Handbrake

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RUM4MO
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Re: Handbrake

Post by RUM4MO »

silverhairs wrote: Fri Jul 27, 2018 11:50 am You have to remember, 95 BHP and under have brake drums at the rear, over that they have discs all round. Drums do take longer to bed in.
I'd say that while that might be an acceptable statement to make with referance to a well used car being just fitted with new rear brake shoes, it certainly does not cut the mustard for someone driving a new car out of the showroom, any "bedding" of brakes if it was required, should have been done at the factory.

In other words, I've bought quite a few new cars with rear drum brakes and I've never ever needed to consider that I'd need to wait until the shoes/drums bedded in, basically the same when replacing the rear brake shoes, the biggest issue was always making sure that the auto adjust was in good working order and had sorted itself out after the new brake shoes were fitted.
bwd
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Re: Handbrake

Post by bwd »

Just had call from Garage and they say that despite fact you need massive muscles to pull the handbrake they claim nothing wrong with handbrake and seem uninterested - I am raising a formal complaint about this as we should not be in position where my wife and daughter are struggling to engage the brake due to poor mechanical design. I can bet VW do a change. For info they have done a safety recall mod to rear seat belts at same time - that was after saying to me that there was nothing wrong a couple of months ago when I asked. If enough people complain maybe they will recall to sort the handbrake.

However, when I went to pick up car they said as a goodwill gesture as their customer car manager could see the issue, they are going to replace all the brake cables - will be back into garage on Wednesday.

I checked a Lupo handbrake in showroom and it was a smooth action - as Polo should be (and was in the 2015 plate we had).
RUM4MO
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Re: Handbrake

Post by RUM4MO »

You would think that this is a very easy issue to check, maybe load the "faulty" car up with 4 or 5 people and some luggage, attempt to get it to hold on the handbrake both pointing up and pointing down a slope of ?? degrees after applying the handbrake using a force of ??kilos force - ie using a spring balance set or even something more complex, that sort of test should be repeatable - I'd think that VW Group as well as all other motor manufacturers know exactly how to quantify the effectiveness of the parking brake - or as it get called nowadays, the emergency brake, and have a figure that test I'm suggesting.

Edit:- if I was a technical expert at the importers, ie VW UK, I'd be very annoyed and embarrassed about silly incidents like this, it really does expose VW Group's lack of competence - and makes it even easier to lose (more) sales, remember to tell all your friends etc about this, that sort of story makes potential customers think!
JohnF
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Re: Handbrake

Post by JohnF »

I've done nearly 2000 miles in my 95SE, and the handbrake situation did not impress me from day 1. "Why was it so stiff to apply?" I kept asking myself.

The other day I had to park on on a moderate slope with my wife driving. She applied the brake (and doesn't it take some effort anyway!) She then asked if she should put it into gear, and thankfully I said yes, but only after the car slipped downhill a foot or so.

It's a potential disaster waiting for someone, and certainly of more immediate concern than the dodgy seat belt saga (which I am still waiting for a recall from my dealer by the way. Why?)
RUM4MO
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Re: Handbrake

Post by RUM4MO »

Both these issues, okay the rear seat belt situation is stupid/crazy and is being addressed, should be covered by the rules/regs/conditions surrounding designing a motor vehicle for private use on public highways - did someone throw the book away, or is VW Group now using it to prop up a wonky desk?

Consider this, if VW Group are missing out a few/lot of the simple things in car design, what else are they messing up on?
bwd
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Re: Handbrake

Post by bwd »

Had car booked in today to get new handbrake cable and when fitting they found a fault with new one!! They now report that demand for cables is large and no more available in UK and are having to order from Germany - suggests that this very stiff & notchy handbrake issue could be widespread. They can't say when they will get a replacement........

When I picked up car there was a new one in showroom - that handbrake action was smooth and garage now agrees there is a definite fault so if anyone has a handbrake which is stiff, notchy and feels wrong it probably needs to be replaced.
RUM4MO
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Re: Handbrake

Post by RUM4MO »

I'd think that in that state, if you take your car to an MOT station, it might jut fail on the handbrake, so VW have your money, so need to swop cars until they can fix your car, I'd even say that they should be removing cables from new stocked cars to keep delivered cars going, makes sense?

