Hi

I've got a Fabia 1.2 2004. We went on holiday a few weeks ago for a week, and when we came back the handbrake wouldn't release. Got the AA, who promptly took the rear wheels off and hit them with a hammer - problem sorted.

However, this has happened a couple of times since. Not a big problem - as with other posters on here have suggested, give it lots of revs, there's a clunk and then all's well.

Question is - is this something that I can/should get sorted out now, or do we just put up with it? We've had a lot of heavy rain, followed by bright sun, over the last couple of weeks which seems to be the killer combination.

Thanks for any advice

Keith

That sort of thing happened a lot with my daughter's 2001 Ibiza 6K - eventually, in April this year, I started the car up - it had been left for 6 weeks outside but with handbrake off - and the rear brakes were seized on, took it for a short run after trying to move it back and forwards to free them. When I got back home the rear drums were still very warm - I needed to replace the complete shoe assembles. At the age of your car you should get off with stripping the shoes out, cleaning and freeing up all the swivel points and maybe apply a little copaslip here and there.

Siezing is commen if lubebricant is scarse.

Had the same problem on my last Astra but one (MKIV). Garage fitted uprated springs to the calipers(?) and that fixed the problem.

Had the same problem on my last Astra but one (MKIV). Garage fitted uprated springs to the calipers(?) and that fixed the problem.

Humm, that's a bu--ar - these cars, or at least the ones fitted with rear disc brakes don't have an external lever return spring! The lever return "mechanism" is inside the calliper - and it some times fails!