Sticky brakes - just a muck build up from Winter driving?

[Greenwich Ross]

Hullo,

Very recently, when using my car for the first time each day, the brakes seem to stick and make that horrible 'clunk' noise as they unstick as I pull away. Could this be down to a build up of crud from the roads or something more serious? The disks are pretty grotty too and grind on braking for the first mile or so.

Thanks,

R.

[Greenwich Ross]

HellDiver said:

Road salt + bare steel discs + steel filled brake pads = rust.

Pretty normal this time of the year.

So, to cure this, I just need to give the brakes an 'Italian tune-up'?

Edited by Greenwich Ross on Tuesday 4th January 12:02

[Greenwich Ross]

GKP said:

Just keep driving.

That would suit me but have you seen the price of petrol?

[Greenwich Ross]

Deva Link said:

Greenwich Ross said:

Hullo,

Very recently, when using my car for the first time each day, the brakes seem to stick and make that horrible 'clunk' noise as they unstick as I pull away. Could this be down to a build up of crud from the roads or something more serious? The disks are pretty grotty too and grind on braking for the first mile or so.

Thanks,

R.

Is this on your Boxster? My neighbour has one that he doesn't use much and I'm amazed by how little the disks corrode. Mine look terrible after a couple of days of non-use.

If I know I'm not going to use the car for more than a day I try to make sure I release the brake pedal just as the car comes to rest so it's not parked with the pads jammed on. I leave the handbrake off and the car in gear, but it's on a level drive - I'm aware that it's illegal to leave the car with the handbrake off.

Even with doing all that, there can sometime still be a tremendous clunk on first moving if the car hasn't been used for a few days.

Yep. Usually they're fine. I think it's the road salt that has pushed them over the edge (I've done hundreds of miles during the past few weeks). Trawling through the Porsche forum I came across a post which rather suggests they're prone to this due to there being more iron than's normal in the discs (gives them a better feel, apparently).