Looking for Volvo Brake Parts in Calgary

[Treycal]

Hello all,

Just wondering if anyone has a good line on brake pads and rotors in Calgary. I've looked online @ IPDUSA and FCPEuro. Overall good prices but shipping costs to Calgary seem a little steep ($100-160 depending on how fast). Where do Calgary Volvo owners go for parts in town? Canadian Tire, Autosource, etc? I was looking for the Akebono ceramic pads and the Zimmerman rotors.

Thanks in advance.

Treycal

[Forkster]

Hey Treycal,

Couple of competitive websites in Canada for parts:
http://www.autopartsway.ca/ (good selection of rotors)
http://www.canadapartsonline.com/ (cheaper for pads)
http://www.gtrauto.ca/ - Calgary Based.

And of course - Swany's Volvo - he now calls it Euroworks - http://www.euroworks.ca/

Apart from those - stay clear of any other 'Volvo' shop other than Valentine Volvo. Volvo OEM stuff may be expensive but is still a good setup.

BTW - Lots of guys go with the Zimms or Brembo's for Rotor and Akebono crems for the front.

Ed

[Treycal]

Excellent. Thanks for the suggestions.

Any thoughts on the TRW pads? They are about half the cost of the Akebono. Are Akebono worth the extra $?

Cheers,

Tim (Treycal)

[Forkster]

Excellent. Thanks for the suggestions.

Any thoughts on the TRW pads? They are about half the cost of the Akebono. Are Akebono worth the extra $?

Cheers,

Tim (Treycal)

It's like asking is a Diary Queen Peanut Buster Parfait worth the peanuts or a Hot Fudge Sunday with the hot fudge. Your front brake pads are THE (and I emphasize the word pronounced theeee) THE most important safety component you'll ever replace on your car. So don't cheap out. I did and ended up replacing my front brake pads mid-wear cause they were $40 cheaper than the Akebono's. That was a $150 lesson.

[Treycal]

You're right. Ended up getting the Akebono's and Zimmerman rotors from Swanny's. Installing them tomorrow since I still can't go downtown to work. Now just find a less expensive solution for replacing my 4C struts (dealer is quoting around $2,200 each for front and rear - Yikes!).

Thanks again,

Tim

[ssicarman]

For wife's S60 I did an order from FCP with Brembo rotors and the Akebono pads front and rear. I loaded the order with filters and pretty much anything that I thought that I might eventually need. The shipping was about 150$. It did come quickly considering four rotors. The nice thing about the shipping was that it was all in. No surprise at the door (like UPS is infamous for doing) with the driver wanting cash for border fees and such. The brakes ended up cheaper than Valentine and they seem to work as well as OEM with less dust.

As for the 4C struts I am not looking forward to replacing them. Starting to scope out aftermarket but have yet to find a definitive source.

Side note
I hope that my fellow southern Albertans here managed to stay dry over our flooding. We were high enough at home but the dealership I work at lost a few cars at our storage lot.

[912R]

You're right. Ended up getting the Akebono's and Zimmerman rotors from Swanny's. Installing them tomorrow since I still can't go downtown to work. Now just find a less expensive solution for replacing my 4C struts (dealer is quoting around $2,200 each for front and rear - Yikes!).

Thanks again,

Tim

Tim - how much did the pads set you back? Our "new to us" 04 XC70 had the brake pads replaced with the stock pads when we bought it, and hooooolyeee cow are they dusty. But like you, I balked at the shipping cost on just a set of pads when I don't really "need" them yet.

Cheers,
Keith

[Treycal]

Keith,

The pads were a fair bit more in town than at either IPDUSA or FCPEuro. They were $164 for the set, but I was able to pick them up that day and didn't have to also worry about any additional UPS surprises.

Quick questions for everyone. Got the pads and rotors installed today. Took about 2 hrs for this novice to install them. There sounds like there is a bit of rubbing on the driver's side disc. I made sure that the disc was seated flat to the hub and everything else looks okay. Is it normal to get a bit of rubbing after new discs/pads?

Thanks,

Tim

[Treycal]

^^^ Figured it out. The inside of the driver side rotor was every so slightly out of round and was hitting the edge of the dust shield. Pulled the wheel off and could see slight sparkles on the dust shield. Pushed the dust shield in slightly and voila...no more noise. Whew!

[msj44]

I recommend autopartsway.ca for Volvo parts in Canada. They always ship from the Canadian warehouse and deliver quickly with free shipping option.