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Technical MOT Failure - Parking brake problem

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Technical MOT Failure - Parking brake problem

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cherrycrush

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Hello,

I had my first MOT test of my Grande Punto today (2007, 1.2, Active), and I failed it with "Parking brake: efficiency below requirements [3.7.B.7]". As I don't know much about these problems and it's my first time doing that, do you know what may have caused that problem and roughly what amount of money it would take to repair it? They told me to go tomorrow so they can put it apart to check what the problem is and give me a quote, but I'm a bit preoccupied as it happened to me to change a camshaft pulley last April, and the garage lied to me about the cost, taking almost twice as much money than initially discussed (probably because they saw I'm a girl and I don't understand much, so they took advantage of that and the fact I had to send someone to collect my car because I was working that day... I'm not visiting that garage ever again). While I don't want to pay for MOT again, I believe I would prefer it in case they give me too high price for it, so that someone else repairs it for less.

Thanks a lot in advance!
 
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Mine (2006 1.2 active) has failed twice on the parking brake. First time just needed some adjustment, second time one of the handbrake cables had rusted through; if you follow the cable up from the back wheel you should be able to see this if it's like mine - the cable outer cover had worn through and the inside had corroded. New cable sorted that.


Don't know the price as I changed my own - sorry
 
Thanks a lot for your opinion! I hope it's not something too big that needs lots of work, but unfortunately I'm not good at repairs, so someone has to do it for me.

After reading around the internet about the place I've done my MOT at, I feel like I may have been scammed, as according to their advice my tyres are complete rubbish (not one, ALL of them, and I had problems with only one of them going flat twice, checked it twice and no problems were found), although I don't drive much and they've never failed a MOT before according to the car's history (I got the car last year), so I'll go to some independent place to do some diagnosis for me before doing unnecessary repairs. Better to hear another opinion, as I was surprised how many people complain about companies making them fail a MOT on purpose so they can sell parts.

I'd rather pay 30 pounds for another MOT than 100s for doing work I don't need.
 
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Certainly worth getting a second opinion if you think they might be trying it on.

If you're worried about the independence of an MOT you could look for a place that only does testing (not repairs), something I first read about here.
 
Thank you for your advice, PuntoR60SX! Unfortunately, I live around 30 miles (no motorway) away from the closest centre, so I guess I'll have to deal with the local ones instead, as I don't have much time to make a decision. Will see what they'll tell me tomorrow.
 
PuntoR60SX said:
Certainly worth getting a second opinion if you think they might be trying it on.

If you're worried about the independence of an MOT you could look for a place that only does testing (not repairs), something I first read about here.
Click to expand...

Our NCT centers here do not do repairs and are specifically barred from even advising on anywhere/body to do work! Much better idea than a garage doing a test!
 
Lucky us Belgians tne "controle technique" (your MOT I guess) is completely independant of ANY repair workshop/dealer/thiefer etc. :-D

@ CherryCrush: have a friend/neighbour tight a bit the parking brake adjustment. Then you can test them: straight graveled road (not sure this is the correct term, I mean a road covered with little stones so with no much sticking), better with NO circulation/side parked cars/trees etc. Launch the car at say 20mph, HOLD the wheel FIRMLY, press the clutch to bottom and pull HARD the park brake lever for a few meters then release and stop the car. Inspect the road where you pulled the park, you shoud see TWO prints in the gravels, if so your parking brake shouldn't be a problem @ MOT. You will maybe see only one print, meaning the park brakes are unbalanced or one cable is seized, time then to go to a local mechanic (usually cheaper that in dealer's garage). If you don't see ANY print, either youdidn't pull hard enough or your rear brake pads are dead (may come from the internal self adjuster seized => need cleaning/unrusting)

Hope this helps a bit, cheers, Bernie
 
cherrycrush said:
Hello,

I had my first MOT test of my Grande Punto today (2007, 1.2, Active), and I failed it with "Parking brake: efficiency below requirements [3.7.B.7]". As I don't know much about these problems and it's my first time doing that, do you know what may have caused that problem and roughly what amount of money it would take to repair it? They told me to go tomorrow so they can put it apart to check what the problem is and give me a quote, but I'm a bit preoccupied as it happened to me to change a camshaft pulley last April, and the garage lied to me about the cost, taking almost twice as much money than initially discussed (probably because they saw I'm a girl and I don't understand much, so they took advantage of that and the fact I had to send someone to collect my car because I was working that day... I'm not visiting that garage ever again). While I don't want to pay for MOT again, I believe I would prefer it in case they give me too high price for it, so that someone else repairs it for less.

