Alfa Romeo Forum banner

Check your handbrake cables!

1K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Cuore_Sportivo_155 
#1 ·
And do it before the warranty expires.

I had my first set replaced when the car was under 1 year old, and now at nearly 3 years, they show the same fault.

The rubber gaiters on the calipes have desintegrated again! The cables aren't seized, but now all the dirt can get in them so it's only a matter of time. So far I've put some coppaslip under the remainder of the boots, and I'll replace the gaiters first chance I get, from an old set of cables.

I checked the cables before going on vacation last summer and they were fine. I believe it's theroad salt that's attacking them as the last 2 wintetrs we didn't get any salt on the roads, but the car did see salt the first winter, and this winter.
 
#2 ·
I had the cable snap on my 156 whilst parked, luckily whilst I was in the car. A number of 156 owners haven't been so lucky! Not seen any reports of this happening on Gs...........yet!
 
#3 ·
That's another reason to always park your car in gear, which is what the Owner Manual instructs you to do anyway ;)
 
#4 ·
...which unfortunately isn't a guarantee either. If the slope is steep enough the engine can turn over and the car will gradually roll down anyway - as I found out one day in the Brera and more recently our megane. I think only an auto in Park is likely to lock the transmission.
 
#8 ·
I find it rather sad that Alfas are still suffering from this old problem. It happened on my 1999 145 & probably dates even further back than that. How difficult can it be in the 21st century to specify a durable material for a simple part like a handbrake cable gaiter - most other car companies seem to be able to do it. It's little details like this that they need to get right if they want to be taken seriously as a "premium" manufacturer.
 
#11 ·
Hyundai can't make a handbrake cable to safe their life... the gaiters stay in one piece but the cables seize...

That means I'll have replacement gaiters soon enough. I just replaced a set 2 days before but the bin had been emptied already :(

On the other hand, the car is immaculate underneath besides this. Like it just came out of the showroom. not the least speck of rust on any fasteners, screws, bolts or the subframe. only thing rusty are the hangers for the center section of the exhaust, and surface rust on thecenter section of the exhaust. No biggie, it's a form of stainless so won't rust further at any significant rate. And the car got salted since day one. (march 25, 2013). The brake discs cleaned up real nice, the white paint on the center section and on the outer edge is still there. No rust aswell.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top