e39 handbrake adjustment

[Scamp's Walker]

Collected new car a few months ago and discovered to my dismay(!) that the handbrake was almost non-existent/doesn't give any resistance when drive engaged. Was told by local indie that that was not unusual as car is auto. Apparently as auto drivers are lazy, their words not mine, they tend to leave their cars in park and not engage the handbrake and the cables stretch, brakes seize etc(car passed MOT last September so it must have worked then)! Is this an old wives tale? Visiting a garage at the moment would be a pain as need the car to be on the road so wondered if I could do it myself, any advice! You can currently pull the handbrake up 8 or 9 clicks which seems like a lot to me and so it may be worth trying the adjustment route. Does anyone know how many clicks is BMW norm (a question for Blackspider if ever there was one). On other cars that I have adjusted the handbrake it has just been a case of adjusting bolts under/on top of the handbrake to the required amount, but as it is a BMW presumably it is more complicated!!!!!

[jamoor]

I have never applied the handbrake on my auto except when I am going to get out of the car with the car idling, i usually shift it into neutral, when parking I just use park.

[blackspider]

Lift your hand brake lever gaiter up and underneath you will see the top of the 2 cables-you have an 8mm lock nut and 12mm adjusting nut-the idle amount of clicks is 5-7.
You need to balance the cables so they both pull the shoes at the same time.You need to adjust them evenly,then if you reverse or drive forward very very slowely and pull the handbrake on the back of the car should come down or go up evenly on each side(depending on which way you are travelling)-if its wrong the left or right will move quicker as the brake locks.

The e39 handbrakes arent the best,but you can get a really good one if you,strip and clean the handbrake shoes,disc drum surface,lubricate the back plate,lubricate the pivots and then adjust the handbrake up-this is part of an inspection 2

[sparkythecat]

That sounds ok in theory blackspider, but I had a hell of a job to get the rear discs off my car. The handbrake shoes had worn a seious grove on the inside of the drum and a rusty ridge had formed stopping the disc coming off over the handbrake shoes. Despite backing off the cables at the handbrake end and winding back the star adjusters I still had to the hell out of the discs with a big hammer to get them off. I was lucky the shoe retaining pins didn't tear the backplate.
Fortunately I was replacing the discs anyway. Any tips for anyone encountering the same problem?

[blackspider]

Thats why they need to be done at the very least every I2-We dont get many that wont come off,if they dont then several hammer drives to the hub side of the disc(where the wheel is bolted to).
You went about it the right way though de-adjusting the cables and adjuster-still get mechanics who cant be bothered to do that,they would rather destroy the shoes and discs to get them off.

[Scamp's Walker]

Thanks for the advice guys. Wife, kindly, pointed out that I had not applied the handbrake when I parked earlier today then realised that it didn't work anyway!!!! Forgetting that I had applied it earlier, I pulled away and the car told me that my parking brake was still on, I am hoping that this means it just needs adjusting. Will attempt not to lose my patience and try tomorrow!