T4 brakes.........again

Hi all

been reading through some of your earlier "discussion" on brakes and noted some interesting points.

I presently have a grinding noise from my front brakes, not to loud as you can only usually hear it when just about to come to a rest or if driving slowly with the window open.

I am hoping it is only the pads. I've seen on http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com that they do Mintex Standard Replacements for £30. Not sure if these are for any x40 so will mail them to clarify. Does anybody have any experience of these pads and how do they compare to original Volvos ? Not sure what the previous owner put on my car but pretty happy with the braking.

I can see a bit of a ridge building up on the outer edge of the discs and depending on what they are like on closer inspection may need to replace. The same website have Mintex Standard discs for £69 which seems pretty good. Again has anybody any experience of these ?

Again need to mail site and see if for T4 or not.

[v6en]

hi there,

when i bought my T4 the brakes were atrocious, i thought they must have been worn down to a crisp but it turned out that there was a 1/4 width left to go when i replaced them, i certainly hope they weren't the standard volvo items! i replaced them with mintex pads which were great in comparison, and have now tried a couple of well known performance pads as well, including greenstuff and ferodo premier. based on this i would say that although they are a lot cheaper to buy, mintex compare well with the other ones i've used. one word of advice though, if you are planning to change your brake discs then buy ventilated discs ( also known as grooved and drilled) as these improve braking performance by circulating more cool air, which reduces 'brake fade'.

hope this helps,
jacqueline.