DNM
16-09-2014, 01:48 PM
For those of you thinking about getting your AP's refurbed, this might be of interest.
The red paint on mine had faded and chipped badly and some of the pistons had started to stick, so it was time to get them sorted.
Unfortunately AP aren't interested in servicing let alone refurbing calipers so I searched the Web and came across quite a few companies offering caliper refurbs. Reading some of the horror stories on various forums and social media sites however, it become all too evident that finding a reliable company wasn't going to be an easy task.
After eventually reading good reports on Rennlist about Jonny at Brakecaliperrefurbs.com, I took the plunge. He claimed to be able to provide a full caliper rebuild, new pistons and sealing kits if necessary, and had perfected transfers for the recessed AP Racing logos. Other companies only offered careful hand painting of the logo or skimming the caliper face flat then adding transfers; neither solution appealed to me.
Furthermore, they offered a ceramic coating to the caliper paint which is claimed to provide up to five years protection making it harder for brake dust to adhere to and much easier to clean. Time will tell.
As long as you give Jonny a paint code he'll paint your calipers any colour you want. I fancied a change and went for Ferrari Giallo Modena Yellow, PPG code 84028 with black AP text.
After receiving and assessing my calipers, the bleed nipples had seized on some and required spark eroding and re-threading, which added about £80 to the cost. The pistons were all fine but seals and bleed nipples needed replacing so some more cost there too (£100). All pins, springs and metal inserts are vapour blasted and plated as standard.
Mine took five weeks in the end which was frustrating but it was well worth the wait. The quality of workmanship is superb. They look better than new IMO and at just shy of £700 for four calipers, whilst by no means cheap, is much cheaper than buying a new set. They're finally back on the car and I think with SG paintwork I'm preferring the yellow to the red.....
The red paint on mine had faded and chipped badly and some of the pistons had started to stick, so it was time to get them sorted.
Unfortunately AP aren't interested in servicing let alone refurbing calipers so I searched the Web and came across quite a few companies offering caliper refurbs. Reading some of the horror stories on various forums and social media sites however, it become all too evident that finding a reliable company wasn't going to be an easy task.
After eventually reading good reports on Rennlist about Jonny at Brakecaliperrefurbs.com, I took the plunge. He claimed to be able to provide a full caliper rebuild, new pistons and sealing kits if necessary, and had perfected transfers for the recessed AP Racing logos. Other companies only offered careful hand painting of the logo or skimming the caliper face flat then adding transfers; neither solution appealed to me.
Furthermore, they offered a ceramic coating to the caliper paint which is claimed to provide up to five years protection making it harder for brake dust to adhere to and much easier to clean. Time will tell.
As long as you give Jonny a paint code he'll paint your calipers any colour you want. I fancied a change and went for Ferrari Giallo Modena Yellow, PPG code 84028 with black AP text.
After receiving and assessing my calipers, the bleed nipples had seized on some and required spark eroding and re-threading, which added about £80 to the cost. The pistons were all fine but seals and bleed nipples needed replacing so some more cost there too (£100). All pins, springs and metal inserts are vapour blasted and plated as standard.
Mine took five weeks in the end which was frustrating but it was well worth the wait. The quality of workmanship is superb. They look better than new IMO and at just shy of £700 for four calipers, whilst by no means cheap, is much cheaper than buying a new set. They're finally back on the car and I think with SG paintwork I'm preferring the yellow to the red.....