I saw my emergency brake fail... Diagnosis?

Waffle_Man · 03-03-2023, 04:38 PM

I have a 2013 335is, Manual, 78k miles. Today I was pulling into a parking space like normal, and not on a major incline. Was at a full stop, pulled my ebrake, and after about 5 seconds I watched my brake drop about 2 inches, and then all the way to its resting position. When this happened my e brake was no longer engaging. I tried immediately to put it back up, and the handle would stay up, but the brakes were not activating, and it felt like I wasn't pulling on anything at all when I pulled the handle. No lights came on the dash. My actual brakes feel fine.

I have read forums, but none of the other posts seem to actually witness the failure themselves. I know that you can adjust the parking brake, but don't feel like that would apply in my situation, because it was a sudden failure and not something that happened over time. My question is, is this something I can diagnose and/or fix myself? it seems like the cable either snapped, or became disconnected. I am fairly ambitious about fixing problems myself on my vehicle, and would like to save the money if I can. So if anyone has had this happen before, what was the problem, and how did you fix it? or if you did pay a shop, how much did you pay?I am going to continue researching but wanted to see if anyone else had a similar situation.

P.S. I do drive spiritedly at times, but have NEVER used the parking brake to initiate drifts or really anything reckless.

whyzee125 · 03-06-2023, 02:27 PM

It's possible to diagnose yourself but you'll need to likely remove the rear wheels and get a helper to pull the brake while you check to see what's moving. I had the e brake fail suddenly like this on my previous 07 335i but I didn't see it go down, just one day it worked and the next it didn't.

I expected a snapped cable or some other hard part failure but somehow (and this makes no sense) the pads were just worn down a bit and needed an adjustment. I'm thinking some pad material was hanging on and finally let go as a result of vibrations or glue failure but the wear really looked normal inside. Adjusted them and it worked perfectly for 3 years until I sold the car.

03-03-2023, 04:38 PM	#1
Waffle_Man Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: 2013 335is Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Colorado iTrader: (0)	I saw my emergency brake fail... Diagnosis? I have a 2013 335is, Manual, 78k miles. Today I was pulling into a parking space like normal, and not on a major incline. Was at a full stop, pulled my ebrake, and after about 5 seconds I watched my brake drop about 2 inches, and then all the way to its resting position. When this happened my e brake was no longer engaging. I tried immediately to put it back up, and the handle would stay up, but the brakes were not activating, and it felt like I wasn't pulling on anything at all when I pulled the handle. No lights came on the dash. My actual brakes feel fine. I have read forums, but none of the other posts seem to actually witness the failure themselves. I know that you can adjust the parking brake, but don't feel like that would apply in my situation, because it was a sudden failure and not something that happened over time. My question is, is this something I can diagnose and/or fix myself? it seems like the cable either snapped, or became disconnected. I am fairly ambitious about fixing problems myself on my vehicle, and would like to save the money if I can. So if anyone has had this happen before, what was the problem, and how did you fix it? or if you did pay a shop, how much did you pay?I am going to continue researching but wanted to see if anyone else had a similar situation. P.S. I do drive spiritedly at times, but have NEVER used the parking brake to initiate drifts or really anything reckless. Last edited by Waffle_Man; 03-03-2023 at 04:48 PM..
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03-06-2023, 02:27 PM	#2
whyzee125 Brigadier General 1679 Rep 3,645 Posts Drives: Dinan stage 2 335i Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Chattanooga Tn iTrader: (0)	It's possible to diagnose yourself but you'll need to likely remove the rear wheels and get a helper to pull the brake while you check to see what's moving. I had the e brake fail suddenly like this on my previous 07 335i but I didn't see it go down, just one day it worked and the next it didn't. I expected a snapped cable or some other hard part failure but somehow (and this makes no sense) the pads were just worn down a bit and needed an adjustment. I'm thinking some pad material was hanging on and finally let go as a result of vibrations or glue failure but the wear really looked normal inside. Adjusted them and it worked perfectly for 3 years until I sold the car.
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