Since returning from Prague and getting my car through its MOT, it was clear that my front discs needed changing.

I opted for some EBC "anodised" Xtreme discs which are available for Brembo GT fitment (323mm). Purchased from brakes4u at the decent price of £185 for a set inc vat and delivery, I decided to attack the job a month or so ago.

However, I soon came across difficulty removing the 10mm allen-key bolts that hold the calipers onto the carriers.

After some insane amount of effort, the only achievement I made was making a mess of the head. I then went out to screwfix and bought a proper 1/2 inch socket with 10mm allen head, but to no avail. Bolt 1 - 0 Xav

Then phoned up Chris for his advice. We met up a following Saturday and after trying to get some grip on the bolt but failing, we decided to drill out the bolt and use an extractor.

10 minutes later, it was "Bolt 2 - 0 Xav" And because the extractors are made of really tough stuff, you couldn't drill through and try again :(

So, last weekend, had another stab at it, and this time welded a proper bolt with hex head onto the original bolt with the knackered head. Thanks to Chris' handy welder

After lots of Rust Off spraying and some standing on levered devices, we managed to free the bolt. It turns out it had been "loctited" hence the resistance to unscrewing.

Fortunately, the other side wasn't too difficult. Although we still had to resort to drilling through the M6 bolts that hold the discs onto the hub - several years of corrosion saw that they didn't want to move either.

So, everything is now back on, and with a bit of copper grease to ensure it can come off without having to insist like a madman.

Thanks again to Chris E and his stellar welding handyman. Hope the Missus likes the TV

A few photos attached.

I'll take another shot of the discs next time I'm around during the day and in this country (up at 4am tomorrow to go off to Paris again!). The black coating has pretty much rubbed off the surface where the pads press, leaving just the grooves coated in black. Looks very

P.S If anyone else out there with Brembos gets stuck and resots to drilling out those 10mm bolts, I have some spares. The thread is special / not standard and VAG pricing is around £12 each bolt (two per side, so looking at £50 all in for a new set of four :eek: )

sounds like you had some fun!

which brembo's do you have?

sounds like you had some fun!

which brembo's do you have?

They're (I believe) the Brembo GT kit for 323mm discs. 4 pot calipers (2 either side).

Jason (devonutopia) also has them fitted to his mongrel

ver nice

Glad you finally got it sorted Xav

Three cheers for Chris too! :woot:

Steve

Good write-up. Am changing my pads this weekend, so hopefully there'll be no slip-ups. The place swapping the pads fitted the brakes too, so if anything does hit the fan... I'll be in the right place.

Let me know how those discs perform. I'll be needing a new pair in the not so distant future.

:DYour welcome Xav .Jason if your doing yours this weekend copper grease is a must have.;)Driving home tonight my brakes decide they want to screech every time i go to stop:mad:.Thought maybe a stone stuck between the pad and disc .Will have to look when its daylight thou.

Shall be slapping on the copper grease. I'm pretty sure a load went on when the brakes went on - which was less than 6 months ago, so I doubt anything has seized up yet. Best be safe than sorry though, eh?

Changing the pads is a doddle: it's literally 2 mins per side once the wheel is off as you don't have to remove the calipers from the hub

You'll need a punch and a hammer (). Nothing more