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hand brake question


mint
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We do have a garagiste who has served us well (more or less) over many years.

However, I have a question.  After some work on our break pads and a service, we find that the hand brake still does not engage until you have pulled it up to about 45°.  This is very different from our expectation that the hand brake would feel tighter and would engage at about 30°

I had to go to the garage today to ask about new tyres and I told the chap about the handbrake.  He told me that nowadays it is not normal practice to shorten handbrake cables.

Was he telling me porky pies or was he in fact correct in what he said?

Thank you[:)]

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mint wrote : After some work on our break pads and a service, we find that the hand brake still does not engage until you have pulled it up to about 45°. This is very different from our expectation that the hand brake would feel tighter and would engage at about 30°

I had to go to the garage today to ask about new tyres and I told the chap about the handbrake.

....

After a service of my Clio at my excellent garage I found that my handbrake was not 'biting' until in quite a high position so, as I had mentioned it as a point to look at, I was told that it was 100% as it should be.

I trust them .. but I know what you mean. The handbrake works fine and I haven't bothered to do any research so, perhaps, someone will add their 2p worth.

Edit : Apologies . .somehow my original post threw a wobbly and came out all wrong ..
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Many thanks for your replies, Sue and Pip.

Our car is 15 years old but I think that that probably is "modern" [:)]  Sometimes I wonder why we worry about these things when I see cars being driven around that appear to be just about hanging together in one piece!

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A common reason for rear brake/handbrake inefficiency is over-adjustment of the handbrake cable. Most rear disc brakes rely on the cable being just slack enough to allow the automatic adjustment mechanism to work. Too many "mechanics" try to solve a problem by tightening the cable.

If the cable is properly adjusted, the lever should reset to the correct position if the calipers are in good order.
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Very interesting question but unfortunately you will not get a definitive answer unless you accept the advise of your garage.

1.

As long as it bites (totally) and passed the appropriate country tests then surely its working.

2.

Not about brakes, but the first car youngest son had after passing his test was a clio from a local garage whose owner I knew well from social interaction (local pub) and had looked after our "fleet" of 2 family cars for some years

The clutch was only biting when really high and I was concerned that it was not going to last. He said it would be ok and indeed it did last until he sold it 2 years later - son was in to "image" phase.

For the last couple of weeks we have been in Corfu and rented a Hyundai I10. There are lots of ups and downs there. Its air con didnt work (105,000 kms of which most must have been using Air con so a re-pressure was probably overdue) but, also, the clutch was really biting high like young sons did.

We did go down to a secluded (and it proved to be a wonderfull) bay accessed by a very steep road. Probably easy for a 4x4 but perhaps not for an i10! Really struggled but did manage by turning the steering wheel left to right whilst wheels were spinning!! Heart in mouth experience.

Anyway - point is it worked and in the end you must decide who you can trust "on the ground".

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Many of us on this forum, dickieboy are forum friends and have known each other for a fair period.

Some members have met up and others are a couple.

To a large extent we enjoy each others’ company here and enjoy a little banter, as well as a good growl from time to time. We are also capable to helping each other with information and ideas as there is a wealth experience out there.

You, on the other hand seem to see the forum as a dull as ditchwater, depersonalised information exchange at the level of an instruction manual. As a result, you dont fit, feel uncomfortable, certainly have no sense of humour appropriate to this style. You might wish to ask whether you could not find a more appropriate place to hang out?

You may also notice that my first post on this thread was directed to mint with whom I have a happy, chatty relationship so that a little joke as to her driving skills would not have been taken amiss, though she is Welsh! And there was already plenty of good information fro her to use to solve her ikkle problem.

So, what have ypu got to moan and grunt about?
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Revenons à nos moutons![;-)]

I have returned to thank AZ and Sunflower for their further comments.  Indeed I am much reassured and have decided that I will just ask the garagiste next week to confirm that the hand brake is OK.  I will say that I just want to be certain as the car is due its CT early December.

The squabbling, whilst not totally unexpected, has amused me[:)]  I don't and have never minded a bit of ribbing; I like a bit of a laugh, moi!

Also, a bit of thread drift bothers me not in the least.  In "normal" conversation, that's how it goes, the topic under description wanders off here and there and we either return to the original topic or not at all.  As Wools has pointed out, I have had the useful answers I needed.  I always feel able to rely on the forum for answers or, if not answers, then at least enough to explore other ways to get answers.

