***Definitive 147/156 GTA brake upgrade thread***

Definitive 147/156 GTA brake upgrade thread

Both the 156 and 147 GTA's were initially shipped out with 305mm front brake disks and corerespondingly sized calipers by Alfa.

Many customers reported warped brakes (you can feel a 'pulsing' through the pedal when braking lightly), so Alfa developed an uprated kit for both cars using a larger 330mm disk and larger caliper (rumoured to have been sourced from the ferrari parts bin).

No official re-call has been issued and so it has been left up to the individual driving the car to attempt to get the upgrade if their brakes warp. Different dealers seem to give conflicting advice with regards to this upgrade, and you may find some try to charge you for what should be a free upgrade providing your car is within its 3 year/60,000 mile warranty.

Following on from this sometime in 2003 model build the brakes on most 147 & 156 GTA's were upgraded automatically to the 330mm disks. These factory fitted kits can be noted by the fact that there is no longer a spare wheel in the boot, as this has been replaced with a puncture repair kit (as the original spare would not fit over the new larger sized front disk/calipers).

Confusion is still rife however as the Alfa website and brochures carried in dealers in the UK state that the 147GTA has "305mm front brake disks", but also a puncture repair kit instead of the spare wheel. Also some owners have chosen to retain the spare wheel even though it will not fit on the front of the car, (preferring to change the back wheel to the front in the event of a puncture).

Below I have added pictures showing clear differences between the 305mm and 330mm calipers both on and off the car, so that you can tell if your car has been upgraded.

My personal opinion is that this upgrade should be given out regardless of whether your brakes have warped or not. the fact an upgrade kit exists shows clearly that Alfa recogniose the standard brakes are not up to the task 100% of the time. Im sure that a lawyer would be able to comment better, but it would seem to me that if a fatality was caused as a result of standard brakes warping for the first time, alfa could well be held responsible.

Can those GTA owners that have been through the upgrade please post below the dealer and location that carried out their conversion, and any details about their experience so that we can pool information on this (how long it took them to agree, how many times the standard brakes warped, service manager name etc etc)
PLEASE NOTE-THIS ISNT RESTRICTED OT UK OWNERS ONLY
Please post up if you are from another country and have managed to get a free or part cost upgrade to your GTA 305mm brakes

Edit: Many thanks to Trailbraker PeterK and DavidC for the pictures which Ive labelled below

UK DEALER LIST:
WALES:
Victoria Park, Cardiff: 1 upgrade

SCOTLAND:
Arnold Clark, Perth: 1 upgrade

ENGLAND:
Reg Vardy, Darlington. Service manager John McVickers: 2x upgrades
Dixons, Leeds: 1 upgrade
Mangoletsi, Knutsford, Cheshire: 1 upgrade
County Motors, Carlisle: 1 upgrade
Fish Brothers, Swindon: 1 upgrade
DBS Desira, Hertford: 1 upgrade
Perry's Amersham: 1 upgrade

AUSTRALIA: No upgrades available at this time...

HOLLAND: No free upgrades so far but....
Maasland in voorburg have done a conversion for 300 Euro's for 1 owner
Wouters in Tilburg have completed a conversion, cost yet to be confirmed......

EDIT:
Part numbers for 305 to 330mm conversion:
F0077362692 BRAKE PADS X1
F0077362676 CALIPER X1
F0077362677 CALIPER X1
F0051733051 BRAKE DISC X2
F0060693782 PIPE X1
F0060693783 PIPE X1
F0060693576 BRACKET X1
F0060693575 BRACKET X1

If your car has the 17" multispokes then you also need a new set of wheels (either the original teledails or the upraded new style 17" multispokes from the facelifted 156 range)
These are the part numbers for the original teledials:
F006067673 WHEEL X4

Also you should really get the emergency repair kit (sealing 'goo', pump etc) for if you get a flat, but you can just keep the spare wheel, although if you get a puncture on the front youll have to put the spacesaver on the rear, then transfer the rear wheel to the front - laborious but ultimately more sensible than filling a wheel with 'goo I think...
F0060690948 EMERGENCY KIT X1

I had the upgrade on my GTA, I don't believe it was necessary to have the 330mm setup, I don't believe that the brakes were underspecced for the car, mine warped at speeds under 50mph I reckon a defective batch of calipers is more likley as not everyone was effected but hey I wasn't about to complain my discs warped approx every 3k and I had 4 sets of discs before getting the upgrade, my dealer was cool, basically told me that before I can get the upgrade I have to go through the process of disc chnages etc. for suitable justification, after so many sets I got the upgrade FOC the only real hassle was that the brake pipe was out of stock so they had all the bits for the change but the pipe but hey not every manufacturer will sort you out in this manner so I was happy to wait, as for it being a recall, its not that serious, you will not really loose any breaking efficiency, its an annoyance thats all.

