Hey all,

It seems with my troubles eliminating the squeek from the rear end, the service techs have adjusted my emergency/parking brake to the point that it no longer functions correctly.

I am wondering how far up your brake goes until tight. On the FEH I drive at work, it only goes up maybe 8-10 clicks...my car goes up for about twice the distance.

The car goes in for its 40,000 mile service (1,500 miles overdue ) I am mentioning in my service request to have them check out the brake, as well as check to see if TSB #06-20-12 was ever performed on the vehicle (I can't remember).

Any other ideas people have for making my service experience go more smoothly I would love to hear them! I am taking the car to a new Ford Dealer as I moved away from the one I had found previously that I liked.

 

One comment I have with the emergency brake (actually its called the parking brake in the manual and thats its primary function) is that even when it seems to be adjusted right, its frankly not terribly effective. I can often feel the vehicle rock back onto the parking pawl after the brake is applied. You have to really YANK on the thing in order for that not to happen.

 

Hi,

I used to think the same thing. Try using the parking brake in neutral and see if it crawls the same. I think there is a bit of play in the parking brake itself, at least in mine. I find the travel of the arm to be clunky which leads me to think the cable is not well routed. Seem like it was an afterthought (just like in many north america cars).

rcomeau

 

Hmmmmm.... you know that explanation for the crawling makes alot of sense. I'd never thought of it.

Come to think of it I remember once or twice (when waiting for a car wash) I'd put the car in N (so it wouldn't restart all the time) and applied the parking brake. When I shifted to drive I forgot the parking brake was on it did hold the vehicle from going forward... even after I applied a little bit of gas (at about that point brain cells would kick in and I'd release the brake).

I think you are right... there must be some bit of play in the brake before it grabs...

 

I am not expecting the parking brake to hold it while the vehicle is in drive...or not expecting it to rock a bit...I am simply expecting to hold the car...isn't that the point?

When it is in neutral, and even on only a slight grade if I apply the parking brake the car rolls like no other...seeming as nothing is actually being done to attempt to hold the car.

 

Sorry... I guess we got off on our own conversation of our own experience.

Yours sounds like its definitely NOT adjusted correctly. It is adjustable. Mine has been too tight and too loose. When i got it it was definitely too loose. I'd pull it all the way up with no effort at all and it didnt' hold. I had the mechanics at Ford adjust it (he said it was just tightening a nut) and he went to far. The ratchet only clicked twice and I couldn't lift it anymore. The third time was the charm....

Definitely get it adjusted.

 

I think the "nut" for adjustment is right underneath the leather "boot". You can actually feel it on the driver's side of the leather base. The leather boot is "clipped" into the console and can be removed.

 

That would be great.

I went to the dealer today to schedule the appointment for tomorrow AM...he said he wanted the car for the whole day given he "did not know what he would find with the parking brake"

Already making me weary about taking it in...it should be a simple adjustment, maybe they will claim I need a new rear end...

I need to check into my warranty...I forget what it is/was!

 

So guess what...the parking brake stops being covered at 36,000 miles...

They wanted $100.00 to simply look at the rear end...yeah right.

I think that this may have been the last trip to the dealer for me. The car runs great, and I have been maintaining it well on my own according to the tech. He said he usually does not have someone watch over his shoulder from the waiting area the entire time he is working on someone's car.

Here are a few fun tidbits:

It costs $60 in labor alone (not including the filter) to change the battery filter.
It costs $80 in labor alone (not including the filter) to change the air filter.

I didn't even get asked about the cabin air filter...I guess they didn't check to see that I had put one in!

Needless to say, all the car recieved was a visual inspection whoop-de-doo, and an oil change.

I ordered all my filters online and will pay myself the labor :-)

 

He actually said something about that? Brutal. I usually watch when I have a car in for service. I'm the guy that they make those signs for "No customers allowed in service area"

It's usually more interesting watching them work on the car than the tripe they have playing on the TV in the waiting room.