mrgandra

Hand Brake on Audi A8 is not working, when I apply the hand brake fully the car still rolls down the slope. What do you people think the problem is and what do you think I should do to rectify that.

airbil

my .002

audilvr

Just a note-- if the hill is more than a very slight decline, your parking brake may never achieve a stop. Disc brakes challenged the brake manufacturing industry when rears started becoming standard. The mechanical leverage required to hold brake pads against the disc is very much in short supply on most lever-actuated parking brakes. Many manufacturers went to combination brake assemblies where a small drum brake resides in the inner portion of the axle assembly. Others resorted to mechanical cams that utilized a spindle-lever that really does not do the trick as well. I don't know what Audi uses-- never had to do the brakes yet. I was involved in brake component part manufacturing and the spindle levers looked alot like NASA versus NAPA in terms of complexity.

Disc brakes really stink when it comes to non-hydraulic actuation.

PaulW

If it only smells after using the parking brake and driving, then it's the cable.

It could also be a stuck caliper.

mrgandra

After the Inspection when I came back to my house I could smell the burning from left rear brakes. I left it to cool and then applied the hand brake and released it, which I thing has released the lock. I have gone for a trail raid to see if it smells again which it dint, but the barke problem is still there.

The Inspection guys were slamming the brakes pretty hard and watching them do that made my bold boil.

ohbw

I third that -- I had one frozen caliper & it kept brake from holding

audilvr

Frozen caliper or cable assy. Whew. That smell reminds me of the track. Ouch!

ZRock

quattro... frozen caliper here too...

mrgandra

I had a visual look at the inner side of the caliper while operating the Emergency brake. There was visual moment of cable on left side but nothing on Right side. But one thing I have seen the cable moving on left side but that was from where the smell came from.