http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FRONT-BRAKE-DISCS-AND-PADS-FOR-VOLVO-V40-1-6D2-6-2012-/262186672065?hash=item3d0b8b1fc1:gVcAAOSw7FRWatg3

Not sure how good these are but should give you some idea.

 

Cheers, I spoke with someone else earlier who said 300mm is right (320 on that item). Might try another Volvo dealer and a tape measure!

 

Is it a 1.6 or 2.0 D2? The 1.6 usually has the 278mm discs.
You can tell the difference between the 320mm and 300/278mm brakes just by looking though the wheels.
The 320mm calipers look like this:

They are usually only fitted to the higher-powered variants.

The 278mm and 300mm brakes are slightly more difficult to tell apart as they use the same caliper but with different caliper carrier brackets. The 278mm caliper and carrier looks like this:

The caliper carrier has the size cast into it along with the Volvo part number.. If the wheel spokes are in the right position then if you stand in front of the driver's side front wheel and look at the front of the top part of the caliper carrier you will see the part number and '278' cast into it, like this:

The 300mm caliper carrier has more prominent 'horns' at the top and bottom:

Again, they also have the size cast into the front o the top, along with the part number:

As far as replacement goes, the brake systems are made for Volvo by ATE. You can get OEM ATE parts that will be a bit cheaper than Volvo's It's mostly direct from the Mk2.5 Ford Focus parts bin (the 320mm brakes are the same as the ones fitted to the Focus ST).

The 278mm/300mm versions at least are really easy to change yourself. You need a jack, a wire brush (to clean off any brake dust and rust), a pair of pliers (to remove and reinstall the retaining spring) 7mm hex/allen key or socket (to undo the slider bolts the caliper rides on), a 13mm spanner or socket (to remove the caliper cariier from the hub), a crosshead screwdriver (to remove the disc retaining screw), some copper grease (to lubricate the slider bolts, back of the pads and wheel mating usrface on reassembly) and some blue Loctite (to secure the caliper carrier bolts on reassembly, though this is optional).

 

Many of the motor factors can match the right parts for your model based on the chassis/reg number, as can reputable independent garages.


Ed875

 

Buzby, you're a legend! Well get on this next time is see more than a couple of hours daylight!

 

Oh and it's the 1.6

 

I would expect them ot the the 278mm brakes then.

As the calipers are the same, it should be possible to upgrade to the 300mm brakes by changing the caliper carrier brackets, discs and pads to the 300mm parts. I intend to do this when my discs and pads need to be replaced, as I have found the 278mm brakes wanting on occasion.

 

Tracked down an ATE supplier discs are easy enough to select, pads not so http://www.buycarparts.co.uk/volvo/.../10130/brake-pad-set?wheel[]=40561&brand[]=3&stars_rating=0&list=&from=28&to=70

Any opinions to fit the 278mm discs?


Slight edit, noticed the rim size variable would you think that's accurate, I will probabably call a dealer to clarify though.

 

Tracked down an ATE supplier discs are easy enough to select, pads not so http://www.buycarparts.co.uk/volvo/.../10130/brake-pad-set?wheel[]=40561&brand[]=3&stars_rating=0&list=&from=28&to=70

Any opinions to fit the 278mm discs?

From that link, you can see there are actually 2 sizes there - the first set is the 278mm parts (it says it's for 15" wheels). The second and third sets are for 300mm discs (for 17" wheels). The third set is a higher-performance ceramic material.

They have got a variety of disc options on there too:
http://www.buycarparts.co.uk/volvo/.../brake-disc?categories[]=82&wheel[]=40561&stars_rating=0&list=&from=18&to=10000

If ypu want the genuine Volvo parts, you are looking about £120ish:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-V...=Car+Make:Volvo|Model:V40|Cars+Year:2013&hash=item2cabad799d:g:Ah8AAOSwKfVXIzBb

 

Also on eBay Mintex disc and pad set front AND rear for £127...

 

Changing the rear discs and pads yourself is a bit more involved though as you need the correct caliper windback tool to avoid damaging the handbrake adjustment mechanism on the piston.

