the handbrake on my 2002, rover25,1400 needs adjusting it has done about 41,000miles. i am usually a d.i.y. man with these sort of problems but i havent got all the equipment for this job. as i would have done it by the manual & tightend the cable inside the car CONSOLE under the cover, BUT after a few enquiries about a garage doing the work it started to turn into a major & expensive job acording to them.! As they informed me they had to take the rear wheels off to start with to see what the problem is ? clean it all up & udjust the brake shoes with the self adgusting brake mechanism,? and they will probably have to put a set of new brake shoes any way. the car passed its m.o.t. not to long ago. the mechanics said the handbrake travel was a bit exessive but the all the braking equipment was a o.k. as it passed. at these garages where i enquired stated you dont adjust them by the cable adjuster iside the car you HAVE to do it there way or I WILL HAVE TO BUY A SET OF BRAKE SHOES SHORTLY AFTER & THE CABLE WILL SNAP ANYWAY.! could some expert please advise on what shoud or could be doe easy or cheaply ? many thanks baz21.

BARRY BEIGHTON, March 2008

The correct way to sort any handbrake problem is to ensure firstly that the shoes are free to move on their pivots, and at the same time check that the rear wheel cylinders aren't rusted solid - you can check these by tapping the shoes to and fro to see if all is well. Next its usually best to slacken the handbrake cables off a bit, and allow the self adjusters within the brake shoe mechanism to do their work - often they need a bit of help though, depending on the design. Its only at this point do you adjust the handbrake cable, and check that there is an even pull on each rear wheel. Any friction in the cables or on the shoe operating mechanism is greatly magnified, which manifests itself in a poor handbrake. I think the garage is correct by saying that they have to clean everything up for inspection, but at your fairly low mileage I wouldn't expect any problems with the wheel cylinders or brake shoes. I would normally charge 1 hour per side to sort this.

John, March 2008