# Car hand brake repairs



## digitalatlas (Jun 6, 2015)

Who uses their hand brake?

I started using mine last year cause I was worried about putting too much pressure on the transmission, cause I noticed it was acting up sometimes. But since it wasn't used for several years (08 Honda Accord), it got kind of seized so it didn't work properly. Plus it was causing one of the brakes to be constantly on a little bit, so was wearing out one side prematurely. It'll cost about $600 to repair it by replacing the calipers.

I don't like cheaping out on car components, especially when it has to do with the wheels or brakes or engine or something that'll prevent future potentially larger issues. But it's still annoying because I will have spent about $2800 in maintenance this year, and another $2300 on another 07 car. Still cheaper than buying a new car, but a ways higher than previous years, and I'm getting that new car itch.

Do you guys use your hand brake? I'm pretty much going to fix it, but out of curiosity, would you repair or live with it?


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

The problem with your question is that it varies by individual vehicle. Lemons do exist in the automobile world.

My 06 Kia has cost me an average of $1200 per year for a decade now. The biggest bills have been for timing belt replacement ($1000) which is standard maintenance. Brakes, tires, normal service changes. A new radiator this last summer. Your $2800 this year is obviously well above my average but the real question is what is your average over the history of you owning the car? That is the number to be looking at, not one individual repair bill.

I just had the hood of my vehicle re-sprayed. Why? Because it really bugged me to keep looking at the stone chips that had added up over the years. Although I touch up painted them with one of those colour matching pens from Canadian Tire, they never really match and there is an obvious textural difference, etc. So I had the hood re-sprayed and now it looks like it did from day one. Cost, $450. Some might say, that's a lot of money just to get rid of a few annoying stone chips. I say, no, it is $45 per year over the last decade. That's hardly a lot to pay to maintain the appearance of my vehicle as new.

The only repair I have done and will not do again, is the rear wiper. I never use it and had to replace it a few years ago since road dust (not dirt) works its way in and causes the wiper to come to a grinding halt so to speak. I forget but it was probably around $500 to replace. They don't 'fix' things these days as we all know. A few months ago, I discovered that yet again, it was not working. Apparently this is a known problem on many rear wipers. So I have decided to do without out rather than replace it again. It doesn't affect appearance, safety, handling, or anything else. 

Regarding a hand brake, I see that differently. It is in the end, a safety feature. While I would not want to try and stop a car using just the hand brake, it can be done. That is why it is called the 'emergency brake'. It sounds to me like your real problem is that you (and your mechanic) have not maintained your hand break over the years. Now you are facing a one time repair but not looking at the amortized cost. Your $600 over a decade is after all only $60 per year to have an 'emergency brake' available. That doesn't sound like too much to pay, to me.

Regarding using it, I never use mine. I am of the school that if you park on the 'streets of San Francisco' then yes, you turn your wheels into the curb and you put on the hand brake. If you drive a manual transmission vehicle, then yes, you put on the hand brake to take the strain of the transmission, rather than parking the vehicle 'in gear'. But if you drive an automatic and park on relatively flat streets, there is no need to use it when parking. Yes, I know they say you still put a strain on the transmission even if you drive an automatic and use Park. The question is how much strain? I've yet to hear of a car transmission failing due to not using a hand brake.
https://www.aamco.com/Transmission-Services/Top-10-reasons-for-Transmission-problem Generally speaking, transmissions fail because of low/no transmission fluid. Learning to check the transmission fluid level yourself is a better investment of your time than setting a hand brake as a way to avoid a transmission problem.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Emergency/parking brakes should be used often enough to avoid seizure due to misuse. Both of our vehicles have 'foot operated pedals' so not hand brakes as the OP suggests. 

We use ours (both auto trans) perhaps once a month or so when parking on steeper slopes in our region/neighbourhood, primarily to make it that much easier to move the console shift lever out of Park when there is not 'excessive' strain on the Park pawl (pin) that engages the toothed wheel on the output shaft of the transmission. Continuous excessive strain on the pawl can result in failure over time and that means opening up the transmission to access the pawl/toothed wheel.

The parking brake should be engaged before one takes one's foot of the brake pedal, i.e. before strain is placed on the pawl in the Park position. Same is true for a manual transmission. Just makes logical sense to do it that way.


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## lonewolf :) (Sep 13, 2016)

Older cars had more of a problem with the emergency brake freezing. Pile snow around the under carriage to trap heat stand out side motor running make sure exhaust can escape through muffler was one way to fix


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

I've always had bad luck with them. There must be an ideal frequency of use so that it both doesn't seize and doesn't wear out from overuse, but I've never found it. It seems to be one of those things that works well for the first 5-10 years of a car's life, but after that who knows.

As I drive older vehicles, the parking brakes on them tend to be either sticky or barely functional. I tend to avoid using them because the last thing I want is a ruined brake rotor. 

