worn at 33,000 miles

[markjon]

I got a brake warning today and it turns out it’s the rear pads. I find it a little unusual for that at 33,000 miles. Anyone else had such early wear?

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[SergeyIndy]

This does not make sense at all and seems like a malfunction, especially on a 4S that you appear to have with dual motor setup. The brake pads are only replaced at a 6 year time point due to age and not wear per manual. The only other reason would be a malfunction of the parking brake which is a separate mechanism on the rear.

 

[Flying ace]

what type of brakes? (PCCB, PSCB, steel?)

Are you the OG owner?

 

[Vercingetorix]

Torque vectoring?

 

[Murph7355]

What length trips do you typically make?

(Car doesn't generally use regen for a little bit IME. Not far/long, but if your trips are typically very short that might have an impact. Not sure they should wear that quickly though).

 

[whitex]

What type of brakes? How often and how hard was this car tracked? 33,000 miles of street driving should never wear out the brake pads, given that over 95% of braking in the Taycan is done via recuperation.

 

[tophamn]

The brake pads are only replaced at a 6 year time point due to age and not wear per manual.

Surely that's: the pads are replaced at 6 years, unless they've been replaced due to wear.

 

[SergeyIndy]

Surely that's: the pads are replaced at 6 years, unless they've been replaced due to wear.

I cannot see a case where you can wear out the pads.

 

[hifi239]

I got a brake warning today and it turns out it’s the rear pads. I find it a little unusual for that at 33,000 miles. Anyone else had such early wear?

It could be that one of the calipers with the sensor is frozen? Interested to hear what the dealer says.

 

[markjon]

what type of brakes? (PCCB, PSCB, steel?)

Are you the OG owner?

No I just recently bought the car. It has the standard red brakes.

It could be that one of the calipers with the sensor is frozen? Interested to hear what the dealer says.

So here’s the latest update. The car is at the dealer for some warranty work. As I drove into the dealer the brake warning light came on so I had them look at that. They told me the rear pads were indeed worn, admitting that at my current mileage that was a little unusual. But since we have no idea how the car was operated prior to my purchase it’s hard to say. They say there’s nothing wrong with the brake system. With that in mind I had them check the front pads. And not surprisingly they are within 1mm from being bad. So it’s a mystery how the prior owner used the car. Since I made my living as an aircraft mechanic I will change the brakes myself. I just need to learn about adjusting the parking brake clearance when new rotors are installed. I’ve never owned a car that had electric parking brake.

 

[hifi239]

No I just recently bought the car. It has the standard red brakes.

So here’s the latest update. The car is at the dealer for some warranty work. As I drove into the dealer the brake warning light came on so I had them look at that. They told me the rear pads were indeed worn, admitting that at my current mileage that was a little unusual. But since we have no idea how the car was operated prior to my purchase it’s hard to say. They say there’s nothing wrong with the brake system. With that in mind I had them check the front pads. And not surprisingly they are within 1mm from being bad. So it’s a mystery how the prior owner used the car. Since I made my living as an aircraft mechanic I will change the brakes myself. I just need to learn about adjusting the parking brake clearance when new rotors are installed. I’ve never owned a car that had electric parking brake.

Thanks for the update. It could have been tracked - if the brake demand exceeded a regen limit the mechanical brakes will take over. I’ve done many brake jobs on ICE Mercedes and BMW but I’d be reluctant on the Taycan. It might need the diagnostic computer to allow the calipers to be compressed, etc. and there’s no shop manual for it. The electric parking brake is a separate assembly and if it needs adjusting, I bet it is a special procedure and a computer hookup also.

 

[hifi239]

Thanks for the update. It could have been tracked - if the brake demand exceeded a regen limit the mechanical brakes will take over, and that would explain all four corners. I’ve done many brake jobs on ICE Mercedes and BMW but I’d be reluctant on the Taycan with its blended braking system. It might need the diagnostic computer to allow the calipers to be compressed, etc. and there’s no shop manual for it. The electric parking brake is a separate assembly and if it needs adjusting, I bet it is a special procedure and a computer hookup also. But if you try it, take photos and share!

 

[tophamn]

I cannot see a case where you can wear out the pads.

Maybe not, but Porsche aren't going to state in the book: don't change the pads until 6 years, irrespective for how worn they are. The 6 year replacement plan is down to corrosion, which assumes they've not been replaced due to wear, since EVs don't wear their brakes.

 

[whitex]

Thanks for the update. It could have been tracked - if the brake demand exceeded a regen limit the mechanical brakes will take over. I’ve done many brake jobs on ICE Mercedes and BMW but I’d be reluctant on the Taycan. It might need the diagnostic computer to allow the calipers to be compressed, etc. and there’s no shop manual for it. The electric parking brake is a separate assembly and if it needs adjusting, I bet it is a special procedure and a computer hookup also.

Yea, most modern cars require computers to service nowadays. There exist shop manuals/procedures, but you'd need to register as a 3rd party shop, and pay for subscription to access them, and have a PIWIS to connect to the car.

 

[Vercingetorix]

The parking brake is a drum brake in the middle and separate from the disc pads. Shouldn’t need adjustment because they shouldn’t wear much if at all.

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