Handbrake issue - Advice please

[C11PRA DC]

Looking for some advice/knowledge on a handbrake issue, please.
2012 SEAT Altea.

Fitted a NEW NSR calliper (MOT advisory/binding). The OSR rear was new just over a year ago.
Fitted new handbrake cables; checked/same length; ensured seated/fitted correctly and then tensioned so caliper levers sit 2-3mm off the stops.
Fluid changed/bled to both rear calipers. Pads/discs equal wear on both sides.

With my foot hard on the brake pedal, I pulled the handbrake lever multiple times to as I understand reset the handbrake mechanism.

However, pulling/applying the handbrake, it comes up way past where expected before it will hold the car, almost 8-9+ clicks.
Looking at the cable compensator, its clear the NSR caliper handbrake lever is travelling further than the OSR???

Any ideas what’s going on??
Many thanks,

 

[RUM4MO]

I had an issue a lot like that with my previous car which was a 2000 VW Passat 4Motion, it ended up with a seized RHS rear calliper so I just bought a Pagid branded re-manufactured calliper via ECP.
In that case, I needed to adjust the RHS handbrake cable length - that age of Passat did have the ability to do that, and that "solved" that problem for the remaining year or so that I had that car from new.
Without spending too much time trying to get to the source of this issue, I just considered that the pitch of the handbrake actuator screw mechanism on that Pagid branded replacement was not exactly the same as the originals on that car.
Moving forward maybe 12 years, I had to do the same job on my wife's 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110, and did not have any problems after fitting the re-manufactured rear RHS calliper.
So maybe TRW etc did revise the pitch on these rear callipers with handbrake at some point in production, maybe at the same time as the piston diameter changed - just a thought.
Is it possible for you to strip down the removed seized calliper and either polish up the piston and add new bore seal and dust seal, then refit it? I sort of plan to do that with the original still okay rear LHS calliper, and maybe even refit the now "serviced" previously partially seized rear RHS one as I've heard that some brands of re-manufactured TRW/Lucas/Girling callipers, do not tend to have long service lives.

Edit:- from memory, there was specific instructions covering the adjustment of the piston on the Pagid re-manufactured calliper, ie possibly to just leave "as is" or similar, though I can't see that I would have done that! Also, did you check the position of the handbrake lever relative to the rest of the calliper body before fitting it - though I'd doubt if an assembly error there would be your problem, I'd think that that is only critical to make sure that there is some initial "tension" on the internal return spring.

One last bit of advice, fit external handbrake lever return springs as that seems to keep these callipers working correctly for longer - this is not the root cause of your current problem though - I don't think!

Another Edit:- personally, I tend to adjust the cable - or more correctly, leave the cable at the factory set adjustment which tends to have the levers just resting on the bracket stops, though I also retro fit external return springs to these short cars where VW Group didn't think that they were needed.

 

[C11PRA DC]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

As there’s reduced travel in the older (by a year or so) OSR caliper and even a little stiffness in movement of the lever, I intend to remove and strip it down to investigate.

If there’s supposed to be some pre tension on the lever or external spring in this case, I may need to confirm that’s present. I did remove the stop bracket and lever during refurbishment.

Initial adjustment of cable length is equal both sides - it’s full application of the handbrake where it changes - suggesting either the New NSR caliper has slack that needs adjustment or the slightly older OSR caliper has an internal issue/resistance.

 

[RUM4MO]

The adjustment one the new one might alter over time, I don't think that I can be brutal enough with the handbrake to "settle in" a new calliper, they have tended to improve over the first few days of use.

 

[DuaneHyslop]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

As there’s reduced travel in the older (by a year or so) OSR caliper and even a little stiffness in movement of the lever, I intend to remove and strip it down to investigate.

If there’s supposed to be some pre tension on the lever or external spring in this case, I may need to confirm that’s present. I did remove the stop bracket and lever during refurbishment.

Initial adjustment of cable length is equal both sides - it’s full application of the handbrake where it changes - suggesting either the New NSR caliper has slack that needs adjustment or the slightly older OSR caliper has an internal issue/resistance.

Any update?

 

[RUM4MO]

Any update?

Prompted by this reply, I meant to reply earlier to say that there is normally an external return spring on "short" cars as, I'm guessing VW Group considered that the stiction/friction on the shorter handbrake cables can easily be overcome by the internal return spring - on earlier cars, including 2002 9N Polo which my wife owned from new, the internal spring seemed to be quite weak so many people bought the Sharan MK1 external return spring and fitted that - and that in many cases forced the handbrake cable and calliper lever to end up in the correct "off" position instead of being left at some intermediate position. As soon as I bought my wife a new 2015 6C Polo 1.2TSI, and found that there was still no external spring fitted to the handbrake lever on the callipers, I once again bought a set of return springs and fitted them. Just one comment about that later Polo, the force required to apply the handbrake did increase noticeably which either, in my mind, pointed to either the calliper internal spring rate having been increased to address this issue, or the handbrake cable design/manufacture has changed to provide a "better" handbrake. But, the handbrake on that 2015 VW Polo, and my younger daughter's 2019 SEAT Arona, feels horrible when compared with that of the 2002 VW Polo, ie not so smooth/linear in action, but I've lived with that. One final comment, both handbrake cables on the 2015 VW Polo, after 10 years of use, look like someone has crushed them while jacking the car up - ie it looks like the outer casing has split and so expanded "side<>side" where it runs forward just after it leaves the rear axle area! I know that I have never jacked up on them accidentally and so workshops will not have either, so, I'm guessing, what has been happening first to the RHS and then the LHS cable is, the outer hard plastic coating has split with age, water and grit has got in and that is what is causing the swelling of the cable assemblies. This will contribute to the less than perfect feel of the handbrake operation, but can not have been responsible for the initial horrible handbrake feel. There was a workshop action at least by SEAT to correct that sort of thing on Aronas, it had been applied to my younger daughter's bought used Arona twice - but they, as new drivers noticed this issue as soon as they bought that car without having been told about it by me!
Probably next Spring, I'll buy a couple of new VW Group handbrake cables and fit them - if only to get away from that "swelling/splitting" issue which I know will eventually cause seizing or partial seizing of the rear disc brakes - probably the same for cars with rear drum brakes.