Rear Brakes & Springs

[Tempaul]

I have owned the hybrid ZT-T, VIN 000025 for 7 trouble free months but now run in to a couple of problems. Have checked some previous posts & got some info but it takes for ever to go through all the info.Car currently with local dealer Beech Hill as locking wheel nut socket went missing!
First thing-have a broken rear spring which they tell me are NLA. They have someone who will make a pair but are quoting £190 each unfitted. Are they available anywhere else? The broken one is covered under insurance warranty but am sure they won't wear replacing both springs,which seems sensible / essential?
Second thing relates to rear discs & pads. I bought the car including a C service with no advisories. Since then I've done 3500 miles & last week could hear what I thought was, & turned out to be, metal to metal from the rear brakes.Pads had worn down to metal! Ouch!!
Keen to talk to supplying dealer but need to be better informed. My understanding is that the rear discs are unique to 260's & are oversized relative to standard ZT-T. Does that mean that they take a relatively high load & could wear out quite quickly? Seems to me that someone has cocked up & not done proper inspection but want to be better armed before I deal with this.
I have been quoted £446 per disc & £75 for EBC Redstuff pads all ex fitting, with a total 3.5 hours to carry out all above work. From forum I believe discs can be skimmed but my local dealer had no idea who could do that or what it would cost.
From forum it looks as if the pads are all or any of Mintex MDB1890 used on VX220, Lotus Elise, Mitsubishi Lancer, EVO or 350Z?
Rabbiting on a bit but hopefully someone can give me some leads.

[colintf]

springs and rear disc can be obtained via the clubshop I believe.

ColinE (Colin Ellis) is your man :thumb

[Herman]

Imperial Tyres in Swindon can skim the discs for approx. £80
Discs can be bought via the club shop
Pads are the same as lotus elise front (although some come with wear strip that needs grinding off)
Springs seem expensive but if the insurance pays for one it is only 190 to get both done.
Fitting the rear springs is an easy job as they can be replaced without too much effort.

[ColinE]

We are looking at replacement springs but even when we get enough people interested it's 4-5weeks lead time

On the rear discs, who's quoted £446 per disc? As a non full member they would be £325 a pair + £25 UK p&p to you, if you became a full (green) member then this drops to £302 a pair + £25 UK p&p

Rear pads we can supply EBC

Red Stuff £53
Yellow Stuff £63
(both plus P&P)

Fitting the discs and pads took me a couple of hours and I'm no mechanic, mine were shot at 45k but could have been skimmed (had I known about it at the time)

They can be skimmed Pro-cut on car lathes are used by many - there used to be a list of outlets but link is no longer valid

If you want to order some discs let me know

[colintf]

We are looking at replacement springs but even when we get enough people interested it's 4-5weeks lead time

On the rear discs, who's quoted £446 per disc? As a non full member they would be £325 a pair + £25 UK p&p to you, if you became a full (green) member then this drops to £302 a pair + £25 UK p&p

Rear pads we can supply EBC

Red Stuff £53
Yellow Stuff £63
(both plus P&P)

Fitting the discs and pads took me a couple of hours and I'm no mechanic, mine were shot at 45k but could have been skimmed (had I known about it at the time)

They can be skimmed Pro-cut on car lathes are used by many - there used to be a list of outlets but link is no longer valid

If you want to order some discs let me know

become a full member......you know it makes sense. We've just saved you a big wad of money!! :cool:

[scooter]

We have a Pro cut disc lathe but the problem with the rear discs is the internal hand brake drum. If you machine it (it corrodes more than the disc) you will have too large a drum and not have enough adjustment to get a brake. The correct RRP is £375 plus vat per disc if you can get them, the club offer is very good.

[jenksman]

Hi
I bought some springs for a ZT( not aZT-T)
From Commercial Motors of Newport
They got them from Xpart
They will not deliver to private individuals but will accept an order from, and deliver to a Garage
Cost was about £230 and they got them for me in 24hrs

[jenksman]

Sorry
Me again
The cost I quoted was for a pair
I would check out your own quote
Mine came in a purpose designed box for 2 springs
Your quote of £190 plus vat works out at £228 which is what I paid for mine
Maybe your quote was for 2no

[stevenw]

Hi
I'm a bit surprised at cars needing new discs and having broken springs so often.
Is it a design fault or just something that happens with hard use in modern performance cars?
I've been driving for nearly 30 years now and never had a broken spring or had to skim or replace discs before.
The prices also seem very expensive;I bought a new set of discs for my Rover SD1 in case I ever needed them,cost £12 a pair about 5 years ago.Never needed them.
Have I've just been lucky or maybe it's because I tend to drive gently most of the time.