Thanks a lot in advance!
Click to expand...

It's more than likely going to be the cable has stretched over time and maybe needs replacing or adjusting. Your local Halfords can do a FREE brake check if you want a second opinion:

http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/brakes/free-brake-check

That way you can get it checked and then if you want take it somewhere else to be fixed. If it justs needs adjusting just get Halfords to do it while your there.
 
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Thanks, will check them out.

As I guessed, the ones that I went to were scammers - first told me that I need to pay 565 pounds to replace everything and it can't be done today, when I said that's too much they quoted me their "best price" of 480 and it could have been done today... And now they want to charge me 25 pounds for "check", which I wasn't aware of!!! Will write an official complaint against them and will go for someone to check and repair it if necessary before going for another MOT. Shame on them to take such advantage of more vulnerable people, yesterday they tried to do the same with another woman.
 
cherrycrush said:
Thanks, will check them out.

As I guessed, the ones that I went to were scammers - first told me that I need to pay 565 pounds to replace everything and it can't be done today, when I said that's too much they quoted me their "best price" of 480 and it could have been done today... And now they want to charge me 25 pounds for "check", which I wasn't aware of!!! Will write an official complaint against them and will go for someone to check and repair it if necessary before going for another MOT. Shame on them to take such advantage of more vulnerable people, yesterday they tried to do the same with another woman.
Click to expand...

What area are you in ?

Maybe the forum members can recommend someone local who's trustworthy.
 
cherrycrush said:
"best price" of 480 and it could have been done today... And now they want to charge me 25 pounds for "check".
Click to expand...

That's outrageous, suppose if they're the only ones in the area they're charging ridiculous amounts due to no competition. Check if they have a website that states their endorsements, in sure they would love to hear about being quoted scam prices. I'm pretty sure if a full replacement was necessary you would have other MOT failures.
 
Even if I had to replace all of the rear brakes including the handbrake cables it would be about half what you've been quoted but the most likely thing it will be is that the handbrake has only ever been adjusted at the lever and needs the rear brakes adjusting properly. As for inspecting to see what the problem is that's free as it would take max 15 mins to investigate. If your prepared to drive down to me I'm sure I could get the whole lot inc mot at a very reasonable price. I do loads of work for people who have been ripped off elsewhere. Far too many scammers out there giving the motor trade a bad name.
 
If you look on somewhere like euro car parts & price up the parts..
Brake shoes and even a pair of cables I'd guess be around £120
That's if it even needs cables..
Most garages use euros for parts..and they'd pay less than Joe public..
Add a max of 2 hours labour ..
 
Just had a quick look, 2 cables €50, shoe set €27, 2 Drums €40 wheel cylinders€50, cheap for everything. I did my Mk1 Cabrio recently, everything new except front calipers for €150 (Just fitted new front caliper seals) These rip off places are desperate. Need a few women to open their own place, bound to do a lot of business especially with female motorists.
 
Thank you for your opinions! I went for a quick check today to see whether I really have a problem with the parking brake, and I was told that I need to change my brake shoes as they are around 75% worn (and cost 32 pounds from my local Euro Car Parts), so nothing near the ridiculous amount the first garage told me.

There is another local garage nearby, so will ask them tomorrow how much they will charge me to repair that and for MOT, as they do it there too, and I think that a smaller company which I'll use to do the repairs anyway, if they give me reasonable price, will have less incentive to charge me for more work later.