 

Just about to order these but Volvo have quoted a different part number for the pads as to what is fitted to the car, this is different by one digit.

Fitted to car is 31341300

Volvo quoted replacement part is 31341301

I will wait to find out why

 

Just had confirmation that 31341301 is the updated part number.

FYI the part number for the V40 1.6 D2 front disc (278mm) is 31341642

 

For random info value - just looked at mine. 278 - 2014 d2 SE Lux nav (17"wheels)

 

Hi,

I will have to replace break pads and discs on my D3 R-design in a few time, and I have some question:
- Can you confirm me that there is no any "reset" to do in the OBD system
- Concerning the rear break, I saw this tools:

http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=141&products_id=7047

They speak about 3 differents axe center dimensions... Does anybody use it or known the good one ? ( for 280 mm disc)

Regards.

 

Hi,

I will have to replace break pads and discs on my D3 R-design in a few time, and I have some question:
- Can you confirm me that there is no any "reset" to do in the OBD system
- Concerning the rear break, I saw this tools:

http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=141&products_id=7047

They speak about 3 differents axe center dimensions... Does anybody use it or known the good one ? ( for 280 mm disc)

Regards.

VIDA doesn't mention any procedure to reset a brake service indicator (I'm not sure the V40 has pad wear indicators in it's pads anyway).

The caliper windback tool you need looks like it might be the additional third adapter that's mentioned on the page you referenced (the 20mm hole spacing one). The adapter used on Volvo's tool is part number 9997091:

It's lucky it still has a mechanical handbrake as on cars with electrical parking brakes you need to connect the car to the diagnostic system to retract the calipers.

The rear pad replacement instructions in VIDA do mention that after the calipers have been wound back and refitted you will have to readjust the handbrake. The handbrake adjuster is located inside the centre console on top of the handbrake mechanism and can be accessed by removing the side panel section behind the handbrake next to the passenger seat.

 

Great news!! thanks for these informations Buzby.
Disc and pads are commanded. I will come back after the work to make a little reviews.

Bye

 

This thread really made my day. Thank you.

Just had left rear brake pads go bad and the disc is ruined at the same time. Decided to change all discs and pads while I'm at it, the car has already had >320000km (V40 D2 -13)

Struggled to find any info on the actual size of the front discs, first found out they're either 300 or 320. Then I even measured the disc with a normal tape measure and came to the conclusion it's smaller than 300.
Turns out it's 278 as I found out here in this thread.

Checked some regularly used local shops (Finland) and their selection is really bad. One claims they don't sell any brake parts, one sells only pads and rear discs. One sells original brake pads but no discs. The original front pads were priced 102€ and rear pads 88,5€. Seems really expensive.

Ended up ordering the parts from Germany:
ATE 278mm front disc 38,36€
ATE 280mm rear disc 23,64€

ATE front pads Ceramic 53,30€
ATE rear pads 24,30€

The normal ATE front pads would have been cheaper, 34,78€: (but decided to give the ceramic ones a go)
https://profiteile.de/bremsbelagsatz-scheibenbremse-13-0460-7193-2-3

Just waiting for them to arrive now :smile2:

 

Brakes installed now, funny how many of the shops state that the front 278mm discs aren't compatible with Volvo V40.
Even the package says on it they are meant for Focus III and C-Max.

Rear 280mm discs package listed Focus II, C-Max and Volvo V40.

Here are photos of the brakes:
New Ate brakes installed

Car had 322890km on it when the brakes were changed :smile2:

 

320.000 km ?????
**** that gives hope for my car

 

Bloody H*ll!! 320,000kms??!! :surprise:
What was the first owners name?? Gulliver?
Impressive!

I bought the car a year ago from a car dealer, it had 280000km on it back then.
I even called the previous owner asking about the car. He told me he had driven on the highway every day between big cities in Finland, he used the car for work.
He ended up buying a new V40 with the 2 litre D2 and automatic gearbox and gave this old 1.6 litre D2 manual in exchange.

