I have a thread running entitled - "brakes: advice sought". I have a TF135 but it has AP calipers as it has the Sports II pack.

I suggest you have a read. My car is a 2005 and I could not drift out the pins. It is a faff getting them out by the methods I have had to use but if your pins are stuck, you will need to cut/drill them to get them out.

As for the rest of your question, I am not refurbishing my calipers and have found all I need is fluid, a new set of pins and pads (plus some tools), so how far you want to go on that is a matter for you.

 

As for the rest of your question, I am not refurbishing my calipers and have found all I need is fluid, a new set of pins and pads (plus some tools), so how far you want to go on that is a matter for you.

Thanks for the reply. The Mintex pads I'm getting come with a set of new retaining pins, but I wondered whether there was any other AP parts that the garage would need? Will they need a new set of AP caliper seals? Which seem very expensive (£44 from Mike Satur), but I'd rather have them if needed.

 

pipster,

Seals don't last forever and if you're having your calipers overhauled it would be a false economy not to do the seals at the same time. Buy the seal kit and damn the impudence of the sellers! I had a Toyota MR2 until recently and the seals were not cheap on that either, similar price in fact.

I would add, removing the old pads from my AP calipers, which were very tight in the calipers, broke a thrust plate in half. One side fell off, the other stayed, retained by the screw. Dilemma: send off for new thrust plates, with the possibility that the allen retaining screws would round off if I tried to get them out, plus I'd have to send off for new. In the end I keyed up the back of the thrust plate half that had fallen off, keyed up the part of the caliper where it had sat, with sandpaper, gave both surfaces a wipe with meths, then glass epoxy resin'd it back into place.

OK, cheap of me I know but I've had enough this week with the vagaries of replacing brake pads and the bit of thrust plate I've epoxied back into position really ain't going anywhere.

You may want to consider new thrust plates and screws in case they break them getting then out, though I'd say it's only a 10% probability.

 

pipster, Seals don't last forever and if you're having your calipers overhauled it would be a false economy not to do the seals at the same time. Buy the seal kit and damn the impudence of the sellers! I had a Toyota MR2 until recently and the seals were not cheap on that either, similar price in fact.

Hmm, I think I'll wait and see what the garage's verdict will be on the state of the calipers before buying the seal kit - it's a pretty hefty outlay I hadn't bargained on! I'm going to be painting the calipers anyway so there will be time to see what needs doing... I did email AP directly to see about buying direct from them, who off course didn't bother to reply!