The rear pads on these cars also operates the handbrake so they need to be in good nick.
Now a lot of cars I see are not doing terribly much at the back, the bias valve is usually the prob, see the 'Rear Brake Bias Valve' article for more information on this.
Anyway, this is an easy job as long as everything comes out easily. Later cars like this one which is a megane 2.0i 16V Cabriolet has the later rear calipers which have no bolts for the outer pad. The older calipers as found on 19s and have the outer pad held to the caliper by two T20 bolts.
Anyway, jack the car up, secure it, and remove the wheel.
This is what you have:
Remove the spring clip and slide the retaining bar out. Unscrew the outer pad retaining screws if fitted then remove the pads.
This is what you have:
Wire brush the caliper where the pads slide.
With the pads out this is what they look like:
As you can see these ones had glazed and were not doing very much.
This is the pad retaining bar. Wire brush all the brake dust/rust from it.
You need to take the old anti-rattle springs from the old pads and transfer them to the new pads.
The pads have a lug on the back, the lug goes into the notches on the caliper piston.
To retract the piston to allow the new pads to be fitted you have to wind the piston back in.
These slots are where you stick a screwdrivers shank in and rotate the pistons clockwise slowly to screw them back in. In the picture you can just make out the little notch on the piston just under the main groove. This has to be at the top so the notch in the pad fits.
Smear the backs of the new pads with copper grease and also on the pads ears so they slide easily.
Get in and pump the brake pedal a few times to get the pads in touch with the discs. That's it, the handbrake should work fine now as well.
Go easy on the brakes while they bed in, they will get better after a few hundred miles.
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