Brake pipe's

[motormadfrosty]

Failed it's mot on offside and nearside rear brake pipes, garage quoted £170 to replace. Went to pick it up today and they said that they didn't follow the originals over the fuel tank. Surely there is a reason Volvo did this in the first place, any advice?

Brakes feel fine, but it's to wet to get under the car to have a look.

[gatos]

When you say brake pipes, do you mean the break hoses or the break lines.

Break hoses look like in the photo i have attached. I failed my MOT because there was a tiny (hardly visible) crack on each one. I was quoted £120-£140 cant remember exactly to replace them but I bought two from Anglia Volvo seller on ebay for £21.99 +2.99 postage.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-x-Genuine-Vo...item4cf51178e6

If however they are referring to the brake lines, which are made of a soft metal (cant remember what), then that is a lot more work and I guess £170 is a very good price.

I wasn't very clear of what you meant by this:

they didn't follow the originals over the fuel tank

What do you mean?

As for leaks, You shouldn't expect a leak from the brake hoses unless if they are in an absolutely horrendous condition. Apparently brake hoses have 3-4 layers as extra protection, so when the first layer is cracked, you replace them before the crack progresses all the way to the deepest layers and then you would get a major leak.

[motormadfrosty]

They have replaced the brake lines (made from copper) and run the whole length of the car, it's the labor that cost's money not the materials. One off the original lines runs over the top of the fuel tank but they have avoided this somehow? When it's dry, I will get it on stands and take a couple of pic's

[Volvon]

Yep I had my rear brake pipes replaced aswell. I don't know how they routed mine, probably the same as the original as they usually use the orginial as a guide and just bend and the flare the new pipe to match it. Feels nice knowing theres new pipes on though! My old one just burst (yes the copper pipe) without warning, could have been much worse if I weren't doing 1MPH!

[motormadfrosty]

Originally Posted by hyvää

Yep I had my rear brake pipes replaced aswell. I don't know how they routed mine, probably the same as the original as they usually use the orginial as a guide and just bend and the flare the new pipe to match it. Feels nice knowing theres new pipes on though! My old one just burst (yes the copper pipe) without warning, could have been much worse if I weren't doing 1MPH!

I agree, when they told me it had failed on them, I saw it up on the ramps, I was scared to look at them the wrong way just in case they burst LOL.

Why are X40's so prone to these failing?

[gatos]

Not a bad price then for fuel lines replacement. As for why this fails on Volvos, I am not sure if it is a Volvo only problem. At least enjoy your new brakes and be aware that you will most probably won't have to worry about them ever again

[jez v40]

not a bad price, had mine done last week £150 for same job. i did a thread on it titled "new 12 month ticket". as to why they are prone to going i don't know. may be material they are made from, i think they maybe steel to start with, but i think you'll find the new ones will be copper.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by motormadfrosty

I agree, when they told me it had failed on them, I saw it up on the ramps, I was scared to look at them the wrong way just in case they burst LOL.

Why are X40's so prone to these failing?

They are made from mild steel , volvo cost cutting . As from 1974 when the 240 came out they started using copper brake pipes , the 340 cars had them too , when the 400 and S/V40 came out they switched to steel ..

[chb]

Steel is better for brake pipes. Copper is more commonly used as a replacement because it is very maleable and easy to bend and work with. However it is more susceptible to stress fractures than steel so will not last as long due to vibrations on the vehicle.
Steel corrodes (eventually) but is more resistant to the vibrations on the vehicle. However for garages its harder to bend and less forgiving to work with so they prefer copper.

I am sure that there are also different grades of steel used by different manufacturers. My V40 (1998) needed one new line in 2009. The garage replaced this. In 2010 I inspected all the other lines (ready to do the job myself). I found that a quick brush up and treatment with clear underbody wax was all they needed.

Hope this helps.

[GMad]

I have never worked on a 40 but, in the case of many/most other cars, the brake lines are attached before the fuel tank when a car is made. Meaning they run above the tank and out of sight/reach.
As dropping a fuel tank is far more labour intensive than simply re-routing the brakes lines around the tank, this is the course of action that I have always taken and I'm sure most garages would too.
It wont make any difference to braking performance.