I put a few hours aside over Christmas to get stuck into a Porsche Cayenne brake change on my Cayenne daily driver. Starting at the front, I had the wheel off, disassembled the pad retaining arrangements, clamped the brake flexi hose, pulled the caliper off (lovely lightweight 6-pot calipers) and removed the front disc.

I then found I had ordered the wrong front disc – 330mm instead of 350mm on the 18″ brakes – so had to put the rotten old disc back on with nice new pads. Talk about disgusted! I’ve sorted out replacements and will do the slightly pikey thing of fitting new discs and these new pads, assuming they are not too grooved from the old discs. Otherwise will buy new pads.

Rears are yet to be tackled. A job for the weekend. I’ve done 150 miles on the new front pads and they are bedding in nicely. I’m feeling a tiny bit less bite than the Pagids (badged Brembo/stamped Pagid), but I think that will improve when the new discs are on. Hope so, anyway.

While at a workshop today, I got the guys to stick the Cayenne on the ramp and help me check for this annoying front end squeak on steering. Was easy to find it: the split balljoint boot that’s been an advisory on the last two MOTs has finally capitulated, and the corroding old balljoint is creaking.

Balljoints can’t be bought separately, so the solution is changing the complete front lower control arm, which start at about £100 a side for pattern parts. The job means a suspension alignment afterwards, so I’m tempted to strip the complete front suspension both sides, change top and bottom wishbones with bushes and check the strut top mounts at the same time. Future proof the lot in one hit.

Option two is change the one lower arm, do the alignment and set a few days aside this summer to do both sides completely. Or maybe I’ll just take option three: let it creak a while longer and then refresh the lot in time for the MOT. Sounds a bit more like it. Oh, got a split in the NSF outer driveshaft gaiter too. A previous owner’s attempt at glueing it has given up the ghost. Easy job for someone!