Richard, I don't feel the thread is "contaminated" and I personally like forum answers rather than PMs.  PMs have their uses, of course, some things are not for public consumption.  The advantage of answers on the open forum, however, enables other people to also get their own similar questions answered.  If we all only communicated by PM, then there would be no need for a forum at all, would there?[:)]

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 I am a nightowl and last night, I tried to write three replies to R51's post. In the end I did not send any.

My efforts to say something were because I found there to be something disturbing and creepy and  about their posts on this thread.

The

veiled comments about what is 'normal' on the internet were, when I

looked up what was looked up most, it was not surprisingly porn, and so I don't think that we should sink to those depths of  internet norms.

I am not deliberately being obtuse either. IF R51 had meant forum etiquette. Well, they didn't say. And it doesn't matter anyway.

This board has always had a good old mix, of info, experiences, banter, humour, arguments and spats.And if it is a toss up between barbed comments and humour, well, something that makes me smile will win the day every single day of the year.

.

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mint, I like mine at 45 degrees, it means that if I wonder if I have put it on, I can see it poking up from outside my car. [:D]

We only had one car that was a 30 degree'er, it felt too sharp somehow and I found it hard using it for hill starts etc 

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[quote user="woolybanana"]Many of us on this forum, dickieboy are forum friends and have known each other for a fair period.

Some members have met up and others are a couple.

To a large extent we enjoy each others’ company here and enjoy a little banter, as well as a good growl from time to time. We are also capable to helping each other with information and ideas as there is a wealth experience out there.

You, on the other hand seem to see the forum as a dull as ditchwater, depersonalised information exchange at the level of an instruction manual. As a result, you dont fit, feel uncomfortable, certainly have no sense of humour appropriate to this style. You might wish to ask whether you could not find a more appropriate place to hang out?

You may also notice that my first post on this thread was directed to mint with whom I have a happy, chatty relationship so that a little joke as to her driving skills would not have been taken amiss, though she is Welsh! And there was already plenty of good information fro her to use to solve her ikkle problem.

So, what have ypu got to moan and grunt about?[/quote]

+1  You missed out the word MISFIT [6]

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Perhaps those posting on this thread and insulting me should re-read the forum code of conduct rather than make up their own versions.

Looking at the forum objectives may also be informative.

NB - "internet norms" have nothing to do with what is most read - how bizarre.

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"Perhaps those posting on this thread and insulting me should re-read the forum code of conduct rather than make up their own versions."

Insulting you? what about you insulting others for no reason at all other than having a different opinion that was genuinely given, without even mentioning you?
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Back to the subject of Mint's handbrake.

My preference is for the handbrake lever not to come up more than about 30º when fully applied, as the force actually applied to the brake mechanism decreases as the angle increases.

If the lever comes up more than this on a 15-year-old car it could be due to:

1) The automatic cable length adjusters for rear disc brakes being jammed or stuck

2) The automatic adjusters in the drum for rear drum brakes being jammed or stuck

3) The cables being stretched beyond the limit of the adjusters

From bitter experience I know that many garage operatives (I don't dignify them with any other title) don't know how to adjust brakes correctly, let alone how brake adjusters work.

I suggest you wait and see whether your car passes its CT before you spend any more on its brakes.

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This should be rather like a good old fashioned pub, rather than the school yard.

I don't expect to get on with everybody or agree with them, I have my own ideas, everyone does. And that's fine is, whether they be friends, family or people even I  am not terribly keen on.

 

If

I could find a word to describe  this, maybe it would

be,   perhaps ....... 'trumpeurosis'.  As in, wasn't me who started it, you are all to blame, I am just sticking up for myself and you are

all wrong any way and you are all breaking the rules.... and I didn't

start it, you all did, so there.
 

It's endless and I too dread seeing certain posts either hot under the collar or worse where apparently softer words are used.

No I am not having a go, at all........ if  this is just a silly silly game

being played by a bored BOF.......well I think it has worn thin if that

is the case.......  it should stop.

And if it is not a game, just how are any of us to know? Has your family has noticed this

behaviour, could they help you get some help. This isn't me being nasty at all......as either scenario needs something doing about it.

And I don't mind you having a point of view, but I have never appreciated being preached at. Or berated so fully  for my point of being contrary to yours.

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