Citroen Brake Shoes for Sale in South Africa

Shoes themselves are inexpensive, and ATE, Ferodo, Motopart and Optima sets are all stocked through our network. Fitting is typically one to two hours for the pair. What we would insist on is that the job includes fresh return springs and hold-down hardware and a properly serviced adjuster — reusing rusted springs on a new set of shoes is how the same complaint comes back within the year, and the labour to do it twice costs more than the hardware ever would.

A rear squeal under light braking is usually first, followed by a handbrake that needs more travel and stopping distances that lengthen noticeably in the wet. Once the friction material has gone to the rivets you get a hard metallic scrape, and at that point the drum has almost certainly been scored and will need replacing too. Catching it at the squeal stage keeps it a shoe job rather than a shoe and drum job.

60,000 to 100,000 km typically — roughly double what a set of front pads manages, because the rear axle does far less of the stopping. Loads in the boot, rough roads and a failed automatic adjuster all pull that down. The most useful early warning is the handbrake: if it is gradually needing more clicks to hold on a slope, have the shoes and the adjuster inspected well before you reach the 80,000 km mark.

Most aftermarket sets include the return springs, hold-down pins and the adjuster, and you should use every piece of it. Old springs have taken a set and no longer pull the shoes fully clear of the drum, which means a light permanent drag. A rusted adjuster ratchet is worse — it is the specific cause of the repeat drum-wear complaints these cars are known for. New hardware is a small part of the bill and the part that decides whether the job lasts.

We supply Ferodo, ATE, Motopart and Optima shoe sets nationally. Sets for the C3 are generally on the shelf; the older C2 and C1 sizes usually need ordering in and take a few days. Send the VIN and we will confirm which yours is before you commit, along with the hardware kit — ordering the shoes without the springs is the most common way this job stalls halfway through.