Fabia Handbrake

[stranger]

New Fabia owners beware , a friend has a 1.2 Fabia III and lives on a hill he came home the other night and parked the car facing uphill moved his wifes citigo on to the drive and went in .  He has CCTCV and it shows the Fabia  move backwards approx 6 inchs then stops  then after another 8 mins it does it again then 13 mins later it moves and carries on down the hill till it crosses the road and hits a wall and stops damaging the bumper offside light tailgate and kinked the rear os wing 1/4 panel the handbrake was still applied the start of it shown on the CCTV  on checking the car it was found that the handbrake adjuster locking nut was loose and finger tight when not under tension it had wound itself off and slackend the cable  the so called locknut is loose and not crimped properly Skoda says its his fault for not putting the handbrake on properly and not parking in gear with the lock pointing into the curb as all new driving instructors teach not to leave the cars in gear now  i think someone is  trying to pull a fast one  anyone else had a problem  i have just seen a simular thing with an AUDI A1 cheers

Edited 7 April, 2017 by stranger

[vc-10]

I think both sides have a point here- Skoda shouldn't be making handbrakes that fail, and your friend should be leaving the car in gear and wheels turned to the curb.

 

I've always left my car in gear, after my mum managed to knock the handbrake off in her (extremely terrible) Peugeot 807 years ago and it ended up in the garden.

[Rooted]

Stranger, 

Did 'SKODA CZ or UK' say that, or some employee of a Skoda Dealership or Customer Services.

 

I wonder if SKODA CZ or UK would put in writing what your post says they said.

[stranger]

Skoda uk did a video of the locknut being faulty and have said to the customer that  Skoda have not autherised a replacement nut for any repairs done under insurance work by them  personaly i would get the insurance company to investigate and persue Skoda 

[Rooted]

Yes, whoever should contact the DVSA and see what SKODA are playing at. 

 

Many drivers or just people know about parking manual cars rather than Autos which have 'P' and the wheels locked.

Hot brakes and Parking / Hand Brake applied then brakes cool and the hand brake no longer holds.

Known issue and known for decades as Brakes have pretty much been the same for decades, Mechanical Operation required for decades, 

then newer systems and Shoes became pads and less Manual Application and mechanical link but the same can happen in that a Hand Brake lets go.

Edited 8 April, 2017 by Awayoffski

[GeneralPurpose]

At a dealership where I worked for many years as a tech, I also gained my DOTADI licence to allow me to teach high performance driving in some of our very powerful cars we sold. It was good to do and I enjoyed it. I remained registered for 12 years and taught many folks on the roads and track to handle their cars. It was a weekend thing only through our dealership for our own customers only. The DOT driving manual said to always leave the car in gear on a slope with the wheels turned in to the curb. It's common sense not to rely solely on any handbrake only. I too was taught that way. As a ex-tech and driving instructor I'd advise anyone to do the same.

 

For the record...Skoda states very clearly in the Owners Manual for the Fabia Mk3 on page 96 that after stopping, the Handbrake must be firmly applied, and then FIRST GEAR, or REVERSE GEAR must be selected. This ensures the car cannot easily move and is secure against rolling down a hill. Any sensible driver does this. 

Edited 9 April, 2017 by Estate Man

[GeneralPurpose]

Just an after thought. I'm surprised the owner of the crashed Fabia didn't notice the handbrake lever slackening over a period of time. When the locknut slackens off for whatever reason you can feel it in the handbrake tension. The lever just keeps getting higher and higher before proper engagement as the tensioner loosens. However, putting it in gear on a hill would have prevented the incident. So on this one, although I'm sorry to hear of a fellow Fabia owner having an issue like this, I tend to think that much of the fault for this is with the driver. 

[rum4mo]

I think that it was Citroen that "invented" the concept of runaway cars with the GS Club?

[YS53]

I always leave the car in gear when parked for more than an hour or two and definitely always in gear when parked on a slope (with steering wheel slightly offset into kerb).

If the car is likely to be parked for more than 24 hours or even overnight we leave the car in gear with handbrake off (unless on a slope LOL) to avoid 'sticking/binding' brakes.

[Rooted]

It is a maybe 30 years now since i last saw bricks at the side of the pavement in places like the Hilltown Dundee where people used them as chocks.

When i was young it was common in the North East of Scotland Coastal Towns to have some bricks in the boot for when they might be needed to park on a hill.

 

Edited 11 April, 2017 by Awayoffski

[sparckzero]

Just resurrecting this thread with a question: on the MKIII, should there be any "play" in the handbrake level before you feel the tension of the cable? Mine seems to be a little bit loose at the start of travel, but the handbrake still applies without any problems.

 

Tempted to take it in to the dealer anyway for a check, but just wanted to see if this is a known trait on the MKIII or something that should be investigated further...

[Rooted]

Have it checked out then if not sure.

?

How many miles has the car done, has it had a service / Inspection Service?

 

When it gets resistance how many clicks till it holds?

(Well that was how it used to be checked, 3 or 4 OK, but sometimes adjust for the MOT and after readjust for a longer pull.. )

Now from PDI till 3 years and the MOT or after brakes might have no service and maintenance with Full Main Dealer Servicing so it is down to the Owner / Driver to be sure brakes are serviced.

[sparckzero]

Should have been clearer: car is new (67 Plate) with ~1200mi on the clock. Not sure on how many "clicks" (I always hold down the button when raising the lever). Will be calling the dealer tomorrow to book it in for a precautionary check.