Brembo caliper rebuild kits

[Jaap Bouma <j.h.bouma@domain.elided>]

Hi all,
Last week I ordered some new bits for my gtv6: Tarox 20 groove brake discs
and Tarox XE brake pads, and a set of stainless steel braided hoses. Hhmmm,
nice! I had noticed that the car was starting to pull slightly under
braking, and a weird creaking noise was coming from the front as I pushed
the brake pedal, so I felt it would be better to rebuild the front calipers
(Brembo) before fitting the new brake prats (sorry).
Dismantling the calipers showed that the outboard piston in the left
caliper had rotated through 180 degrees, causing the pad to wear unevenly
and also causing the creaking noise. Off to my friendly parts vendor for
two service sets.
Surprise surprise, they're only listed for ATE calipers. Same story at the
Alfa Romeo dealership. And at Centerline online catalogue. :-( The AR
dealer could have the calipers rebuilt by a third party. Cost: 350 dutch
guilders (USD 160) plus 17.5% VAT. EACH! Valium-time.
However, when I took the caliper seals to the parts store, we found that
the piston seals for the ATE calipers are identical to the Brembo seals.
The dust covers however are not, so I had to reuse the old ones. But after
thorough cleaning and assembly with some brake grease and the new piston
seals, they look and feel as new. Still, I would have liked new pistons and
dust covers....
Question: does anybody know a source for Brembo service kits? If not, why
are they unavailable? The calipers are simplicity itself, so it seems weird
that they can't be overhauled.


Best, Jaap Bouma (Netherlands)
'87 GTV6 2.5 Grand Prix

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