fed up now........

[deano1970]

3 weeks now without a handbrake on my C5 estate.....last garage messed me about so I ordered a guide tube and booked it in at a different garage for it to be done this morning.....just rang and he said he isn't prepared to even do the job as it's too big a task?? I just don't believe nobody can do the job?>?? I personally couldn't do it,but then, i'm not a mechanic?? fed up with it all...

[Bandit12]

Blimey mate not surprised your fed up! So if I understand correctly you have the replacement tube tube but no-one is willing to fit it for you?

[citronut]

deano
have you looked at the recommended garage location map link below, to see if theres and indy or good garage near you

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=20 ... ,21.599121" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[deano1970]

cheers malcolm and yes bandit, that is about right......I booked it in to a garage this morning and I rang them about half 11 to ask if it had been done and they more or less said they aren't touching it with a barge pole.......I went to pick it up and they admitted they had no idea how to do it and said they couldn't even see where the cables go to?? said it looks like the dpf has to be removed and that creates problems that they cannot deal with..........forum user lighty said the dpf doesn't need to be removed,bit tricky but he said it doesn't need to be removed.....just surprised that a garage won't touch it....got it booked in with lighty down at ilkeston now but can't get in till the 26th...........the original garage I took it to,also cut both cables,leaving me with no handbrake at all....am I right in thinking they could have left the near side cable attached and I would have still had some kind of handbrake,though not full strength?? and why have they cut the cables?? just fed up with it altogether......anyone want to buy a C5??

[citroenxm]

I did a C5 hand brake cable ON THE GROUND! By that I mean, car just jacked up and still managed it!

The cable is hooked inside the car, but DONT bother trying to remove the cable from the tube 9.5 time out of 10 they dont come out. So the cable goes INTO the tube in the wheel arch, which can be clearly seen in the arch, and then runs in the tube to the hand brake equaliser inside the car. The guide tube can be removed with just removing the exhaust heat sheild. I found also by removing the front exhaust Cross Bracket you can then manuplate the cable guide into place.... Just. A fiddle but possible.

We get it a lot round here, too many wont touch them, but at the same time, the attitude is, pah too expensive might as well scrap it! AND THEY DO...

[deano1970]

I just find it incredible that an established garage couldn't be bothered to do the job.....They never mentioned anything when I booked it in and told them what car it was......why do citroen make them so dam awkward? but, they are the mechanics, could tell they just didn't fancy doing the job,so all in all,it's going to take about 6 weeks,just to get the handbrake working....the mrs isn't best pleased.....i'll be honest,I have put it on the for sale or swap boards on here, mot till jan 2015 and tax till end feb 2015.......any takers??/

[RichardW]

Why not just take it round and get Lightly to do it???

[Peter.N.]

I know its a bit late now but when my cables seized I disconnected them and pumped oil into the ends and also soaked the outer cable where it was cracked, worked the oil well in and it works fine now.

Many years ago I had a friend with a garage in Ilkeston, Les Clark mean anything to you?

Peter

[deano1970]

no,the name doesn't ring a bell peter,and richard, I have booked it in with lighty,but he is a fair distance really from me.....amazing that I have to travel that far just to get a working handbrake again.....I put it on the for sale boards to be honest,and I can't get in at lightys until 26th march.........mrs really not best pleased that it's going to be over 6 weeks to get a handbrake working on it...........if it sells before then,I will have to cancel,but not got any interest to be fair.....trouble is,I just taxed it at £200........I had it on ebay and listed the handbrake sticking on the auction,it was about to run out of tax and it had a day and four hours to run and was up to £640.....I really wish I had let it run,but it was riding high at the back so I pulled the auction, lighty fixed that for me,but another garage decided to cut both handbrake cables so I'm left with nothing until the end of march.........not a brilliant situation and I think I will just stick it on e bay again once it is working.........

[citronut]

i cant belive there is not a localish garage/repairer to you that can sort this out sooner and closer that Lighty,

i just googled garages in Buxton

and yell dot com brought up pages of companys in the near area

like these

http://www.yell.com/biz/r-w-service-gar ... y-6245815/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.yell.com/biz/d-c-k-l-autos-l ... d-2571786/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

obviously i dont know the distance of these examples but maybe you could do likewise

[qprdude]

Lot of garages don't have mechanics these days,just"technicians". Perfectly OK for services but not problem solvers in the old sense.

[myglaren]

The place I had mine done were not familiar with C5s and hadn't done that job previously but managed it OK. They did say it was tricky but the only thing they had to remove was a heat shield.

[citronut]

the only thing they had to remove was a heat shield.

what so the can of petrol and box of match's could take hold fully

[Gibbo2286]

With a bit of fiddling you don't even need to remove the heat shield, I've done a couple on my front yard without too much bother although it is a bit of a Chinese puzzle round the chassis especially the left side one.
To get the tube back into place I fed a flexible drain cleaner down from inside the cabin then slid the tube over it from under the wing to guide it to where it needs to be, once the tube's in the cables are simple.

[Estately]

Hi Gibbo,
If any cable is protruding at the wheel arch end it may be possible after lubricating the inside of the handbrake tube, as best you can, to try attaching the cable to the chuck of a variable speed electric drill.
It goes without saying to disconnect the cable from the hand brake inside the car then try to slowly rotate the cable in the same direction that it has been wound.
I found that with the drill turning slowly I could move the cable in and out by pushing and pulling the drill in an effort to both spread the lubrication inside the tube and also pull the cable out completely.
As the length of free cable extends feed it through a length of tube (say 15mm copper or electrical conduit), that stops it from knotting and tangling itself and maintains the rotational torque on the cable. I think I used two lengths and that ensured that there was sufficient to wind the new cable back into the hand brake tube with the drill.
It worked for me but I have only done one and that was because the original cable had snapped where it exits under the wheel arch. No need to replace the hand brake tube and all the fiddling that it involves.
Hope it works for you.
Andy.