# parking brake on mkII jetta not working.



## dustinmicks (Apr 27, 2010)

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone could explain to me on how to adjust or replace the parking brake cable for a VW Jetta MKII gli. i have the car up on jack stands, i need to fix the parking brake in order to pass the safety and i haven't been able to figure it out myself yet . i'm a visual learner so any pics would help greatly. i have the rear wheel off and.... i think ive figured which cable goes to the parking brake but i don't really want to fiddle too much


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## germancarnut51 (Mar 23, 2008)

*Re: parking brake on mkII jetta not working. (dustinmicks)*

Sorry, no adjustment possible and no repair parts available. A defective parking brake mechanism inside aa rear caliper is a common failure.
What you need to do is first determine if the parking brake assemblies inside of the calipers is/are bad, or if you simply need to replace the parking brake cables (which only cost about $15 each here in the US).
Visually inspect the parking brake cables for splits in the rubber sheath, or swollen or ruty spots, any signs of those problems and the cables are history.
Next, release the parking brake handle, and disconnect the parking brake cables to see if they work smoothly. If they don't, you need new parking brakes cables. Get the new cables installed, then you can test the parking brake mechanisms inside the calipers.


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## spitpilot (Feb 14, 2000)

*Re: parking brake on mkII jetta not working. (germancarnut51)*

Parking brake cable replacement isn't all that hard..just a bit of a PITA 'cuz you usually have to pull some of the interior trim off to get at base of parking brake lever..and on later models this can be more time consuming than the actual cable replacement itself!


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## dustinmicks (Apr 27, 2010)

*Re: parking brake on mkII jetta not working. (germancarnut51)*

thanks for the info, I've actually found a small split in the cable on the sheathing on the underside of the car, with a considerable amount of rust protruding from it, the cable replacement shouldn't be too hard, but had alot of trouble trying to remove one of the cables the other day, and ultimately failed in the end and gave up -_-


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## dustinmicks (Apr 27, 2010)

*Re: parking brake on mkII jetta not working. (spitpilot)*

yes spitpilot, i had such a hard time getting into the parking brake lever area on the mkii. i had to rip the carpeting back and couldn't even get the lever apart or even get the carpet back far enough to get at the cables inside, such a pain! i'm considering taking the seats off to get the carpet back, or even splitting the carpet right down the centre with a razorblade... but i don't want to ruin the upkept interior too much :|
the mkii jetta has no trim, just a finicky piece of carpeting in the way.


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## dustinmicks (Apr 27, 2010)

*Re: parking brake on mkII jetta not working. (dustinmicks)*

also... any info on where i can get the parking brake cable, and the outer shield that protects the cable, in canada, or possibly shipped to canada...


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## germancarnut51 (Mar 23, 2008)

*Re: parking brake on mkII jetta not working. (dustinmicks)*

I buy 99% of my new VW parts from: europartsdirect.com, autohausaz.com and stopshopanddrive.com.
I'd suggest contacting these companies to see if they ship to Canada.


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