207 Discs and Pads

[mickeymoon]

Hi All,

Need to replace discs and pads on my 207 before it's MOT in a month. Are there any pitfalls I should watch out for?

Thanks!

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

Not sure about the 207 specifically but for pads in general....

especially if its an early-ish one with little value, put it in for MOT before you spend on the brakes; just in case the Tester throws up any nasty surprises. You know that you can MOT it 28 days before its due date and not lose out, ie you can get up to a year & 28 days ticket. If its due say March 30th, you can put it in on the 2nd and if it fails you've then got 14 days to get it re-tested, usually free, and a further 14 days after that; should it fail the re-test.

Loosen the road wheels before you jack it, they can be a pain to get undone elsewise.

First thing to check before you start: that you've got the right parts and that the fixing screws in the face of the Discs will come out. Give the head of the screws a good wallop, with a well fitting screwdriver / screwdriver bit in em before attempting to turn 'em.

Check you've got the necessary sizes of spanners, my 405 has 16mm and 18mm nuts & bolts on it, which are unusual sizes; and partic with any bigger bolts you've got summat big & sturdy enough to actually get 'em undone.

Don't do it on a Sunday if poss, especially if you need it for work Monday. Its handy for the local Motor Factors to be open should you need to go buy summat.

Before you take it apart, it looks obvious how it goes back in, but it can be less than obvious when you're trying to put it back together: take photos so you can refer to them if need be.

Have something on hand, I usually use a bungee, so that the caliper doesn't dangle free when you remove it. A brake hose is not designed to support a dangling caliper's weight.

Having removed the caliper, clean the areas of it where the pads move against it with a drill & rotary brush and apply small amounts of copper grease in these locations.

Check the brake pedal before you lower it back to the ground, including that the wheel turns reasonably freeliy, ie that the new pads are releasing properly. Use a G-Clamp & a piece of wood or similar to work the piston in the caliper back & forth if there's a problem. Clean any oily paw prints off the disc .

If you're gonna run it in gear while jacked & safely supported, with the removed wheel under the cill as an 'extra safe', make sure the wheel bolts are in, else you'll bend the new fixing screws for the disc.

Check the brake pedal feels fine before you put it in gear and the first inch or two that you move after you've done it, at less than walking pace; check the brakes work fine too.

And perhaps most importantly, work safely, a ton + of car can kill you if it comes down on your head, and that can happen a lot quicker than the time it takes to say "what the f***"

Good on ya for doing it yourself. Satisfying and a lot cheaper than paying for it to be done. Its not the most difficult of jobs, but to someone who's not done it before, its a big deal. Don't cut corners and if you're not sure if its right, consider the consequences before you potentially find that you can't stop when you need to: prison food, conscience, your pride n joy, & all that.

[mickeymoon]

Thanks for the advice.

I've done pads and discs many times, I was more curious if there's anything awkward on them like Xantia fronts can be, or Saab 900 front-handbraked cars.

I get what your saying about the MOT but.. well, it's a 2007 with only 82k on it and it's been utterly cosseted and doted on by it's one and only previous owner. Last MOT it had some bits done, but no advisories. I can't see anything it should fail on, not even perished or rotten brake pipes or bushes.

It's getting done in a month as it's due on the 2nd April.... and my other car is due on the 1st April, so that's getting done on Thursday this week as it's our "main" car. I can't afford to do both this month

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[Bick]

Hi All,

Need to replace discs and pads on my 207 before it's MOT in a month. Are there any pitfalls I should watch out for?

Thanks!

Hi mickeymoon

No nothing to worry about - you may run into the usual French brake parts confusion at your chosen supplier so if you can remove a disc and pads and take them in may save you some time.

Take care pushing the pistons back - nice and slow

Thats about it

[CitroJim]

I'll be more than happy to assist you with swapping them

Anyway, it'll be good to see you...

[mickeymoon]

I'll be more than happy to assist you with swapping them

Anyway, it'll be good to see you...

That's most kind of you. We will have to work out a day and I'll pop up.

[CitroJim]

That's most kind of you. We will have to work out a day and I'll pop up.

Excellent Be quick as my calendar is now very busy with sporting events

[van ordinaire]

Good stuff from Pug XUD! Nothing that's not 2nd nature to me but good to have it all set out logically.

Never thought of using a bungee though, but wouldn't have thought you could get one short enough. I usually use a bit of wire coat hangar, if I can find it but inevitably end up just wedging the calliper up somewhere.

One thing I would add is, if it's 1st time on a new/strange vehicle read up how to do it in a manual, even if it's only a Haynes comic (I really struggled 1st time I did the rears on the Cadillac, even though they were similar to others I was familiar with - still do if the caliper has to come off as there is NO procedure for disconnecting the emergency brake - as it's now termed)

[CitroJim]

One thing I would add is, if it's 1st time on a new/strange vehicle read up how to do it in a manual, even if it's only a Haynes comic

Good thinking...

I have a 207 comic and a complete, if a bit poorly, 207 for reference...

The 207 comic is, by BoL standards, not bad at all.. It more or less works

[RichardW]

Some of them appear to be fitted with the same Teves brakes as our C4 Pic. If this is the case, then have fun getting the anti-rattle spring back on!!!

[CitroJim]

But that's the kind of 'fun' I enjoy Richard - you know me

[mickeymoon]

That's most kind of you. We will have to work out a day and I'll pop up.

Excellent Be quick as my calendar is now very busy with sporting events

It would probably be easier for you to suggest a day and I'll work to that

My other car passed its MOT today which was a relief.

[CitroJim]

My other car passed its MOT today which was a relief.

Excellent Congratulations on that!

[van ordinaire]

Always fun when you find you've got different brakes (in this instance) to the ones cover by the manual.

More of your idea of "fun" Jim?

[mickeymoon]

My other car passed its MOT today which was a relief.

Excellent Congratulations on that!

Always fun when you find you've got different brakes (in this instance) to the ones cover by the manual.

More of your idea of "fun" Jim?

The number of times I have discovered this while working on cars, ZXs and Xantias seem a favourite - usually when in bits, and GSF had given me the wrong bits - is annoyingly large..

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