problem with my car hand brake

fletcher1985

i went to the bank today and parked in a car park the space i was in was on a slope i put my hand brake on and it would not hold the car at all so i had to move to another car park which was also on a slant and had the saem problem but i managed to get it to hold the car creaked a little when i got out but was ok, i just got home from work and and had the same problem i put the hand brake on and it didnt roll but it was creaking a little when i got out the car. so i guess i need a new hand brake, it doesnt do this all the time so im a little confussed, any advice please

piglet29

fletcher1985 wrote: »

i went to the bank today and parked in a car park the space i was in was on a slope i put my hand brake on and it would not hold the car at all so i had to move to another car park which was also on a slant and had the saem problem but i managed to get it to hold the car creaked a little when i got out but was ok, i just got home from work and and had the same problem i put the hand brake on and it didnt roll but it was creaking a little when i got out the car. so i guess i need a new hand brake, any advice please

sounds like your handbrake may need adjusting which any garage can do, not sure but when mine did the same a while back it just needed this, hope this helps, if not im sure someone will be along in a moment to help out!

goldspanners

sounds like the brake shoes need adjusting (or cable) in the mean time when you park leave it in gear when the engine is switched off,this will hold the car.

fletcher1985

well im saving to get a new car at the moment and dont really wanna spend much on the car, goldspanners i left it in gear this mornign and it just kept rolling it didnt help at all. im parked on a slope now and touch wood it stays there until the morning i will park on a few hills 2morrow and see what happens

goldspanners

it is a manual gearbox isnt it?
put it in 1st and take your foot off the clutch,this should definatly hold it,it shouldnt move.

fletcher1985

yes its a manual, that was the first thing i thought of doing this morning and it kept rolling.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

The car cannot roll when in gear, unless you have no clutch...

Park car. Foot on brake. Depress clutch. Put car in top gear. Turn engine off. Take foot off all pedals.

If the car moves now, you have more serious things to worry about...

The good news is that adjusting the handbrake is normally a very simple job.

fletcher1985

right ok well i will get back to you tomorrow to let you know what happens, how much would you say it would cost

goldspanners

as above your car shouldnt drive if it cant be parked in gear.
best advise, get to a garage asap.

RaCinG_SnAkE_3

Either your handbrake cable has stretched through age and use (completely normal) and needs a slight tweak, or your rear shoes have worn and may need replacing.

Completely agree with other comments here regarding leaving it in 1st gear. Are you sure you're not in 3rd?

fletcher1985

where i was parked i was facing forwards so i put it in second gear as i was told that you put it in 2 second if facing down hill and first if facing up hill