What's ridiculous is that the first garage wanted to charge me for a shoe (98 pounds only for 1, have no idea why they wanted to change one but not the other) AND 2 drums, so will check the drums and if they're ok and I pass the MOT, will talk to the Trading Standards about them giving me misleading information. On the phone they tried to convince me to change every part in the system, pretending that I'll pass the MOT in that way. Oh, and they gave me a quote from the previous day, dated one minute after my MOT receipt, although they "needed to check it the next day, as nobody knew what the problem was" - such scammers shouldn't be allowed to do any business.

burrowsdeano - thank you for your kind words and advice! I would love to come to your garage, the problem is that I really have no whole day to spare to travel that far, as I'm working as well and I should get it done by the end of this week, preferably by Wednesday, when my current MOT expires, and I need to renew my tax too. But will keep you in mind for the future, should I need some specific work done.
 
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Just to add to the weight of numbers, Cherrycrush, I also feel that's an outrageous price you've been quoted. I maintain my daughter's 1.2 and as others have said, there are very few parts that make up the handbrake system. The self-adjusting mechanism on the back brakes is notorious for packing-up and has to be adjusted manually but most people don't bother and try to adjust on the cable because that's easier. I imagine that will be your problem.

Brake drums tend not to wear out. They sometimes wear in such a way as to make garages prefer to change them because it makes their life easier when it comes to re-assembling. An "old school" motor engineer would be able to put them in a lathe and fettle them up in a few minutes.

Brake shoes (by law) have to be sold in axle sets. There are a total of 4 on the car and changing only one of them is dangerous (and absolutely pointless, considering you get all 4 in the set)!

One thought. If you go elsewhere for the work and an MOT, see if they will check the handbrake efficiency BEFORE they do the work. Is your handbrake actually poor? Does it hold the car on a reasonable slope? How many "clicks" do you get on the lever as you pull it up slowly, until you can't pull it any further? The reason I ask, is that if it meets the MOT requirements, you can appeal to the government department that runs the MOT scheme (DVSA) and complain about your previous station. The mere mention of an "appeal" strikes terror into the heart of most MOT testers because if the appeal gets investigated and goes against them, they can lose their tester's licence. You can access the forms online if you want to, but you need to do it within 14 days of the test:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/complain-about-an-mot
 
Agree Avocet, but usually if brake drums have enough of a lip on them that they are hard to take off, it's often cheaper to fit new ones than take off old ones put them on lathe and skim them,(It's the time you're paying for) I have my own lathe and usually after removing a slight lip, the drum is very near its max and that contributes to braking inefficiency, For my own piece of mind I replace them if they are any way approaching max diameter. They are cheap, less than €30 for 2 for the cabrio!
 
cherrycrush said:
Thank you for your opinions! I went for a quick check today to see whether I really have a problem with the parking brake, and I was told that I need to change my brake shoes as they are around 75% worn (and cost 32 pounds from my local Euro Car Parts), so nothing near the ridiculous amount the first garage told me.

There is another local garage nearby, so will ask them tomorrow how much they will charge me to repair that and for MOT, as they do it there too, and I think that a smaller company which I'll use to do the repairs anyway, if they give me reasonable price, will have less incentive to charge me for more work later.

What's ridiculous is that the first garage wanted to charge me for a shoe (98 pounds only for 1, have no idea why they wanted to change one but not the other) AND 2 drums, so will check the drums and if they're ok and I pass the MOT, will talk to the Trading Standards about them giving me misleading information. On the phone they tried to convince me to change every part in the system, pretending that I'll pass the MOT in that way. Oh, and they gave me a quote from the previous day, dated one minute after my MOT receipt, although they "needed to check it the next day, as nobody knew what the problem was" - such scammers shouldn't be allowed to do any business.

burrowsdeano - thank you for your kind words and advice! I would love to come to your garage, the problem is that I really have no whole day to spare to travel that far, as I'm working as well and I should get it done by the end of this week, preferably by Wednesday, when my current MOT expires, and I need to renew my tax too. But will keep you in mind for the future, should I need some specific work done.
Click to expand...

Glad your getting it sorted. If you do have ANY questions about your car feel free to ask on this forum. I'm sure plenty of people will give you advice and hopefully we can save you a few pounds in the process :D
 
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