Weak handbrake on cars fitted with rear disc brakes

[culzean]

Me too, although on my Jazz (1.4 EX  mk2 facelift) I discovered that on a reasonable slope even leaving it just in gear (no handbrake) wasn't enough and the car would judder down the hill!

I'm more dismayed by finding out my rear discs (although brand new) are already showing surface rust, it beats me why we even need disc brakes on the rear of these cars, the fronts do 90% of the braking in any case and drums wouldn't corrode.

Apparently it's quite common for jazz rear discs to corrode and need replacing after a very short time, I've taken to  driving for 1 mile with my handbrake on the 1st click to ensure the disc surface gets some use, then driving normally thereafter.

Yes it'll wear the brake pads down a bit quicker - but they're a damn sight  cheaper than new discs.

yes,  as the compression leaks out of the cylinders it will let go until the engine rotates and the compression comes on next cylinder,  usually reverse is the lowest gear and will hold better than first.

I also do the handbrake thing while car is moving to try to keep discs clean,  as you say pads are cheaper than discs,  but maybe the rust makes the pads grip better as a handbrake.

[madasafish]

The rear disks on my 4 year old Jazz are nice and shiny. Lots of hills, lots of vigorous braking from speed on fast roads  and not washing the car and leaving it wet all help.

Never had a handbrake issue with rear disks on any car including the Jazz. Just apply firmly with foot on footbrake and leave it in Park (auto) - as no choice there.

Lack of maintenance or under use screws up most mechanical things- rear disks are no different.

[Jocko]

That's is one of the things that I loved about my Automatics. Park. You could park on the side of an Alp without it running away. As long as the tyres gripped the car would stay put.

[culzean]

The rear disks on my 4 year old Jazz are nice and shiny. Lots of hills, lots of vigorous braking from speed on fast roads  and not washing the car and leaving it wet all help.

Never had a handbrake issue with rear disks on any car including the Jazz. Just apply firmly with foot on footbrake and leave it in Park (auto) - as no choice there.

Lack of maintenance or under use screws up most mechanical things- rear disks are no different.

just replaced the rear disks on my wifes MK2 Si they were in a right state with rust,  but passed last MOT OK (surprisingly) - car used every day and we live in a hilly area of Shropshire,  I would guess winter salt and the fact that rear brakes do very little has a lot to do with it, plus the fact that rear brakes cop all the spray from front wheels - and no the car does not get washed (actually it gets washed once a year whether it need it or not).

will let you know how the discs look after the winter (have winter tyres with steel wheels and trims on at the moment so can't see the brakes,  am hoping that steel wheels give more protection to the discs and they will be OK through winter).

[Jocko]

After reading about rust on rear discs I made a point of getting my torch out today, and peering through my steel wheels to check them. Mine are shiny and polished, surprising, since I am VERY gentle on the brake. I use them only when absolutely necessary (every time you use the brakes you waste fuel you have used to get up to the speed you are scrubbing off).

[Jem]

All my discs are ok at the moment. I find one of my rear breaks sticks on when I have not used the car for a while. There is a bit of a thump as soon as I pull away.

This seems to be a bit of a weak point on the Jazz. There is something not quite right about them.

[John Ratsey]

If you are leaving the car somewhere flat then put it in gear and don't use the handbrake. That will avoid the pads sticking to the discs.

[madasafish]

All my discs are ok at the moment. I find one of my rear breaks sticks on when I have not used the car for a while. There is a bit of a thump as soon as I pull away.

This seems to be a bit of a weak point on the Jazz. There is something not quite right about them.

Happens to all cars I have driven with rear disks. Rust due to damp.Or sticking mechanisms due to poor maintenance   or both.

[Rory]

After reading about rust on rear discs I made a point of getting my torch out today, and peering through my steel wheels to check them. Mine are shiny and polished, surprising, since I am VERY gentle on the brake. I use them only when absolutely necessary (every time you use the brakes you waste fuel you have used to get up to the speed you are scrubbing off).

Hmmm...maybe it's the steel wheels that are significant.  My son-in-law has our old mk2 Jazz, he drives it hard and the front wheels are always balck with brake dust, but the rear discs are still rusty.  And they were changed at 3yrs old FOC as they looked so bad - I had put that down to too gentle use by my wife.

[madasafish]

I always reverse up a slope into our garage so the rear brakes do some work and heat up before being parked..

[guest5079]

Perhaps Madasafish has hit the nail on the preverbial  head.  After Honda replacing rusty rear discs, that had been left on the car when I bought it, after two years the rear discs have remained bright and shiny  with no ridges. Like him I always reverse in to my driveway.
The builders in their wisdom left us with a 1 in 5 slope on the twist which then flattens out so it needs a bit of welly to get the Jazz up and then the brakes have to be applied before collision with the garage door.
It obviously saved them about 15 minutes work with a JCB.

[culzean]

Honda may have changed the disc material to one that does not rust so badly.

[madasafish]

The builders in their wisdom left us with a 1 in 5 slope on the twist which then flattens out so it needs a bit of welly to get the Jazz up and then the brakes have to be applied before collision with the garage door.
It obviously saved them about 15 minutes work with a JCB.

It's ALWAYS better to have a slope to drive up to get into a garage.
Slopes down means flooding in heavy rain. Or in  localised flooding.

( I knew someone who installed a pit in their garage. Lined it to prevent water intrusion through the ground. Waste of time as in winter it was always flooded by rainwater flooding down the drive which sloped into the garage. The sill was not high enough to stop it)

[guest5079]

Our slope goes UP from the road and all they had to do was grade it. The driveway has enough room for two large cars so there was room. However totally agree about slopes down. Going back to the brake question is it a case of the normal rotation of the brake disc causes the pads to develop a chamfered edge due to wear where as the 'back' of the pad which doesn't receive much wear maintains is squareness and therefore more able to clean off the deposits.
I am no engineer, this is just thought.

[Jocko]

I once had a FIAT 126 with automatic friction brake adjusters, and the recommendation was to reverse and brake firmly, to tension the rear brakes up.