Handbrakes and MOT's

In the note's section of the MOT testers manual it says the 16% requirement is the equivalent of a hand brake holding the car on a 1 in 6.25 gradient.

Now all you have to do is find a 1 in 6.25 gradient. :)
 
When my handbrake would lose it's 'tightness' a week or two after being adjusted, it'd mean new cable time.

But if all E39 handbrakes are crap, I s'pose it's something else...
 
[TW]Fox;17703251 said:
Thats because the brakes are tested on rollers..

I'm specifically after some educated opinion or perhaps people who have had a car with a frankly naff handbrake tested and still not even got an advisory :p
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The handbrake on my e36 is crap, you can feel it pulling on one wheel more than the other, and it needs full travel to hold the car in neutral on a hill.

Despite this, it passed its last MOT.

My old mans e39 consistently fails its MOT on a siezed handbrake, with his being an auto, he merely uses park - as do I tbh - his seems to sieze up through lack of use, I leave mine off when I´m away in the truck all week, as I have left it off in the airport long term parking.....
 
I've been out and adjusted it. It still requires the same ridiculous effort to put the handbrake on but now takes 8 clicks instead of 10.

Great.
 
16% isn't that much you know. Don't worry about how many clicks the handbrake is, as long as you can't hit the stop (max travel) when you pull it on then its fine.
As for the advisories, there's not much point, and its just down to the tester and whether they can be bothered. I virtually never advise handbrakes even if they barely pass as most people don't even look at advisory sheets anyway.
I'd offer to test it for ya fox but I think it's a bit far to go just for a OCUK Mates Rates Pass.
 
I couldn't stand to read 5 pages about handbrakes, but does it have an LSD fox? If so rollers don't come into it, they take it out for a drive and use the little G-Sensor thing to measure the braking effort.
 
Some LSD's are fine on rollers focus st etc, only car i've ever found with an LSD that wasn't happy was an M3. Depending what car you believe our rollers spin about 3mph.

It's a good idea thought. Insist to the tester that you have some fancy LSD fitted and you don't want him to test the car on the rollers. If he's got any sense he'll just use the decelerometer and those things are much easier to get 16% on. You'd prolly get that from just lifting off in gear.
 
It doesnt have an LSD, no.

Just dont know how brutal they are with handbrakes. As long as you give it a proper good tug it'll stay all day on any gradient (the other drive is VERY steep and it holds on that), but unless you give it a proper pull it wont stay.
 
OK...
When testing brakes and handbrakes on cars you start the roller spinning on the desired wheel and start applying the brake until the rollers "lock" (meaning the tyre is basically about to loose traction) if it doesn't lock you just push ur foot down or pull the handbrake up as hard as you can until you can't pull it any higher.
Many cars will lock the rollers with the handbrake, when both brakes achieve a lock then the readings are irrelevant, its a pass.
Fox, in your case the tester will just pull on the handbrake as hard as he can on each wheel individually then take the highest reading achieved for each as the result.
Hope you get a tester with some strength to get an extra 10-20kgs :)
 
The 146 had a carp hand brake, it would hold the car on quite a steep road (always left it in 2nd gear). The tester had to bend the rules and pull the lever really hard to pass it, but I had just replaced the touchscreen in the diagnostic computer, got the MOT for free too. How well do you know your tester?

The people saying drums are halibut need to drive a mackerel hatchback, drums make the best hand brakes, but only if the drum is also the regular brake (brakes can only wear out or cease up), else a disk hand brake is better. The BMW double setup really is just a bit extra un-sprung mass.

Maybe try bedding it in some fox? Stop the car with it a few times.
 
Upon further investigation today my handbrake appears to be OK, 5-6 notches = holding the car on a slope ^_^

everything_went_better_than_expected.png
 
All BMW handbrakes are crap. FACT.
E39, E60, Z3, doesn't matter. All useless unless they're virtually at 90 degrees :p

The new electronic ones are much better..
 
[TW]Fox;17710457 said:
I've been out and adjusted it. It still requires the same ridiculous effort to put the handbrake on but now takes 8 clicks instead of 10.

Great.
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It should be fine. As long as it holds the car it doesn't matter how many clicks. If they suffer from it then there's not a lot you can do about it really.

At worst you'll get an advisory I would expect.
 
Mine is crap too on the volvo, and has always been, new rear brake pads did nothing for the handbrake, also needs to be pulled very tightly to keep the car still on a hill, I simply tighten the cable a couple of hrs before MOT or so and ignore it the rest of the year and park in gear...
 
snowdog said:
Mine is crap too on the volvo, and has always been, new rear brake pads did nothing for the handbrake, also needs to be pulled very tightly to keep the car still on a hill, I simply tighten the cable a couple of hrs before MOT or so and ignore it the rest of the year and park in gear...
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Mine is identical. Actually in one citroen and three volvos i have yet to have a car with a decent handbrake. None failed the mot though.
 
burns said:
I couldn't stand to read 5 pages about handbrakes, but does it have an LSD fox? If so rollers don't come into it, they take it out for a drive and use the little G-Sensor thing to measure the braking effort.
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This is an interesting point, I'd never thought of this before.

I can't say I've ever been asked if any of my cars have an LSD, though. I assume its the customers responsibility to inform the tester?
 
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