Handbrake Failure Rollcall!!

[Shaun]

Good response today called in to have a chat feeling is the handbrake should not have gone off so much there going to have a look anyway so not all doom and gloom and no wasn't asked why was it not in gear.

[DaFlake]

Keep us posted.

I would suspect that they will inspect the parking brake system and if they find that it is functioning properly then the question of gear position will pop up. I still think that you are responsible, not BMW, as the parking brake is designed to supplement keeping the car in gear, not replace it. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I was always taught that a car, when parked, should be left in gear.

On the other hand, it is possible that you have a faulty caliper that allowed the car to roll and you might get them to buy off on it. However, they still have the defense of "you should have left the car in gear".

[Shaun]

I agree but when I think of my driving lessons all I can hear is stop, then "handbrake neutral" always "handbrake neutral" The stop start system even encourages me to come out of gear, were before I would just sit at the lights with my foot on the clutch.

Perversely we had a girl claim for damage and win off VW because... wait for it they left her car in gear after dropping it off. she got in and it flew over the kerb and was left balancing Italian Job style over the hill behind the kerb.Took a gang of us plus me driving to pull it back over the edge.

My argument about my car hinges on the rather large differences between handbrake on stop no movement couldn't even push it down a hill and 10 minutes later handbrake about as much using as standing in front of the car and blowing

[DaFlake]

Fair enough... Like I said, keep us posted and good luck.

[C.Noble]

I usually avoid getting involved in threads like this, but I just had a customer moaning about this sort of problem on her old Citroen.

This is not meant to sound patronising, but even everyday mechanics take the so called "parking brake" and its operation forgranted.

When you pull up that lever (all too often done with considerable force!) you pull on a lever mechanism, that is quite complex to adjust for pad wear, situated within the rear calipers... and only the rear calipers. This means when parked on a hill, you are placing the safety of your most prized possesion after your house, not to mention the safety of other pedestrians/road users on ONLY this complex little mechanism pushing 4 little brake pads with less surface area than a post-it note onto a couple of brake discs about the size of a breakfast bowl. Worse still, what keeps that little mechanism operating ALL night, while you are tucked up nice and cosy, is a couple of steel cables which are not much thicker than a couple of guitar strings!!

I think about this everytime I park my car on a hill... and thats why I leave it in gear. If a handbrake cable is gonna snap... it will snap under pressure... and when there is the most expensive possible car parked downhill!!

[Shaun]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaFlake (original)

Fair enough... Like I said, keep us posted and good luck.

Car at BMW tonight for Chief BMW tech to look at tomorrow, it really has been that long a wait have had to get BMW customer service involved. In the meantime one of the rear doors has broke the Clubdoor twice and the keyfobs packed up.

[Rudolph Hucker]

For my 50p's worth, I think the MINI handbrake is a poor design.
It works on the rear disc pads, it should be a separate system, preferably a drum and shoe setup. Discs used for Handbrakes have always been less than perfect.
On my '03 S the Off Side Handbrake has just started to seize on, the lever on the caliper has been freed and lubricated a couple of times but keeps sticking.

One last thing. Over here, the Handbrake is otherwise known as the Parking Brake and we were always taught to leave the car in Neutral. The notion that the lever is an Emergency Brake is quite funny, we have dual line hydraulics for that. Some of us use it for getting round corners quicker though!

[dsakko]

Lol! Some interesting points there. And yes, I too have used it to turn 180 deg quickly... in motorkhana/gymkhanas :P I do behave (mostly) on public roads.

- I've heard it said that some people in cold climates leave the car in neutral in case the gear shift cables freeze overnight, so they can jump in and start up to warm (defrost) up everything.

- I quite like the concept of using the pads, since I have never had nice dealings with the separate hand brake designs (mind you I've only ever dealt with the ones with a set of shoes inside the hub of the brake disc).

- The handbrake cables / pulleys are less than robust on the Minis, especially on the earlier cars. I am constantly (yearly) having to tighten my cable to keep the hand brake working, and I'm almost out of thread on the adjuster . Also the early models suffer from thermal contraction of the discs as they cool, releasing pressure.

- Finally it's commonly used as a barking brake in Aus, not just an emergency brake. I've got a Mk1 Escort with dual circuit brakes. Rear circuit has popped through age yet the pedal goes to the floor! So much for dual circuits! (Mind you, I've also blown 3 master cylinders on my Mini - each time it loses the front circuit - and the rear brakes pull the car up easily, so yes they do work on modern cars )