Car had 321199km on it yday as I was driving home from work:
Instagram link (first photo at the moment with snow)

 

Bloody H*ll!! 320,000kms??!! :surprise:
What was the first owners name?? Gulliver?
Impressive!

 

Did my rear brakes today (£120 for genuine Volvo disc and pads off ebay). The wheels were well seized on - slackened off the nuts and drove round the speedbumps on the estate and that broke the bond, but still needed a rubber mallet to help them off. This was down to very heavy aluminium corrosion on the wheel and hub centre bores, which needed to be scraped and wirebrushed off (both surfaces got a coating of Copaslip before reassembly. The discs were also rusted on, so the hub faces got the same treatment.

The torque settings for the bolts are:
Slider bolts (7mm hex wrench or socket) - 30Nm
Caliper carrier bolts (13mm spanner or socket) - 70Nm
Wheel nuts (19mm) - Pass 1 20Nm, Pass 2 130Nm in a 'star' pattern (line one stud up to the top centre, then number them 1 to 5 clockwise. The tightening pattern is 1-3-5-2-4).

The discs are held on by a large countersunk Torx screw, which is pretty tight. Ideally you would loosen this with the handbrake on, but you can't really do that when you are doing them 1 at a time using a jack. I wedged the shaft of the mallet between one of the studs on the hub and the ground to counter the turning force from loosening the screw.

The lower caliper carrier bolt is difficult to access due to a reinforcing gusset on the hub being in the way of the head of the ratchet when trying to get a socket on (I had to use a spanner and the mallet to get them going too, as they were partially seized). There is a hole provided in the backplate of the hub carrier though to allow you to get to them with an extension bar on the socket (the head of the ratchet ends up resting on the bump stop).

You need a right-handed (clockwise) caliper windback tool with an adapter that has the pins at 20mm spacing. I got a universal set from ebay for £12 that had both left and right handed tools, a couple of backing plates and a swathe of different adapters.

The only other thing to watch out for is that the pads are handed - the inner pad has a butterfly anti-rattle spring on the top of it, the outer pad just has a locating tab. Volvo pack them in pairs in the box, so make sure you use one of each, and don't just take the first pair like I did, and then notice when installing the pads on the second wheel!

 

Sorry for the bump again - Have ordered the ATE discs and pads for my V40 D2 and will change them over the Christmas break :grin2:

You need a right-handed (clockwise) caliper windback tool with an adapter that has the pins at 20mm spacing. I got a universal set from ebay for £12 that had both left and right handed tools, a couple of backing plates and a swathe of different adapters.

Buzby (or anyone who's done this), which universal set did you end up getting? Have trawled through a load on eBay and Amazon but can't seem to confirm if they have the correct adapter..!

 

Did you bother with anti-seize or anything on the pad clips? I got my pads replaced due to squeaking and I think it might be coming back. Was thinking about taking everything apart, cleaning things up and sticking anti-seize on the appropriate surfaces and maybe medium thread locker on the fixings (not wheel bolts) to see if that helps. Otherwise new discs would have to be the next option.

Also if you somehow messed up and the rear brakes weren't working, would it be immediately obvious from test driving? Apart from something detaching or exploding I'm not sure if I'd notice necessarily (no frame of reference though!).

 

The pads already have an anti-squeal soft plastic backing on them. The only place VIDA shows putting any lubricant is using silicone grease on the channels on the camiper carrier the pad locating tabs slide in. My silicone grease is packed away with my bike stuff, so I used Copaslip there too (whatever yuo use will be washed away the next time you take the car to the jetwash anyway).

You can tell if the handbrake is working after a rear brake change at least. For a while after you first change them you can see the marks the pads are leaving on the disc surface too so you can tell if they are working. It does take a fair few miles for them to bed in though.

My rear brakes were beginning to squeal occasionally. When I had it serviced last week they said the rear brakes were 85% used and the fronts were about 75% used (I measured the discs today and they were down to 9mm from 11mm new). The rear brakes surprised me as it's only done 30000 miles. I have read somewhere though that with the electronic brake control it uses the rear brakes a bit more, particularly when braking gently. It's the first car I've had where the rear brakes have needed changing before the front, and it's needed new discs on the first change.

