front brake pads on an 850

WoodrowStar · Post by **WoodrowStar** » 12 Mar 2011, 20:17

greetings,
about a month ago i had my rear brake pads replaced for 350.00, i dont want to pay that much for my front pads(which needs replacing now). i dont usually work on cars but think the time is now. any suggestions on how to making my first brake job as seamless as possible. thx

Post by **precopster** » 12 Mar 2011, 21:47

$350 just for pads or were rotors replaced as well??

A pair of front rotors can be purchased for as little as under $110 and rear rotors for $80 but GENUINE VOLVO rear pads alone are $31 alone from FCP Groton:

http://www.fcpgroton.com/category-exec/ ... by_year/45

Check your rotors for deep grooves and for overall thickness; they should be no less than around 24mm thick, but if somebody will chime in with minimum disc thickness on your car that would be great.

WoodrowStar · Post by **WoodrowStar** » 12 Mar 2011, 22:10

rotors too.....thx for the reply and info...will continue to gather intel.

Post by **precopster** » 12 Mar 2011, 22:35

These are 280mm wide 51mm high and 26mm new/24mm minimum thickness.

Does your pedal pulse when braking?

WoodrowStar · Post by **WoodrowStar** » 12 Mar 2011, 22:48

no...just grind from time to time

zhenya · Post by **zhenya** » 12 Mar 2011, 23:08

Fortunately brake work is fairly straightforward, and as you have found, can really save you a bundle if you DIY. Do you have a friend who might be able to assist you for your first job? If not, I'm sure we can help you through it. It's basically just jacking up the car, removing the wheel, removing the caliper, changing the rotor, changing the pads and putting it back together. All simple nuts and bolts stuff.

gilhuly · Post by **gilhuly** » 13 Mar 2011, 09:30

Brakes is a perfect 1st serious auto repair. It is really best to do it with somebody who's done it before. Great male bonding afternoon, plus people who've done a number of these know when to apply ridiculous amounts of destruictive force and when not to. That having been said, it is totally do-able and I'm sure we can get you through it solo. Things I like to have for brakes in the driveway:

* Cheater pipe for my 1/2" drive ratchet

* Good sized pry bar

* Large C clamp or other piston compressing tool

* Framing hammer or similar

* Pad set and grease

* Jack & jack stands

Post by **jblackburn** » 13 Mar 2011, 10:36

Plus it just feels awesome when you do something and it works, and knowing that you saved a whole bunch of money by doing it yourself.

This way, you also get your own choice of parts - often better than what they would use otherwise. I highly recommend getting some good rotors (not OEM) and ceramic brake pads. I used an Akebono/Zimmerman combination, and they are great - actually saved my life (or serious mangling of my car, at least) just the other night. There was a HUGE tree laying in the road at 3 am, and I stopped from 70 mph about 2 feet short of it.

instarx · Post by **instarx** » 13 Mar 2011, 16:42

I'm glad you missed the tree, but I suspect your choice of brake components didn't have much to do with it. Even the cheapest brakes will lock up the wheels or activate the ABS. Any brake will do that. I don't believe slotted and/or drilled rotors make a car stop any faster or shorter either. Same for larger rotors and calipers. What those things do is give greater reserve capacity. Better brake components might still be able to stop the car if you had to stop for that tree ten times from 70 mph, while cheaper components might not. If you were towing a trailer and going down a mountain they would last longer. But in one or two panic stops no amount of brake upgrading is going to stop the car any faster than the limiting factor - the tires' adhesion to the road surface.

WoodrowStar · Post by **WoodrowStar** » 13 Mar 2011, 21:39

so ceramic pads would be best? thanks for the part list. i keep everyone informed on my progress (or demise..lol). thx for the support.