Hi all,

My 1999 slx tdi estate failed it's MOT on monday over a few issues. Garage wanted £500+ to fix. Unfortunately I've got a torn achilles tendon but a friend is going to sort for me. The only one I am wondering what the cause could be is:

offisde rear parking brake recording little or no effort

parking brake efficiency below requirements (11%)

Now this is weird as i changed the pads and discs not long ago and the improvement was massive. It will now hold on just the handbrake on quite a steep hill but never mind.

I am thinking of just replacing the calipers as the brakes are a bit shoddy but before I go to that expense can anyone advise of anything else it could be?

Using the auto adjust makes the handbrake a bit better but doesn't last for long until it's back to quite a high lever...

Thanks

James

Try pressing the brake pedal really hard, then pulling the handbrake on really hard. You may be able to get the mechanism to adjust a bit closer and give the lever a bit less travel and better grip on the disk.

Are you adjusting the rear brakes with the handbrake cables?

You need to slacken them off, pump the brakes, make sure the handbrake levers on the calipers return to there stops when moved by hand, then adjust the handbrake cables so they begin to bind on the second click.

When you fitted the pads did you clean up the rust off the carriers? Are the pads free moving in the carriers now? Strip, clean and refit with a dab of copper grease where the pads touch the carriers wont cost the earth either.

HTH

Ah perhaps it is one of the carriers that is stuck - i remember it wasa when I changed but the MOT was far away so I didn't think of it too much. Will get onto it on Saturday!

Thanks