When I do the fronts, I'm thinking of doing the 278mm to 300mm conversion

 

I am thinking whether the focus 336mm brake kit would fit into our MY14 T4 v40?

currently i have upgraded mine from the 300 to 320mm one but still trying to look for a larger brake kit. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

Hi Guys, Sorry for bumping this.

I did read that Buzby and others are looking at increasing the side of the front brakes disks and pads when they are next due as it is a cheap and easy upgrade.

How does this effect insurance, and do they need informing. I would say they do, but not too sure?

Effectively, you are making the car safer, but I guess their systems would see this as an upgrade and a mandatory increase in premium?

 

Thanks, have ordered and will give it a go...

 

Whenever I changed my pads on my old S60, I just put a large flat screwdriver in between the old pads and disk (Protecting the disk) and opened the caliper that way?

If this a frownd upon practice, I've not seen these rewind tools before?

 

That works (on the front calipers, at least), but it's not ideal as there's the risk of getting the piston off-axis as you push it back because you are only applying force on one side of the piston, and that can damage the seals or bore. You can't do that on the rear calipers though, as there is a sprung threaded adjuster inside the piston that keeps the pads a constant distance away from the disc as they wear so the handbrake pull stays constant.

These are the parts from a Mazda MX5 rear caliper, but the V40's are basically the same - the handbrake cable pulls the lever which has a cam on the end of it's axle. The cam pushes against the adjuster rod, which has a threaded end that threads into the middle of the piston. There is a spring that fits around the adjuster rod and into piston, so as the pad wears the adjuster gradually unscrews, so the distance the piston moves when the cam is operated remains constant.

To reset the piston and adjuster on a rear caliper you have to rotate the adjuster while applying a clamping force between the piston and caliper, which you can only safely do with a windback tool. If you just try forcing the adjuster back by levering or pushing the piston back into the caliper without rotating it you run the risk of damaging the threads on the adjuster rod or piston. The same windback tool also makes it easier to reset the piston on a normal front caliper too, as it applies force across the whole face of the piston evenly.

 

Just a heads up - I replaced my front discs and pads today. In the process I also upgraded from the 15"/278mm discs to the 16"/300mm discs. As they use the same hubs, backplates and calipers, all that is required is a replacement pair of the 300mm caliper mounting brackets. If you want to do the sae, the Volvo part number for the bracket is 36002809 (they are ambidextrous - the same bracket is use don both sides).

I think they are about £70 each from Volvo, so I looked elsewhere. Looking round the UK breakers I saw a few, but they are always sold with the caliper attached, which costs more and the extra lump of cast iron costs more to ship too for a part you don't need. Instead, I looked over at Bildelsbasen, a Scandinavian marketplace for used car parts which predictably has a lot of Volvos available there, and the breakers mostly list the calipers and brackets separately.

I bought a pair from one of the sellers there from a 2015 D2 (quite why some D2s have the 278mm discs and others have the 300mm discs I'm not sure). which even with shipping from Sweden cost less than buying a pair of calipers and brackets from a UK breaker (they normally run about £50 each). When they arrived they were quite rusty and most of the zinc plating had come off (I suspect Wonder Wheels may have been used on the car they came off) so they needed a bit of attention from the wire brush in my drill, some emery cloth and then a coat of rust converter gel. Finally I gave them a couple of coats of silver Smoothrite, after masking off the pad bearing surfaces and mounting bosses.

In the meantime, I then ordered a set of 300mm discs and pads from a Newcastle-based Volvo dealer on ebay (after first emailing to explain what I was doing, as they asked for my registration number and were going to send 278mm parts instead).

Today I finally got round to fitting them. Unfortunately I was dodging the showers so didn't get time to take many photos, but here's a comparison of the 278mm and 300mm discs and caliper brackets:

Here's what my old discs and pads looked like after 38k miles of Motorway/A-road driving:

The discs had worn maybe 1.5mm on each side, The pads were probably about 70% worn - I might have got another MOT out of them, but I thought I'd get it done while I was off.