This sort of fix has happened in the past where Audi and VW removed coils from new stocked Skoda Octavias as they had older/better versions of coils fitted, it can be done!

Edit:- stocks of modified handbrake cables are not your problem, VW might even end up being forced to block hire similar sized cars from another marque so that all affected and maybe not completely safe to use cars can be taken off the road, this has also been done in USA when Audi and VW sold too many cars with what turned out to be duff coils, I'd expect in that mess up, Audi and VW lost quite a lot of sales back to the USA built Japanese loaner cars they block hired to hand out to customers, serves them right, they messed. Losers should always lose out, discuss with your dealer!
Pololass
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Re: Handbrake

Post by Pololass »

Hmm. There's definitely something amiss with these handbrake cables. Mine was too easy to pull on and didn't hold on even the slightest of inclines when pulled up to the absolute max but was either missed or ignored on the pre handover check.
Perhaps VW are wise to the issue now and over tightening the cables in new cars to compensate? Hill start or not you still need a handbrake!
RUM4MO
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Re: Handbrake

Post by RUM4MO »

On the just previous model of Skoda Fabia, quite a few owners were taking their cars back in when almost new due to the handbrake cable adjuster slackening off, very basic stuff to get right I would have thought, this is not new technology?

Edit:- I missed your comment on hill start or hill hold, this function on Polo, well on my wife's August 2015 6C Polo, is just hill hold light, it only holds the ABS valves shut for maybe 3 > 5 seconds, on my old 2011 Audi S4, it has proper hill hold along with an electric handbrake, so when you select hill hold to be active, which for cars with electric handbrakes should be all of the time to avoid early failure of the handbrake motor assemblies(!?), the car holds for ever or until you either move off, undo the driver's seat belt, open the driver's door, or switch the engine off - at which point it will always change to selecting the electric hand brake for safety. So maybe hill hold will improve once we all end up with electric hand brakes, though I'd rather have a cable handbrake for control!
david.stark
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Re: Handbrake

Post by david.stark »

Does anyone know, in light of this handbrake issue, how effective leaving a manual gearbox in gear is should the handbrake fail on a hill? It’s a tip that has been around for many years.

When it comes to automatics, which I’ve bought, is park enough to hold it on a hill if the handbrake fails?
silverhairs
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Re: Handbrake

Post by silverhairs »

One thing you didn't mention was when leaving a manual gearbox car on a hill apart from leaving it in gear, remember to leave a duster on the steering wheel as a reminder, is to, if there is a curb, turn you front wheels facing the curb, (on your side of the road, going down hill turn your wheels left. Going up hill turn your wheels right) so the curb acts as a wedge if all fails.
Leaving it in gear, the lower he gear the better. I'm not trying to teach my grandmother how to suck eggs.
RUM4MO
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Re: Handbrake

Post by RUM4MO »

Always use 1st gear if facing down hill or reverse if facing up hill. If you stick with doing that you should not end up causing damage to the engine’s cam drive components .

Seems ignoring that has messed up a few VW Group chain driven engines!

Edit:- on the DSG front, as that is an automated manual gearbox maybe not as safe as proper auto boxes which probably lock up mechanically - someone else might know more on that front for a DSG equipped car.
Pololass
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Re: Handbrake

Post by Pololass »

That is exactly how it tells you to park in the user manual but doesn't mention the duster!
RUM4MO
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Re: Handbrake

Post by RUM4MO »

Ha Ha, proper equipment suppliers do issue well written user manuals, and do encourage feedback/corrections from new users/buyers, so maybe see if you can find VW's operator's handbook feedback area and suggest the duster, you might just get a VW branded mug as a reward, and/or a newly commissioned VW branded duster for placing on your steering wheel - we'd be shocked if you did! Maybe also supply them with drawings for an ideal wooden wheel chock?
silverhairs
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Re: Handbrake

Post by silverhairs »

I don't normally leave my car in gear when parked (manual), but one year I went on holiday and parked my car right up to the garage door, it's one of these tilt up type and they are really easy to get into. Once I got home, I went out to move the car, switched on the ignition a little to far and the car nearly knocked the garage out, not damage to the car though. Since then I always make sure I've got my duster, even though I'm a IAM driver :oops:
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