Brake pads

Turnipman · Post by **Turnipman** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:27 am

Ok this one seems like a no brainer, I need new pads on the front but the disks are fine, the disks are the solid ones not the vented ones by the way.

I would assume most people go to kwik fit, but i fell uneasy going to a place that has the name kwik in it.

Where do you guys normally go and what type of price am i expecting, pads at euro car parts are like Â£25 for a pair?

Vocalise you merry bunch of informaion people of great power.

dragon · Post by **dragon** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:33 am

I go to my driveway and do it myself

Turnipman · Post by **Turnipman** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:52 am

Granted I don't have machanical mind but i am not a muppet, could this job be done easily or will i bring in the sunset tonight under my car?

cos you can

dragon · Post by **dragon** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 12:02 pm

Well it took me, on my first ever brake change (I'm not overly mechanical-minded either), with rusted bolts to contend with a little over 2 hours to replace my front pads AND discs -
so just pads ought to be about an hour. If you do do it, it's worth wire-brushing your calipers to get most of the rust off them before you put the new pads in, particularly the channel the pads get pushed along in by the hydrauling ram. Don't forget to open your brake fluid resovoir to allow you to push back the rams easier (still quite a hard part of the job as they are very stong)

pol · Post by **pol** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 12:03 pm

It is a very easy job and probably the first thing I ever did on a car myself which got me started on everything. Even haynes manuals are good for this job. All you need is the big allen key for the caliper and you're away. The pads just clip into the caliper once its removed. It's only 2 bolts so get out there and learn!

pol

chris1roll · Post by **chris1roll** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 1:34 pm

Once you know exactly what your doing its a piece of piss. We changed rpruens pads in 15 mins including jacking up and down.
As Dragon said if it was discs as well, when i did front and rear discs and pads i was doing all sodding day cos of the stupid rusty bolts. (ts not just 480's though, theres a mates golf in our workshop cos he rounded off a caliper bolt)
Proper volvo front pads are only Â£35ish.

So go and do it yourself and save the money that you would have paid a monkeh to do it for you, and spend it on optimax or something!

martinholmesuk · Post by **martinholmesuk** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 3:02 pm

Look at http://volvo480.northernscum.org.uk/for ... php?t=4805 for lots of info.

Turnipman · Post by **Turnipman** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 6:36 pm

Ok so i went to halfords got the pads easy, got home jacked up and manage to get all bolts undone exept the locking bolt. You all know what kind of shape it is, so the outer ring completly snapped off, not my day it seems.

While i am at work tomorrow my dad says he will try heating up and cooling it down see if that does it.

But if doesn't, any ideas of how to get it off.

chris1roll · Post by **chris1roll** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 7:33 pm

exept the locking bolt. You all know what kind of shape it is, so the outer ring completly snapped off

youve got me a bit confused by that:

1) loosen wheel bolts
2) Jack up
3) take the wheel off
4) remove the metal spring.
5) using two 13mm(iirc) spanners, loosen the upper caliper bolt
6) remove hte lower caliper bolt
7) swing up the caliper,

remove old pads

and then put back together.

ignore the arrow, see where the tools are, these (and the same at the top)are the only bolts you need to touch to do the pads. Are you having trouble with these?

chris1roll · Post by **chris1roll** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 7:43 pm

Xtra hint, use a pair of plumbers grips to push the caliper back in with. make sure it goes in straight else it will be a pain, you may have to squeeze on one side then the other, you'll know what i mean when you do it.

deviliShred480 · Post by **deviliShred480** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 9:54 pm

pol · Post by **pol** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 10:44 pm

I don't know what locking nut you could mean?

pol

chris1roll · Post by **chris1roll** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:02 pm

Try a piece of wood across the piston and lever roughly in the middle to push it back evenly. Another trick is to place a socket in the recess of the piston and push on that to put the force in the center of the piston.
Hate to try to teach someone how to suck eggs but sometimes we get set in our ways and don't always go looking for alternative solutions, and also I thought it was also the idea of the forum to exchange ideas.

Thatas a better idea actually.
I shall try that next time, sure mine are coming up for renewal, done about 10 thousand miles with these

grooved discs shred them!

Murf · Post by **Murf** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:33 pm

are the front ones the same as the back where you have to wind back the auto adjuster bolts? or do you just push the piston in with a g-clamp?

JohnTurbo · Post by **JohnTurbo** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 12:11 am

G clamp the fronts, wind in the rears. G clamp is the best way by far, but not everyone has a g-clamp that big. Luckily i do