Volvo V50/C30/S40 Brake Replacement Guide | How To Install Rear Discs & Brake Pads 2011-2016

Our 2011 Volvo V50 1.6 Diesel started to make a loud grinding noise from the back drivers side wheel. It didn't take long to realise that it was brake related, as it got worse when the brakes were applied, and was present when the hand brake was released. After driving a few yards the noise stopped, only to start once again when the brakes were used.

#ad Here's what we used in this video (affiliate links). As an eBay Partner Network affiliate and Amazon Associate, we earn commissions from qualifying purchases:
- Vacuum Bleeder kit : https://ebay.us/5QucJ8
- Front 278mm & Rear Brake Disks & Pads: https://ebay.us/omP10i
- Front Calliper Brake Springs: https://ebay.us/FrZnSN
- Rear Calliper Brake Springs: https://ebay.us/VqxzRr
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Checking in the history file it looked like the brakes have done around 50,000 miles since they were last replaced. So we assumed that they would all need replacing so we ordered disks and pads for all four wheels.

Our Volvo V50 1.6 diesel is our work horse car and only gets the repairs and maintenance that it needs to just keep running. It is a tribute to the car that in reallity it causes so few problem. It is in quite reasonable condition for it's age and mileage. However the underside of the car isn't as good as the top.

The brakes on this car are the same as used on a lot of Ford Focus and Peugeot cars. The main thing for the V50 is that the bigger engine, 2.0l, cars have larger front disks, the 1.6 has 278mm disks so you need to look out for this, but in general they are pretty much the same.

While we were doing the brakes we also took the opportunity to address some of the rustier parts, mainly in an effort to slow down the deterioration rather than doing a restoration. The brake dust covers are very rotten, this happens on most cars of this age. To replace them would involve removing the hub, which then leads on to you might as well do the bearings, so a small job snowballs in time and expense. So we decided to trim off the worst parts, and give them a rust treatment. The might not work as well as new ones, but they shouldn't cause an issue for a while, and if we do replace any bearings we will replace them at the time.

The only part that caused any issue with removing the brakes was the springs that clam the calliper to the calliper carrier. They are only held on by hooking into a hole, but the always seem to seize solid and break when you take them out. We did make both of them unusable in removal, so like I say in the video it is worth buying new ones straight away.

The rear calliper also works as the hand brake. When the piston is pushed out by fluid when you press the brakes, the piston screws out on a mechanism that is used to apply the hand brake. This means you have to screw them back in rather than just pushing the pistons back. Although I have two tolls which give over eight different options to connect to the holes on the pistons, none of the options worked. I have been shown and used a "shade tree" method in the past. Using needle point plyers to go into the holes and a screwdriver as a lever to turn them. We did cut the points off the plyers, and reshaped them a little with an angle grinder. The worked fine and just for the cost of a £5 pair of plyers, which we could use in the future for the same job.

Having replaced and fettled the rear brakes we turned our attention to the fronts. Surprisingly the front pads where only around 50% worn, and the disks looked good for another set of pads. Importantly they all looked to be wearing at the same rate, ie none were seized. So we decided to give the fronts a clean up and save the disks and pads for a future time. I suspect the brakes will not be an issue for more than 10,000 miles so it would foolish to change then now just for the sake of it. We did a similar rust treatment to front carriers, cover and parts, with a squirt of silver paint to make them look nice, then put the wheel back on.

Overall it wasn't a difficult job and the brakes on this car should be good for a number of years now. Let's see what we have to attend to next.

For more helpful how-to guides and restoration project logs, visit our blog: https://www.spannerrash.com/

Hochgeladen am 07.07.2025   Problem melden   Dieses Video bei YouTube   SPANNER RASH bei Youtube