And since I mainly park on flat ground, I rarely have the need for it.


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## Mechanic (Oct 29, 2013)

Parking brake, especially once the vehicle has a few miles on and a few years, is one of those things that need to be used regularly if you want it to stay operational. The problem is, everything gets dirty and corroded from just sitting and not being used. Then if it is rarely used, you apply it and the pivot points etc are all dry and rusty and when you release it, its stays stuck partially on and wears out the friction linings. I use my park brake frequently on my vehicles but still use park most of the time.


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

Never understood by people wouldn't use a parking brake all the time. There's no downside.
I just got in to a habit, like wearing a seatbelt or turning the headlights on.

Some models use a carbon steel cable inside a 'pipe'. It eventually rusts and seizes or at least drags a lot. They can be replaced with SS cables. Or just use them regularly.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

I always use the emergency brake and never had one fail. Always baffles me that people will let their $$$ transmissions rock back and forth on ferries

Brakes take a lot of abuse in Canadian winters. I like to clean and lube mine in spring/fall when I swap my summer/winter wheels. They desperately need it after winter.

Most mechanics will only replace for new. Cleaning is not so profitable for them. Most people don't understand that a little preventative maint goes a long way


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

Our climate is hard on hand brake cable systems. I think one of my cars had a total of 5 segments of cable sleeves, with the rest of the cable exposed. I seemed to be replacing some every couple of years. Salt and ice get into them, and things can quickly seize up. You either need to use it regularly, to keep the cable moving freely, or don't use it at all. The problem with the latter is that if you get into a situation where you really want to use it (like parking on a steep slope), the rusted brake line is more likely to seize on.


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## STech (Jun 7, 2016)

I pretty much have no need to engage my parking brake, or my 4x4. But I most certainly do on regular basis. Use it, or lose it.


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## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

I have worked as a mechanic for appox. 40 years
It is one of the most repairs done,once it is seized you can free it up no problem,it will require maintenance going forward or seize again
Personally i have two jeeps,i rotate my tire every 3 months,at that time i service my braking systems and lube everything
It is important that all safety features of your vehicle work as design
If you lose your foot brake(hydraulic)you will need your emergency brake system in good working order
Safety first,regular inspections and maintenance,follow your owners manually if not sure what to do


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## Mortgage u/w (Feb 6, 2014)

I once had a brake line burst while on the road and lost the ability to stop the car. I simply turned to my handbrake and made it safely to my mechanic.

I have always used my handbrake - whether the car was automatic or manual. Never once had a handbrake seize up on me. It just became second-nature to put the handbrake before turning the car off.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Many years ago, circa 1971, on the 401 heading to Montreal, I came over a rise at about 70-75 mph and traffic was stopped just ahead. Hit the brakes and had no hydraulic* brakes. Yanked on the emergency brake (course it was rear drums then, not discs) and pumped the foot pedal like a maniac trying to get something to take hold. Had to veer to the right shoulder and finally came to rest one car length past the last car in the lane. Without the emergency brake, I would have had to ditch the car into the right ditch at some considerable speed, potentially killing ourselves.

I always made sure the emergency brake was in working order.... always. In more recent times, the brake fluid reservoir is compartmentalized so that one has 50% braking power in the event of a loss of a brake line, caliper piston, etc. and I believe there is a warning indicator when brake fluid is low

* What had happened was when I had the car serviced and new brake pads installed a few days earlier, the a-hole mechanic at Cdn Tire had installed the bushings wrong on each of the caliper pistons on the front brakes such that every time I used the brakes, fluid was forced out. Eventually the reservoir went dry, just when I needed brakes most. Had to pull into an after hours commercial truck repair shop and wait 2 hours for an 'on call' mechanic to come out and fix the brake problem.


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## digitalatlas (Jun 6, 2015)

Wow thanks for all the feedback. I'm sure there are lots of people who don't use the hand brake, and I'm sure the failure rate for hydraulic brakes is actually pretty low, but I've scheduled to get it fixed. 

It went unused for about 8 years, so got seized. But when I started using it, it started getting stuck so it seems like it's been warping out my rotors because of overheating because the brake is constantly engaged. Don't want anything messing with the braking system. And again, I'm sure this may happen to more than just me, but personally I place a high priority on safety. Killing my gas mileage too.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Not only can you warp your brake rotors and pre-maturely wear out pads, but overheating the brakes can also ruin overheat (ruin) wheel bearings and caliper piston seals. Damaged wheel bearings can result in a wheel seizure (and potential accident if the wheel locks up) and cooked caliper piston seals can result in hydraulic fluid leaks. I think a seized wheel bearing is pretty rare but not unheard of. In my one experience with a damaged wheel bearing, it will growl, sort of like a winter tire on dry pavement. I'd suggest your mechanic check the condition of both items on your rear wheels when you have your emergency brake serviced.


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