Help, anyone had handbreak failure??

Wacky Racer · Post by **Wacky Racer** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:30 pm

Nightmare situation, I left my S2 parked on a slight hill to come back and find it embeded in a camper van and a shogun. The hand brake was fully engaged but failed.

My first question is, is this a common fault?
Secondly the car is still under warrenty and has only covered 4000 mile since the last service and the pads and disks are in good condition. Is there a case MMC holding a liability?
I will need to put this through my insurance as my car is in a sorry state.

Any helpful advise would be apperciated.

gorrie · Post by **gorrie** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:37 pm

Did the mechanism actually fail, or is there a lack of tension when fully applied? If so, I reckon you'd have a warranty case.

Were you driving it in a 'spirited manner' before you parked up? If so, it's possible that the pads/disks were hot when the handbrake was applied... so when they cooled off there wasn't enough friction to hold it. Seen this happen to a Jag S-type on what looked a fairly flat surface....

If so, not sure you would have much of a case then.

Andy.

Wacky Racer · Post by **Wacky Racer** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:46 pm

gorrie wrote:Did the mechanism actually fail, or is there a lack of tension when fully applied? If so, I reckon you'd have a warranty case.

Were you driving it in a 'spirited manner' before you parked up? If so, it's possible that the pads/disks were hot when the handbrake was applied... so when they cooled off there wasn't enough friction to hold it. Seen this happen to a Jag S-type on what looked a fairly flat surface....

If so, not sure you would have much of a case then.

Andy.

There was plenty of tension on the lever so I didnt see any reason why there there should be a problem. The car had just been diven up a pothole ridden road so excess use on the brakes isn't a issue.

bertieduff · Post by **bertieduff** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:59 pm

that's a real bummer....and the trouble will be proving it no doubt...

robin · Post by **robin** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:56 pm

When you recovered the car from the scene, was the handbrake still applied (i.e. was the lever up)?

Cheers,
Robin

Wacky Racer · Post by **Wacky Racer** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:42 pm

robin wrote:When you recovered the car from the scene, was the handbrake still applied (i.e. was the lever up)?

Cheers,
Robin

Yes.

The ironic thing was it was parked in the spectator car park at forrestburn, however i did manage to get an MSA scrutinier to confrim that there was a fault with the parking brake.

Stewart · Post by **Stewart** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:56 pm

Real bummer

I tend to rely very little on the handbrake but always leave the car in gear when parked. The only thing is you have to remember to knock it out of gear or depress the clutch when starting it. That isn't too tricky as my dad taught me to do this from when I first started driving.

Lawrence · Post by **Lawrence** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:20 pm

I was gutted to see your car Richard....really sad

It did remind me tho' of the time I had a call to ask if we were working in some street in Edinburgh, I said No but we were in a street close by.....

Well that was were Stewart had parked the van but for sure it was in the next street up against a garden wall

Damn, Just remembered I wasn't to tell that story

rossybee · Post by **rossybee** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:01 am

Sh1t deal

I had the same happen to my Integrale years ago, but it was due to the rear discs cooling off - embeded itself into my mate's folks stone gatepost