"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
11/07/2013 at 11:34 • Filed to: None
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"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
11/07/2013 at 11:34 • Filed to: None | 0
| 2 |
After exhaustive research (reading the AlfaBB), I've determined the reason my brakes suck is not because of mis-adjustment, worn pads or air bubbles, but because they're just plain bad. Old, tired, and unsafe. The ATE rears have a tendency for the piston's dust caps to disintegrate, allowing water into the cylinder, causing all sorts of malaise, the symptoms of which I experience every time I put my foot down. Pulsing, loss of pressure, squealing, sticking, etc.
According to the experts, the process of removing, rebuilding, and adjusting the rears is possibly the most aggravating job you can do on a GTV6, and that's saying something. For those interested, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
An Italian specialty shop, Performatek, offers rebuilt ATE calipers for $130 a pop, not including a refundable $70 core charge for the originals. They have a great reputation, and come ready to install with pads, and fully set up and adjusted.
On the other hand, Rock Auto has rears for $50 a pop. The quality is definitely not as high, and they aren't even finished, so I'd need to paint them gold. Not a hard job, but more time. Adjusting them on the bench might not be too onerous. They also don't come with pads, which is another $40 or so for all 4. All together, half the cost of going through Performatek. Even still, money I don't really have at the moment.
Another option is PBM Performance. They'r ePorsche specialists, but also restore Alfa brakes. No estimate from them yet, but I anticipate around Performatek's, given the costs associated with the Porsche brakes. They also do a full refinishing job!
I don't race the car or even drive it all that much. Still, I think I'd feel not great about using cut-rate parts. I guess. I don't know. My budget is blown.
Of course, the biggest issue is time. Now that I have 2 kids, I have virtually no free time. I usually have to take a day off work to get anything done on the car, which is why I'm inclined to spend money on rebuilt calipers instead of doing it myself. I do plan to rebuild the fronts myself, which is allegedly a breeze and only $20 in parts.
Any other suggestions for shops that rebuild brakes? Any Alfisti out there have other recommendations? And what say you on the cut-rate Rock Auto option? I consider safety equipment essential before I actually drive the car, although if I'm comfortable after a short jaunt I might drive it up to my mechanic for a thorough safety check.
whatclutch?
> Chairman Kaga
11/07/2013 at 12:46 |
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Well I'm glad that I checked out your tutorial before commenting (holy complicated for the sake of being complicated...), but I still don't think it would be too much of a problem for you to do it yourself if money is your primary issue.
When I was in college I had a frozen caliper to deal with on my 91 MR2. Zone wanted $60 for a new caliper which I would have also had to paint to match, and on a college budget that wasn't happening. The rebuild kit cost me about $3.00, and was an easy afternoon install including flushing and bleeding the brakes.
Honestly that Performatek offer sounds like by far and away the best deal though. Once you bring the old cores back you're in $120, actually saving $20 compared to Rock Auto & buying pads, not to mention painting, and the hassle of setting up the calipers and risking damaging any of those small clips involved.
It sounds like you're not driving the car much, and if you don't want to use inferior parts, I would just say wait it out a while and budget for it.
As the saying goes - "Done right, done fast, done cheap; you can only pick two."
BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> Chairman Kaga
11/07/2013 at 13:12 |
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If there's one thing that I wouldn't want to cut costs on, it'd be brakes.
If something in the engine breaks, you won't move forward. If something in the brakes breaks, you won't stop, which is a hell of a lot nastier.