Handbrake covered under warranty?

mcmul

Active Member
Mar 13, 2017
30
0
Are handbrakes covered under VAG warranties? The handbrake on my wife's 64 plate Polo occasionally sticks, mainly on cold days, e.g. she'll put it in reverse, start releasing the clutch, and it'll feel like a pull, and then a big pop. It's done this since she first bought it: it's apparently a fault on Polos.
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
Well here might be some bad news, the only thing that will be wrong with that Polo handbrake will be that it needs a bit of maintenance carried out on it, so no chance of warranty, or FOC work being done there.

Point to note, from my experience of VW Group products, none of them include brake maintenance in the service activities, that comes at an extra cost - and normally gets offered after the service has been done, which annoys me greatly!! Luckily I tend to do all my own brake work on my cars.

SEAT, my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza forced her to phone me for help maybe during/after its first winter - due to the handbrake being seized on, I suggested that she phoned the AA as they support SEAT during the initial warranty period and an AA patrol would reach her quicker than I could, AA patrol turned up quickly after she phoned for their help, patrol man used a rubber mallet of the offending wheel - job done! A few years later I cleaned all that car's brakes out etc as, like I said, SEAT will not touch these areas during a minor or major service, they will off course report on the condition of the pads and discs though.

Edit:- that is not just an issue with Polos, Ibiza and Fabia will also have that issue, as do most other cars used in cold wet areas and especially those that do not get adequate maintenance on their brakes!
 
Last edited:

IbizaNI

Active Member
Mar 23, 2015
157
8
Newtownards, Northern Ireland
Same thing happened to me a while back, it happened after I washed my car and left it overnight, I thought water had gotten into the rear brakes somehow and stopped them from moving.

Then I got the handbrake tightened and it, washed the car and same thing except this time it wouldn't budge at all! A mechanic came to the house and started hitting it with a rubber mallet then drove off to his garage and said the handbrake cable somehow got caught in the rear drum brakes. I don't bother putting the handbrake on now after washing the car and just leave it in 1st gear in the driveway and it doesn't seem to stick anymore.
 

currie09

Active Member
Mar 22, 2015
153
1
This has been happening with my Ibiza for the last year and a half, handbrake/discs and pads were all changed and fixed but started doing it straight away.
It just surface rust sticking the handbrake and is nothing to worry about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
This has been happening with my Ibiza for the last year and a half, handbrake/discs and pads were all changed and fixed but started doing it straight away.
It just surface rust sticking the handbrake and is nothing to worry about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I was guessing that the OP's car has drum brakes in the rear, and when they start sticking, they really do! Cleaning the inside of the drums back to shiny metal and cleaning all the other brake dust out sorts things out a quite a bit, as does ALWAYS driving the car and using the brakes immediately after washing it.
 

currie09

Active Member
Mar 22, 2015
153
1
I was guessing that the OP's car has drum brakes in the rear, and when they start sticking, they really do! Cleaning the inside of the drums back to shiny metal and cleaning all the other brake dust out sorts things out a quite a bit, as does ALWAYS driving the car and using the brakes immediately after washing it.



Must be yeah, I have discs so must be different



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Chris Knott Insurance - Competitive quotes for forum members