How to replace a 307 handbrake (with pics)

[vjohn82]

When I was looking at buying my 307 I noticed that the button on the handbrake was missing. I pointed this out to the dealer and he knocked off £30 for me to buy a replacement.

So I replaced it and it cost £10 for the full handbrake unit from a scrappy. Nice saving. Being a relatively simple thing to do (I watched the mechanic remove one from the donor 307) I thought I would post some pics of how I did mine in case anyone needs to carry out this work. It will also be useful for people who need to remove the console fascias to get access to the gearbox, behind the heater control panel etc.

I hope it is useful.

Stage one is to locate the torx screws by pulling out the coin/ash tray. Undo these.



Next is to pull out the centre fascia. It's clip based system so do not pull aggressively on one side otherwise the clip might break and then you are left with a rattling interior. I used a chisel I found in my toolbox but any thin edge would work. Just twist it and then it should pop off.



Now you need to get access to the handbrake area. You will need to lift the middle casing to winch the handbrake out. Start by removing the drink holder casing by pulling it upwards... again it's a clip based system.



Then the same for the rear storage tray. This is a flexible piece of rubber but reveals another torx screw which needs to be removed to lift the casing.

[vjohn82]

Lift up the casing like this. Remove the arm rests (if you have them). The location of the seats needs some thought but it depends on how much leverage you think you can get. Pull towards the back and up and it should come away quite easily. It's quite robust so don't worry about using a little brute force.



If you lift the carpet either side of the casing, you will see two 13mm bolts. Remove these. The centre strut for the handbrake cable also needs to be removed. You can remove the cables from the bridge piece instead if that's easier. Note the position of the centre bolt (13mm) as this is where you should tighten it up to when you fit the new handbrake. There is also another bolt at the top of the picture which might need an extension if you lifted the casing before checking (like I did). It's 13mm too.



The bit circled yellow is the cable for the airbag bypass... there is a pinch clip attached (you'll see where it is when you lift the casing). You need to pinch it underneath to release the cable before removing the handbrake assembly).



Before lifting out the handbrake assembly you need to remove the sensor too.

[vjohn82]

Reverse all of those steps to fit the new assembly and job done! Make sure you adjust your handbrake afterwards. You need to make sure the handbrake is fully released so that the strut goes back far enough to refit the bridge and bolt.

Tighten up to the spot it was in before and just make the adjustments needed.

[jmkent]

Good job there

[vjohn82]

Originally Posted by jmkent

Good job there

Thanks... I try to do as much on my cars as possible. Need to get a Haynes manual now!