This is for sure a stretched handbrake cable, right?

[JohnDoe2]

Hi,

I just want to bounce a diagnostic off fellow tinkerers. I'm fairly sure this is a stretched rear left handbrake cable.

Purchased the car THEN noticed the handbrake wouldn't hold on steep inclines. No adjustment made any difference, just the handbrake travel changed. Checked the pads, well worn, probably 1mm at most. No worries. Ordered new pads figuring that resetting the callipers (by winding them back in) may be an easy fix. Came to do the pads, noticed rear left calliper was newish (still had the sticker on it) but the right side was seized solid. Ordered a new calliper. Fitted the new RHS calliper & pads on both sides... still poor handbrake performance. 

Now my thinking is that someone had recently taken it to a shop for the handbrake and the shop had noticed the left wasn't braking very well so replaced the calliper, misdiagnosing the seized RH calliper, and because of this the LH cable has been stretched. When under the car I can see the LH cable pulls the handbrake lever twice as far as the RH does (both move freely by hand, I can verify as I accidentally would them back in a few times and had to wind them out again). Additionally you can see in the pic LH side is far further forward than RH side. Callipers seizing and stretching cables seem fair common, I have the cable ready to go but will need to pay a shop to swap it as I don't want the hassle without access to a ramp.

Cheers!

Edit, that pic looks like it's resting, ie handbrake OFF. But its around the same angle when the handbrake is applied. It was like this before and after swapping the calliper. FWIW yes I bled the brakes and pumped the foot pedal hard before applying the handbrake after swapping the calliper. Pretty standard stuff.

Edited October 23, 2023 by JohnDoe2

[Magnet]

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club !

Good to have you onboard.

Hello John,

As I see it, you have repeated an error that someone else had made earlier, and adjusted the handbrake cable/s. It is purely an assumption that the cable has stretched - in practice, they rarely do to any appreciable extent. Having said that, the A3 does have a potential issue of the cables sticking/ not moving freely in the aluminium guide tubes where the cables run out under the car. The tubes are relatively cheap to buy, are handed ( from Audi -even!) and changeable, but it is well worth running copious amounts of WD40 down the cables first - having removed the central armrest - as I recall. 
If it were mine, I would be running the cable adjustments right off to ensure the caliper pistons can find their rightful position, before readjusting the cables - always the last job! 

If you feel you want to change the cables anyway - and it might not be a bad idea - I’ve used Febi to good avail, and worth having a look on Parts in Motion website as a possible supplier. No connection, and there are obviously others. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[cliffcoggin]

I'd agree with Gareth that the cables are unlikely to have stretched. Far more likely is that the cables are sticking in their outers.