My dealer was Victoria Park Alfa in Cardiff, after the upgrade the brakes felt good but then they always did even with the 305mm even warped, I have had that same 305mm setup on other cars with no issues and they were a lot faster, no warping issues even with track use, so reckon either bad batch of discs or calipers but as Alfa were speccing larger on newer models it was just as easy to solve that way, the reason for the increase most likely being because the number of magazines that commented on the Alfa having smaller setup than its direct competitors (Ford/VW etc.) despite the car out braking all of them.

2003(52) gta sportwagon purchased in Jan 2005 (10,000 miles) from reg vardy Darlington.Brakes warped upon delivery, complained and upgrade agreed upon straight away (subject to phone call to alfa) service manager john mcvickers, decent chap.
Before this work was crried out I also approached reg vardy leicester who refused to accept it could possibly be a warranty claim.
Mangoletsi who said it shouldn't be a problem and they hold the parts in stock.
Guest who said it would depend on their area warranty chap but it should be ok.
Hope this helps.

Bought my first 156 GTA Jan 03. Warped about 3 sets of discs, had one set skimmed aswell. As soon as the upgrade became available, Reg Vardy Darlo (again John McVickers) sorted it no problem. IIRC car was then about 2 to 2.5 years old.
The current 156GTA Ive got came with the 330mm discs already on (although was a year old) so dont know whether they were factory fitted or dealer fitted, it was an Alfa UK car until I bought it.

My discs were warped quite badly, especially when slowing from motorway speeds.

The car was taken into Dixon Alfa south Leeds branch, and i explained what the problem was. Obviously i knew about the upgrade, however I didn't mention it.

When I went to collect the car, they said that their main technical guy had agreed that the brakes were warped, and before i had the chance to utter the word 'upgrade', he continued to say they were now speaking to Alfa to arrange a free upgrade to the brake system.

So, if your in the Leeds area, i'd recommend Dixons to sort out your warped discs!

Hi guys!

Thanks for this informative thread. I just picked up my 147 GTA on Saturday there, and was worried about whether it had the upgrade.

Now - with thanks to the very helpful pictures posted by UL Old Skool, I was able to confirm that it has. It is an April 2003 UK car, so I am not sure if it came fitted with them, or they were upgraded.

Thanks again for an informative site!

Ecurie, you lucky ****... Just checked out my calipers against Uk's photo's. I dont have the upgrade as previously thought. So HELP is still required for my warped discs...
From what i can see on other threads, Cardiff, Leeds, Darlo and Liverpool seem to be the only areas for successful upgrades under warranty. Is there a definative list of Alfa dealers that will carry out these works ? Does anyone know which Alfa dealer to approach along the "Mighty" M4?
It seems stupid to fork out for an AD upgrade if I can get one done for free..

Originally Posted by Ecurie Ecosse

It is an April 2003 UK car, so I am not sure if it came fitted with them, or they were upgraded.

If it was built in April 2003 it will have originally had the 305mm setup.
Production of GTAs with 305mm brakes stopped in Nov 2003, when production was restarted in Jan 2004 they were fitted with the 330mm setup.

So it will have been upgraded.

@Foxie - ive sent a PM to all the users on this forum that have mentioned their cars getting the brake upgrade so hopefully some more will follow the good natured fellows that have posted here already and we can use this thread to build up a list of brake upgrade friendly folks. Although I have to say that I would have thought Leeds is an option for you if your in Liverpool.....
If your still unsure of your brakes, take a pic of the caliper and post it up (even with a camera phone should be OK) you can attach photos from your PC to posts on this thread

DavidC's mail makes sense to me

Ecurie Ecosse said he had the big brakes which he confirmed by looking at the pictures various people including myself posted.

DavidC logically inferred that this must have been as a result of an upgrade since they didn't make them with big brakes at the time his car was built..

Is DavidC ever wrong ?

TB

Originally Posted by ukoldschool

David C can you edit your post please as it doesnt make sense......
Theres nothing to say that Foxie's brake has definately been upgraded and from what he understands of the pictures it hasnt.

Your right (of course) Trailbraker, I misread and thought DavicC was replying to Ecurie Ecosse rather than Foxie - so it me thats wrong!!
ive edited mine so it reads correctly........

sorry David!

By the way - hope you both dont mind me knicking those pictures and posting them here so there in one place?

Started to update dealer list in the first post.

Can any GTA owners from other countries that have managed to get an upgrade please post their details as well so we can add it on.

No probs.
I'm sure your welcome to all the piccies - and also appreciated for trying to gather all the info from various sources for the benefit of others

Cheers!
TB

Originally Posted by ukoldschool

Your right (of course) Trailbraker, I misread and thought DavicC was replying to Ecurie Ecosse rather than Foxie - so it me thats wrong!!
ive edited mine so it reads correctly........

sorry David!

By the way - hope you both dont mind me knicking those pictures and posting them here so there in one place?

Originally Posted by Trailbraker

No probs.
I'm sure your welcome to all the piccies - and also appreciated for trying to gather all the info from various sources for the benefit of others

Cheers!
TB

Ditto.

brgds
Peter

You can chalk up Australia as a NO UPGRADE nation. I've tried repeatedly but ATECO (the Australian importer) isn't interested in participating in the "good will" campaign that many of you folks in the UK are privy to. That being said, my dealer is happy to replace warped 305mm rotors under warranty.

