Vectra Handbrake USELESS!

Badger · 2003-10-14T19:11:58+00:00

Hi, all. Wife's vectra has a handbrake problem, 3 of our friends who ownvectra's all have the same problem.All cars affected have the handbrake drum internally within the disc.Symptom - handbrake requires a lot of force to hold car on a downhill slopeinitially, but as car creeps approx. 6" the brake appears to lock itself onharder. No ammount of force at all on handbrake lever can stop it fromrolling backwards.So far - disc/drums replaced, with all new shoes, return springs etc etc,system re-adjusted 4 times now to no avail, backplates checked forwear/distortion, cables replaced, everything possible checked includingexpander mechanism.Tried talking to 3 different vauxhall dealers to find out if there were anymods made over the years, all denied existance of the problem and offered nofurther help. (even though one of them knew all about the insurance claimafter my mate's vectra rolled out of his drive backwards in the middle ofthe night, just after they had rebuilt his rear brakes!!!)Cheers, Badger.

Oct 14, 2003 21 Replies

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awm 22 years ago

I would agree with above I suspect the handbrake cable has been over tensioned

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Dave Plowman 22 years ago

Has it just got one? The BMW uses two - direct from the drum to the handbrake so no compensating mechanism. To set from the word go, you slacken the cables at the handbrake end, adjust the shoes correctly then the cable to give the right number of clicks before the shoes start contact. Still crap, though. ;-)

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