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Laguna 2 Parking Brake Fault **Fixed for Nowt**

12K views 17 replies 6 participants last post by  LAGUNA205GT 
#1 ·
I have a problem with the electronic parking brake - the car is a 2005 Laguna 2 estate.

Last few days the parking brake has been slightly sticking so when pulling away you could feel it binding then a slight clunk as it released.

Today I had trouble pulling away after parking and had to go forward then backwards to free it off. Later on today it is now stuck on on the drivers side and won't release at all and to make things worse it is raining so I'm going to get drenched taking a look at it.

I know it is the drivers side sticking as that disc was 80 degrees and the other side 30 degrees after a short drive.

Any ideas what might be wrong before I go and get wet?

Anything I should or shouldn't do to get temporarily mobile again - eg can I disconnect the cable from the caliper on just the driver's side if needs be or might that cause other issues?

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
OK an update - I am mobile but NOT fixed.

Took the offside rear wheel off and I know from experience when doing brakes the handbrake cable should come off easily (when the handbrake is off obviously)

The cable is NOT retracting so I had to lever the spring loaded rotating thingy to get the cable off.

So I now have handbrake one side only but no more drag.

The question is what is wrong and how do I fix it please?

The cable seems to go into a large box mounted above the centre of the rear axle. I am having rear subframe bushes done next week so it would be handy to fix this at the same time.

Thanks in advance as always!
 
#3 ·
Usually the cable/s which sieze/s. Trouble is, one AFAIK cannot always get cables. Scenic yes, Grand Scenic NO. Guna NFI. Lump at rear is EPB module, Can be removed & opened, cables clip in. Worst case, is to remove cables, lubricate & pull about till they free off.
Do NOT use your EPB until sorted or cables back on. You'll have to have a manual & diagnostic reset too then.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the reply.

I have since found the sticky thread from "Cardinal Sin" about the electronic parking brake and I think I have one cable sezied.

I have unclipped the seized cable and I can use the handbrake - once unclipped there was very little room for it to retract any further so it cannot "overwind" itself.

I found one seller of these cables in Poland on ebay here:

Renault Laguna II Electronic Handbrake Cables 2pcs | eBay

I am hoping these are the right ones?

For £50 it is a massive saving compared to the alternative which is a complete new unit.
 
#5 ·
hi, I've owned both a 2b Initiale and a 2b GT, (diesel not petrol like yours) both of which I have head the similar issues you describe. both cars needed new units, though I sourced ones from breakers which were then recoded onto my car(s).

I have since learnt that some businesses can repair the cables into your existing unit, a good job since a new unit is £600ish from memory.

for an alternative idea, I have paid between £120-£200 delivered for a 2nd hand unit. the urban legend is corrosion, something to do with the position of the electronic unit in relation to the back axle (ie picks up road dirt far too easily).
 
#6 ·
Thanks for your reply

hi, I've owned both a 2b Initiale and a 2b GT, (diesel not petrol like yours) both of which I have head the similar issues you describe. both cars needed new units, though I sourced ones from breakers which were then recoded onto my car(s).
I thought the units were "one time coding only" - so second hand units could not be recoded?

I think I have trouble with one corroded cable and I found a seller on Ebay from Poland from whom I can buy a pair of cables for £60 delivered.

The garage which is doing my subframe bushes said they had a nightmare with a Megane with a similar fault and tried buying cables but ended up buying a new unit.

To be honest a £600 bill would be too much to justify and with 6 months MoT I think I would look at doing a P/X.

I am going to try activating the emergency handbrake release and see if I can pull the cable as far out as possible then remove the outer coating in case that has corrosion beneath it causing it to seize. The problem is it hasn't stopped raining last two days since the fault happened and I have to work on my driveway.

I could fit the new cables myself but figured it made sense to let the garage do it as they are dropping the rear axle anyway.

Does anyone have any experience buying these cables from Poland on ebay before I take a £60 gamble to avoid a £600 bill?
 
#9 ·
Thanks for your reply

I thought the units were "one time coding only" - so second hand units could not be recoded?
They are NOT Coded, But if you swap a 2nd Hand one in, It may be a different type or software. The programming software knows & can recognise. If you search EPB problems, there is an enormous thread. I know coz I was part of it. Bloke IIRC, fitted a Grand Scenic box to a Scenic & off it went, but needed to tell his software to look for an unexpected unit.
 
#12 ·
OK finally had time to take a proper look at the handbrake without getting soaked and it seems I have fixed it for a total cost of £0.00

I pulled the yellow handle under the armrest to release the handbrake.

I then used some mole grips to pull the seized cable out at the caliper end as far as it would go. I then used a stanley knife to cut away the coating on the inner cable as far back as was possible, cleaned the cable with some sand paper and applied some grease and tested it and it seems fine.

It looks like some corrosion was making the cable stick and I presume the self adjustment system was then "taking up the slack" so I ended up with the cable being too taught and making the brake bind on that side.

Not sure how long it will last as the cable could corrode further along where you can't access it as it is inside the outer sleeve but it's a weight off my mind that I don't have a £400+ bill just about to hit me :smile2:
 
#13 ·
Should last till you flog it & repaired at the BEST price too.
Win & a half. :smile2:
Tell me if the title change is not acceptable.
 
#14 ·
Tim, thanks for changing the title I was wondering how to do it myself.

Hopefully this thread might help someone else with the same fault - plus from what I have read some people are scared to pull the yellow handle as they think it needs a trip to Renault to reset it and that is definitely not the case (with the Laguna 2 anyway)

I don't really want to sell the car as it is such a high specification, I enjoy driving it and in four years of ownership I've had NO major bills. The most I spent in one go was about £400 for tyres all round.

Cheers!

Justyn.
 
#15 ·
Pulling the release handle, mechanically releases a latch mechanism internally in the EPB. The car will moan about it, but if you apply/release it a couple of times, it will pull itself back into the correct position and relatch itself. An error code will be stored internally in the EPB, but once its relatched itself, no warning should show. If it does, then there is a pre-existing fault with the module.

I've added those cables to my eBay watch list. Nothing wrong with buying such things from Poland imo - over there they are far more likely to fix parts, rather than swapping things over. So a much cheaper solution.

Plus the poles love Renaults, so loads of parts + knowledge about them.
 
#17 ·
LAGUNA205GT,

It's worth checking that the handbrake levers on your calipers are not starting to seize up, they should return to the stop post freely with no cable attached.



Cheers.
 
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#18 ·
It's worth checking that the handbrake levers on your calipers are not starting to seize up, they should return to the stop post freely with no cable attached.
Thanks - my local garage is dropping the rear axle tomorrow to replace the rear subframe bushes so I will be asking them to check and lubricate the handbrake assembly as they will be undoing it anyway.

I know the driver's side is not seized as I cut my finger trying to take the tension off in the rain the other day to do a temporary fix :frown2:
 
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