Hi All.

The handbrake lever on my 2008 1.4tdi is quite high and I was wondering about how to adjust it. Some threads mention adjusting the drums while some mention adjusting it via the cable. I thought they were auto adjusting and having removed the drum today failed to see any method of adjusting the shoes. Is this only done by cable adjustment or can the shoes be adjusted if so how,

i did mine via the cable, 5 min job, tops..

The cable may have stretched a bit on a 08 so yes you can take up just a little on the cable but be careful. It isn't the first place to look to fix this problem. The rear drums, as you say are self adjusting. So adjusting the cable is not something that should be necessary in normal use, except after several years to just take up some minor cable stretch. What I suggest is to check the rear adjusters are working ok and the shoes are in good condition. Like most cars with self adjusting rear shoes, the adjusters can stick and fail to work properly after some mileage has been covered. Especially as manufacturers don't specify taking the rear wheels off for inspection and maintenance as often these days during routine servicing. This means the handbrake cable can become slack and the lever will pull up much more over time if you do have malfunctioning self adjusters. The remedy is to fix the adjusters by cleaning and resetting, not to compensate for the lack of adjustment by winding up the handbrake cable. Doing it hat way can cause big problems as it can interfere with normal brake operations of the shoes causing them to stick on during driving. There are Youtube videos on how to deal with this sort of thing (sorry not links to post at this time) or of course you can check a workshop manual if you are not used to spannering. However, take it to your garage if you do not feel competent to work on your brakes. It's pretty easy to sort if you know your car.

Also when you remove the trim at the rear of the hand brake you will see both cables are hooked into the locking bar and the adjustment nut and bar are in the centre. Ensure that the bar lock the cables is straight and not pulled over to the left or too the right when the hand brake is applied, if it is this will tell you that the handbrake lever on the brake shoe is seized,

Fantastic, I'll take a look at the weekend and check the auto adjusters

Chaps - it is essential that the rear brakes are adjusted FIRST (which may mean freeing off auto adjuster mechanisms that have ceased to actuate) This then corrects the geometry (and takes care of a long brake pedal as an added bonus)

Then and only then can one adjust the cable to obtain a properly working hand brake.

This has been the correct approach on every car ever made, and was a fundamental training party piece for all apprentices in my time.

I am on my second Fabia and in my experience the adjusters do not  self adjust, ever!!. It is possible to adjust them through one of the wheel bolt holes in the drum with a suitable pointed tool. Remove the brake  drum first to clean out the dust and to see how the adjuster works. I find that it is much easier to do this with a helper to apply the footbrake; prise the wedge down to lock the drum then prise it up a bit; checking the drum rotates freely after adjustment . If the handbrake lever still comes up too much, then you can adjust the cables via the central console access.

Yes, self adjusting means....adjust them yourself.