I have a October 2003 147 GTA that had covered 21000 miles when the brake warping first became apparent. I'd been to North Wales for a few days in July and the weather was amazingly warm, driving on those fantastic twisty mountain roads must have taken it's toll on the brakes however as on my journey home I was experiencing violent juddering when braking from motorway speeds. After a couple of days of doing my own brake checks I was convinced that my brakes were warped, I could even feel it a slow speeds so I knew contacting the dealer was the next step.
I first tried Caledonia in Warrington, they new of the problem but due to my mileage they said there was nothing they could do under warranty. I then tried A. S. Jones in Flintshire North Wales but they hadn't even heard of the problem and were not very interested. I then tried Mangoletsi in Knutsford, Cheshire, they'd experienced the problem before and were in fact dealing with a 156 GTA with the same problem at that time. They asked me to bring the car to them so they could check it for themselves which I did and they agreed the brakes were indeed warped. Mangoletsi then had to start a case for the upgrade with Alfa Romeo themselves, this took a few days but I was then contacted and booked in at the first opportunity. The work should have just taken a day but one of the calipers had not turned up, this just delayed things a little as the next day it arrived and the car was soon ready. Though the upgrade was completely covered by Alfa I had to pay for new pads due to my mileage, though I'd rather not have to they were only 67.00.
I was thoroughly impressed with the level of care received from Mangoletsi and in particular Paul on the service desk. I'm also very happy with the upgrade the discs and calipers look and work great.

Bravo Mangoletsi!

21,000 for a set of pads is pretty good BTW
Sounds like you got a good deal overall.

TB

Originally Posted by chuckm76

I have a October 2003 147 GTA that had covered 21000 miles when the brake warping first became apparent. I'd been to North Wales for a few days in July and the weather was amazingly warm, driving on those fantastic twisty mountain roads must have taken it's toll on the brakes however as on my journey home I was experiencing violent juddering when braking from motorway speeds. After a couple of days of doing my own brake checks I was convinced that my brakes were warped, I could even feel it a slow speeds so I knew contacting the dealer was the next step.
I first tried Caledonia in Warrington, they new of the problem but due to my mileage they said there was nothing they could do under warranty. I then tried A. S. Jones in Flintshire North Wales but they hadn't even heard of the problem and were not very interested. I then tried Mangoletsi in Knutsford, Cheshire, they'd experienced the problem before and were in fact dealing with a 156 GTA with the same problem at that time. They asked me to bring the car to them so they could check it for themselves which I did and they agreed the brakes were indeed warped. Mangoletsi then had to start a case for the upgrade with Alfa Romeo themselves, this took a few days but I was then contacted and booked in at the first opportunity. The work should have just taken a day but one of the calipers had not turned up, this just delayed things a little as the next day it arrived and the car was soon ready. Though the upgrade was completely covered by Alfa I had to pay for new pads due to my mileage, though I'd rather not have to they were only 67.00.
I was thoroughly impressed with the level of care received from Mangoletsi and in particular Paul on the service desk. I'm also very happy with the upgrade the discs and calipers look and work great.

After contact with my dealer (Wouters, Tilburg, NL) the new brakes have been ordered. It needs to be done with or without help from Alfa.

The request for the upgrade was sent to italy since the importer in NL changed a while back. They knew about the upgrade but there was doubt if it is still payed for by Alfa NL.

My dealer will supply the upgrade against costprice and fitting is done for free. Any help from Alfa is a bonus. Quote was about 650 euro ex BTW (VAT) in total.

Sept. 1st my GTA gets bigger brakes and they will be run in and tested at Zolder on Sept 2nd.

You won't believe how much my GTA needs new brakes. The drive to the south of France made that very clear. Breaking at the 'peage' ports was special this year.

Have lots of fun with them

BTW will you be abe to report back on the level of wear you suffer at the track with them (the most worn pad will be the left front wheel for clockwise circuits).
Maybe you can measure the before and after?

Cheers,
TB

Originally Posted by guezen

After contact with my dealer (Wouters, Tilburg, NL) the new brakes have been ordered. It needs to be done with or without help from Alfa.

The request for the upgrade was sent to italy since the importer in NL changed a while back. They knew about the upgrade but there was doubt if it is still payed for by Alfa NL.

My dealer will supply the upgrade against costprice and fitting is done for free. Any help from Alfa is a bonus. Quote was about 650 euro ex BTW (VAT) in total.

Sept. 1st my GTA gets bigger brakes and they will be run in and tested at Zolder on Sept 2nd.

You won't believe how much my GTA needs new brakes. The drive to the south of France made that very clear. Breaking at the 'peage' ports was special this year.

Got my discs and calipers upgraded at 34,000 miles after the 4th set of discs warped. Carlisle dealer County Motors were a bit reluctant but eventually did it when I begged.

Now done 36,500 miles, new brakes fine but nothing wrong with old ones apart from the warping.