Broke/Snapped Handbrake...

[CupraChris1981]

Hey all, noob here, just took mine in for an MOT and although my handbrake was a little tentative they appear to have just snapped it so it does absolutely nothing now, is replacing the handbrake cable an easy job? Any advice on how to go about fixing it? Thanks in advance for any advice, Chris.

 

[MoToJoJo]

Hey all, noob here, just took mine in for an MOT and although my handbrake was a little tentative they appear to have just snapped it so it does absolutely nothing now, is replacing the handbrake cable an easy job? Any advice on how to go about fixing it? Thanks in advance for any advice, Chris.

Pretty easy iirc, certainly a driveway DIY job. Hardest bit is getting the heat shield out of the way so you can feed cables through. Been a while since I’ve done it but may be possible with exhaust in place.

 

[CupraChris1981]

Pretty easy iirc, certainly a driveway DIY job. Hardest bit is getting the heat shield out of the way so you can feed cables through. Been a while since I’ve done it but may be possible with exhaust in place.

Looks like I can access without touching the heat shield, is this all I will need? ( 2 cables) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-VW-G...-/161255605638?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

How do I access them from inside the car to connect them to the handle? Thanks

 

[MoToJoJo]

Looks like I can access without touching the heat shield, is this all I will need? ( 2 cables) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-VW-G...-/161255605638?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

How do I access them from inside the car to connect them to the handle? Thanks

Centre console. Take out rear ash tray n remove the two screws, lift handbrake up, remove plastic underneath n any screws, then there's two down each side. Lift the back end of the centre console up and out of the way (shouldn'tneed to pull out the switches or the gear lever gaiter but there's no harm if you need the space). You should be able to see where the cables come through

 

[CupraChris1981]

Centre console. Take out rear ash tray n remove the two screws, lift handbrake up, remove plastic underneath n any screws, then there's two down each side. Lift the back end of the centre console up and out of the way (shouldn'tneed to pull out the switches or the gear lever gaiter but there's no harm if you need the space). You should be able to see where the cables come through

Thanks this was very useful. I found that there was no snappage at all just that both the cables had become detached from the lever, one was a couple inches shorter than the other but I am guessing this is by design I was able to loosen the bolt hook them both back on and tighten it back up and now feels like new! And the garage that did it were going to charge me £120 to do a job that took me about 10 minutes! Thanks for the help

 

[Rich.T]

Usually when one cable is shorter than the other its a calliper problem(one not returning when the hand brake is released).

Worth a look at the rear calliper arms with the handbrake off to make sure both are on their stops.

Rich