A couple of tips for anyone wanting to have a go at changing discs themselves:
1) Volvo discs come with a new set of caliper bracket bolts, but no new large countersunk Torx bolts that hold the discs onto the hubs. It might be a good idea to get a new pair, as they get very rusty and are tricky to remove without damaging them
2) The caliper bracket bolts are threadlocked and quite difficult to free off. They use an 18mm socket, but I'd recommend getting a decent 18mm ring spanner as well so you can use a mallet to get them moving (it wasn't helped on my case by whoever put the passenger side hub together going overboard with the threadlock - it was everywhere)..

It all seems to be working, but they are still in the bedding-in period at the moment so I've hot given them a hard prod of the pedal yet (I was out earlier doing a couple of laps of the local industrial estate doing gentle clutch-down stops from 40mph to bed them in).

 

In the ‘old days’, automatic gearbox cars would have larger brakes than manual cars, even for the same engine size in order to compensate for a lack of ‘engine braking’ when driving. Might this be the reason for the varying disc sizes? Certainly on my auto T3, the brakes look bigger than my previous manual D2.

 

Quite possibly, though as they usually tell you not to use engine braking even on manuals these days it would make sense to just fit the larger brakes on all the models (though we are talking about a company that deleted 2 plastic caps to save money..). I'm in a car sharing scheme at work and our site is up in the Pennines - in the summer the 278mm discs sometimes get a bit fadey going downhill when there's 3 passengers in the car., hence why I wanted to upgrade.

 

No engine braking ? Oh well, there are a couple of 15 mile long downhill stretches which I sometimes travel over and I almost never touch the brakes there (manual car, D4) Just put it in fourth gear and foot of the gas... Would that cause insufficient lubrication of the engine maybe ?

 

You don't have to worry about lubrication - as long as the engine is turning the oil pump will be turning too. It's more since the move to turbo engines that the engine braking thing has come in - closing the throttle when the engine is still revving should cause the manfold bypass valve to open, which will dump the pressurised air back into the airbox (I think). This means the turbo spins down during engine braking and will need to be spun up again when you open the throttle. I'm sure the trick twin turbo setup on the D4 has something to mitigate this though.

 

I was considering to swap my 278mm front discs in favour of the 300mm version, so I started looking for parts when I managed to find an used set of calipers and mounting brakets coming from a Focus ST with 320mm discs. The price is good so I'm tempted to switch to the "big" version.

I've read in another forum about Volvo C30 users having made succesfully the same swap, from to 278mm to 320mm, plus fitting the Focus ST calipers and brakets.

My doubt is if the standard V40 16" ET50 wheels (used for winter tyres) will clear the 320 calipers. I managed to find some info on a US Focus forum, with some statements about a 16" wheel capable to clear such 320mm calipers.

My other concern is that the ABS system with oem 278mm discs is calibrated on such size, does someone knows if with a 320mm disc set there could be any issues?

@buzby: have you encountered any strange behaviour with the ABS after fitting the 300mm discs?

Thanks to all.

 

@buzby: have you encountered any strange behaviour with the ABS after fitting the 300mm discs?

No issues experienced with the ABS system. It usually works on feedback - it applies the brakes until it detects that a wheel has locked, releases them and then applies them again until it no longer detects locking (it does this by monitoring the speed reading of all 4 wheels).

The only thing I have found with the 300mm discs is that when the car is light it has a tendency to 'grab' the brakes when braking on poor surfaces. It just took a bit of getting used to and adjusting the amount of force I use when pressing the pedal

The 320mm brake upgrade would probably be a bit much on a car that was specced with 278mm from the factory. It requires a new set of hoses and bleeding the brake system (and if I was using second hand calipers I'd want to inspect and rebuild them before putting them on the car). The 300mm swap is far simpler as it's only the discs and caliper brackets that need to change, and the performance is more than adequate