What are these brakes please?

[frandaman 0]

Me and a friend are just having a discussion over what brakes might be fitted to my car. They are much bigger than factory standard and have holes and grooves drilled into them. I was told by a garage that they are from an R32, but my friend assures me that to fit these would be impossible with the wheels that I have on. Could you turn your expert eyes onto them and give us a verdict?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

They are the infamous 288s from a Golf Highline / MK4 Golf

 

R32 calipers look similar but are WAAAAAAY bigger than those :D

[Fanjita 1]

I'd just like to add as mentioned on the receipt for the work it specifies these are 312mm brakes, which is where the confusion stems.

[frandaman 0]

@kevhaywire

 

Yeah my friend (fanjita) thought as much, but I have a £620 bill in my service history for '312mm brakes and fitment' ... Just thinking that some previous owner got had at some point :epicfail:

[Jim Bowen 1]

i could be wrong but i think anything bigger than the 288's won't fit under solitude wheels

[buttles 0]

Even if they are 312's the previous owner did indeed get had!! Put a tape measure across the brake discs and see.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

£620 :shock: Were they brand new parts?

 

It is a little confusing because VW used exactly the same caliper on 288 and 312mm discs.

[swiftkid 1]

just a theory off the top of my head - the 312's (which are the same caliper as the 288's) are from a mk4 golf which are a different offset disc to a corrado which requires spacers to clear the rear of the wheel. They 312's won't fit behind standard wheels therefore they must be 288's which would mean that the standard carriers mixed with the 312/288 calipers may have been used and the previous owner has been billed/conned by yet another rogue garage.

 

A good example why i wouldn't let a mechanic within 5 miles of my car for 'repairs' (no offence to all you honest mechanics out their). I was feeling annoyed/lazy after a failed MOT after a failure on the main brake line running front to back, got quoted 6 hours work at over £200 not including parts!!! I mean seriously, what they hell are these people doing to take them 6 hours WITH ramps and all the tools. Took me an hour, taking my time doing the job properly with a jack and axle stands. I really have to stop ranting soo much!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah good point about the carriers, I forgot to mention that.

 

You can probably get the 312s behind a 15" compomotive MO :D I've seen some pretty big AP setups sat behind them before.

 

6 hours labour at a VW dealer would have cost you over £500+VAT, so £200 isn't so bad :D You're right though, with the proper pipe flaring tools, it doesn't take that long to replace a brake line!

[The_Dude 0]

They are front brakes mate.

[Dude VR6 0]

They are front brakes mate.

:lol: :lol: