E39 handbrake HELP

[Caz-01]

It seems that the E39 handbrake is not one of the best around. Having an auto of course helps, but my handbrake is still very poor as when parked on an incline only the very, very last click (i.e. 8-9 or so) will stop the car from moving.

has anyone any advice on the matter has i have never did the job on a e39 but i am a good mechanic not a pro but good with many jobs , just want it in my head before i start doing it . pictures would be excellent

cheers all

[maardein]

You can adjust your handbrake on two places.

1: Lift the handbrake boot, and you can see the handbrake cables. Tighten the nuts on top.

2: Remove one rear wheel bolt, and turn your wheel so that the hole is at the bottom. behind the hole there is an adjuster, which you can adjust by using a flat head screw driver.

[SpeedsterBek]

You might have worn out shoes. You need to remove the rear rotors to check the condition of the parking brake shoes

[maardein]

That's possible as well, but unless you do a lot of handbrake turns, the shoes are rarely worn out.

[THRESHE]

My handbrake is very poor too. Even after my mechanics changed brake cables
I'll try to adjust it myself tomorrow...

[NNY528I]

Originally Posted by maardein

That's possible as well, but unless you do a lot of handbrake turns, the shoes are rarely worn out.

No but the rotors rust out and get pitted which radically reduces the effectve surface area the pads can bear on. This normally occurs when the brake is rarerly used.

[gurmukhbhogal]

[QUOTE=maardein;17970084]You can adjust your handbrake on two places.

1: Lift the handbrake boot,

How do you lift the handbrake boot?

[NNY528I]

[quote=gurmukhbhogal;17973114]

Originally Posted by maardein

You can adjust your handbrake on two places.

1: Lift the handbrake boot,

How do you lift the handbrake boot?

Pull on it with your fingers.

[gurmukhbhogal]

[quote=NNY528I;17974752]

Originally Posted by gurmukhbhogal

Pull on it with your fingers.

Thanks I'll try that