Car passed it's mot (BUT)

[kieran40]

Originally Posted by harveys

very good chance the pig tail springs will get pulled out of shape when you remove th discs,so might want to get some new ones.

Do you mean the retaining springs on the calipers mate, never heard them called that before. I will replace everything needed.

[Tannaton]

I'm assuming that the brake imbalance refers to the normal brake which is the pads acting on the disc rather than the handbrake shoes?

With regard to parking brake this has been covered very well several times over - usual cure is to replace the shoes (with genuine Volvo ones) and install the manual adjusters. Check carefully the the inside surface of the discs as well for corrosion.

If you are a gentle driver a frequent cause of the rear imbalance is lack of use - discs get slightly rusty/ pitted and calipers stuck. New discs / pads and strip and clean of the calipers should sort. Would suggest you give the car a good thrashing on the way back to the test centre to exercise the brakes and get them warmed up. Might also be worth doing a brake fluid flush whilst you're at it.

Good luck!

[MWMan]

Originally Posted by harveys

very good chance the pig tail springs will get pulled out of shape when you remove th discs,so might want to get some new ones.

Very good point. For almost as long as I can remember, whenever I did the rear shoes on any car, I just replaced all the old springs. This time, I thought I would treat myself and get some replacements. Pleased I did - I damaged three out of the four pigtail springs getting them off - even when I knew which way they were meant to come off!!

Here's the kit I bought http://www.autosessive.com/products/...oe-fitting-kit

I also bought the Delphi discs, pads and brake shoes. I have only bought Delphi ball joints before, so we'll see how these go.