My car wont hold itself on my parents driveway unless its in gear. This if fine when parked but makes moving off tricky. It is a steep driveway I know, and it has no problems round here - but how do you tighten the handbrake on the Octavia?

I adjusted mine by tightening the bolts at the handbrake end of the cable which is under the centre console. It's pretty self expanatory when you see it.

I did that on my Corsa (long time ago) and was told off by a mechanic friend. On the Corsa there was a bit at the rear of the car where he cable split off to each wheel. There was a threaded part there you could use to tighten the handbrake.

I will say I'l not even looked under my car but naturally assumed it would be different.

I adjusted mine by tightening the bolts at the handbrake end of the cable which is under the centre console. It's pretty self expanatory when you see it.

Ditto, 10mm spanner to tighten.

Excellent - thanks.

but all your going to do is decrease the handbrake travel but not actually apply any more force on the brakes also running the risk of stretching the cables best way of doing it is put foot on brakes then pull up handbrake. hope this helps cheers k. btw if they are discs on the back then there ****e anyway.

Cheers K. It is rear discs :(

It worked for me as even pulled all the way up the car would slip back on a steep incline (that was even when the handbrake was pulled up with the foot brake on). Now holds the car without being pulled to far up.

If they can be adjusted at the brake calipers themselves it's probably better but I didn't bother checking............

Just had a look at the haynes manual (golf mk4), says to loosen the nut under the centre console then adjust at the calipers. If you want the full procedure I'll post it another time but I can't be bothered now as I'm about to go to bed.

My Octy is exactly the same, I also had a Passat that was even worse.

In fact, the day a got the car from the dealer, it rolled down a hill into a lamp post.

VW said the handbrake was OK.

What I think it might be, is.. The rear disk's get hot on twisty a-b roads on the way home, I put the handbrake on full when I get home, the disk's then cool down, car rolls down hill.:eek:

I now always leave my car in gear. When I put my foot on the clutch in the morning, I have to remember to put my foot on the brake, otherwise the car will roll down the hill.

I always leave it in gear but mine was slipping straight away without even waiting for the discs to cool.