[philby777]

Its a design fault search the threads on here they changed the design and cured this about a third of the way through production. Yea the rear discs are expensive but were special ones only fitting the 260 and R75 V8 with 880 odd cars a very small run with high production costs. Im on the original discs at 75,000 miles and have gone through a set of rear pads every 17,000 miles.
Phil

[ksilver]

I eventually replaced my rear discs at 95,000 miles, and I'm sure someone reported in the last couple of weeks they had got to 107,000(?) and were still good?

With that level of longevity they don't work out that expensive, I'm putting new front discs on annually (c 25-30,000m) that adds up.

[Tempaul]

Thanks for the info to date. Very helpful.
Am confused by 2 things now. I thought when I joined MGOC & then signed on to to 260's that I was a member?
I may not have returned the questionnaire that came after I signed up - is that all I have to do? Probably accounts for why I cannot access shop. Looked through 260 site again but cannot find anything that explains what to do.
On the skimming of discs there seem to be 2 distinct views. So it can be done, but does it mess up the hand brake mech?

[Herman]

Thanks for the info to date. Very helpful.
Am confused by 2 things now. I thought when I joined MGOC & then signed on to to 260's that I was a member?
I may not have returned the questionnaire that came after I signed up - is that all I have to do? Probably accounts for why I cannot access shop. Looked through 260 site again but cannot find anything that explains what to do.
On the skimming of discs there seem to be 2 distinct views. So it can be done, but does it mess up the hand brake mech?

Full membership requires two things. Member of MGOC and owning a V8
See here https://www.two-sixties.co.uk/mgoc260/html/f0rum/showthread.php?1141-Membership

If you lost the form just PM Tim and he'll send another one.

With regards to the brakes, skimming the rear discs is cheaper than replacing and won't affect the handbrake.
As the handbrake is a drum brake inside the disc it won't be part of the normal skimming process.
If due to excess rust people decide to turn the inside of the drum the change in diameter may give problems with the handbrake shoes (not enough travel to touch the drum).

New discs via the shop are good value for money given the numbers of years the rear brakes should last.
Always good to have a spare set incase there's not enough meat left to skim.

[Tempaul]

Thanks again for the info. I've been away this week but my dealer has now got another price for manufacture of rear springs. If we (Club?) bought 10 sets (pairs) they would cost £175 inc VAT per pair with delivery in 10 days or so. He has also been told by another 260 owner that the Club had some made before, but they were not strong enough? Is that the case as I don't want to repeat that problem. Do we know where these came from?

[2V8s]

What makes you think you need new discs? cant you just replace the pads as it will be those worn causing metal to metal contact but if you've caught it early enough the discs should be OK.

How many miles has the car done? Luckily for me mine had been changed about 5k miles before I bought the car, at around 80,000 miles. And yes, the rear pads are inexpensive and same as lotus elise front pads. Mintex quite good, or EBC reds/yellows.

As to springs - thought I saw someone selling a pair on Ebay. Practicallly all mk1s will need replacement springs once at some stage. On mine both had broken but it drove OK and passed MOTs like it, but sat a little lower than it should at the back. I was lucky and sets were still available then at £180 a pair, ish.

If you have a new set made be sure they follow the new design and dont copy the old design otherwise they could be liable to break again.

Here's a thread in which is a pic of a new pair of new type springs I fitted 3 years ago - no probems since. Compare them to the old you can see the slight design change

https://www.two-sixties.co.uk/mgoc260/html/f0rum/showthread.php?3220-Rear-springs-options&highlight=spring

[colintf]

Thanks again for the info. I've been away this week but my dealer has now got another price for manufacture of rear springs. If we (Club?) bought 10 sets (pairs) they would cost £175 inc VAT per pair with delivery in 10 days or so. He has also been told by another 260 owner that the Club had some made before, but they were not strong enough? Is that the case as I don't want to repeat that problem. Do we know where these came from?

who is the dealer?? :cool: