Advice Please...Reconditioned Front Calipers

valvster · Post by **valvster** » 29 Nov 2012, 04:45

Cheers from sunny South Australia....
Time for new front pads and discs on my '96 NA 850 but the dust boots are split on the front left caliper and both hoses have cracked and perished outer sheath.
My indy Volvo mechanic understandably advises to recondition both calipers, this will cost $360 at the local brake specialist.
In years past I would easily do this work myself but sadly my body is no longer up to it.
I usually buy my parts from FCP but their new calipers are Scantech and the rebuilt ones have a $75 core which mostly would be lost because of postage.
Does anyone have a source of reputable rebuilt calipers with low core charge?

cheers....Valvster

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 29 Nov 2012, 08:34

The core charges are always a bit outrageous on Volvo calipers. The last re-built rear caliper I bought had a core charge that was $10.00 more than the caliper itself. I guess that they really, really, want the old ones back.

From the sounds of things I think I would invest a few dollars into a brake hone, buy a rebuild kit, and re-build them yourself. The fronts are particularly easy to rebuild and the rears aren't that bad either, they just have more parts and you need to be careful with the O rings between the two halves.

...Lee

Post by **cn90** » 29 Nov 2012, 08:44

You are from Down Under, so I don't know where you can get the rebuild kits.
But if you want to rebuild it yourself, it is 10x cheaper this way. See link below:

DIY: 98 V70 Brake Hydraulic Overhaul (Hoses, Seals, Parking)
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=37721

Post by **confused_al** » 29 Nov 2012, 11:16

If you want buy calipers w/o core charge, amazon.com is the way to go.
For Centric calipers, here is the link and here.

Post by **m491** » 29 Nov 2012, 11:39

I just did an FCP front caliper for one of my kids 850's. (There is always something to do on these 3 cars that I'll never be bored.) It came as a factory Volvo caliper that was rebuilt and looked very nice. I also did a set of junkyard units to rebuild this summer. Based on my experience the rebuilding sounds easier than it is, and messy with old brake fluid and rust. If you can get someone to do them for you for less than $125 (FCP rebuilt price plus $75 core) then that is the way to go.

Maybe someone on here can help by sending a junk set back to FCP for you plus cost of shipping. Someone here must have a set of old rusted calipers for a car no longer in their garage. The rebuilt are the way to go. So much easier. I wil never rebuild again.

Post by **Pauloil** » 29 Nov 2012, 17:49

m491 wrote:I just did an FCP front caliper for one of my kids 850's. (There is always something to do on these 3 cars that I'll never be bored.) It came as a factory Volvo caliper that was rebuilt and looked very nice. I also did a set of junkyard units to rebuild this summer. Based on my experience the rebuilding sounds easier than it is, and messy with old brake fluid and rust. If you can get someone to do them for you for less than $125 (FCP rebuilt price plus $75 core) then that is the way to go.

Maybe someone on here can help by sending a junk set back to FCP for you plus cost of shipping. Someone here must have a set of old rusted calipers for a car no longer in their garage. The rebuilt are the way to go. So much easier. I wil never rebuild again.

I agree +1

valvster · Post by **valvster** » 29 Nov 2012, 18:40

Thanks for the quick excellent replies....Confused_Al is on the money.
I bought two Centric calipers for about $130 delivered in a couple of weeks from Amazon.
The brake hoses would not arrive till mid January so will source them through a buying agent I sometimes use
in Colorado and get them Fedexed.
Might also consolidate the order with a new heater core....mine still has the original radiator & heater cores.

cheers....Valvster

tomatoes4all · Post by **tomatoes4all** » 29 Nov 2012, 22:39

Hi Valvster,
Have you tried Volvparts in Melbourne? They're quite good for used parts and some new and ship same day for reasonable prices.
They're at 1 300 134 761

Best regards, Erik, Newcastle, NSW

valvster · Post by **valvster** » 29 Nov 2012, 22:51

Hi Erik,
there are 2 used calipers on Ebay in Oz for $140 a pair. I got 2 of the Centric reco calipers for $130 which come with all the hardware except pads for $130 from Amazon as per Al's post above.
For items that Amazon wont ship to Oz I use http://forwardit.us/index.php.
Got ATE brake hoses for $10.75 each and a new heater core off Ebay for $38.75, just waiting on the quote for Fedex which I reckon will be about $45....bargain(especially with the exchange rate at the moment)

Valvster