I recently bought a 2011 California and have discovered that the parking brake isn’t holding the car very well (please don’t ask how I found out) When left in gear it’s holding fine but I’d like to adjust the brake if possible. Does anyone have any guidance on how this is done? It appears to be a drum brake that’s adjusted through sprockets inside the drum part of the brake but I’d love to hear from someone who has done it before I start in on it. It’s scheduled for a service at the local F dealership in August but I’d like to take care of this before that.
The Cali engages its electric parking brake (EPB) when you turn off the ignition so I am guessing your car rolls away when you turn off the ignition. Does the EPB work when you pull the parking brake lever under the left side of the dashboard while the car is in gear? Your dashboard display should show "HOLD" when you do this and the parking brake light should light up. If it does work, it's probably not a cable issue. Test it on an incline while in 1st gear with the car pointing downhill. If the EPB works when you pull the lever with the car in gear, try turning off the engine while the EPB is engaged and holding the car, and see if the car still rolls away when you kill the ignition. As for adjusting the parking brake cable, I suggest contacting the dealer - they probably won't charge much. If it's more complicated than that it's probably not a good DIY project. If it's a long drive to the dealer, I would just ask them if there's anything you can do or check yourself. If your dealer is nice, they will do their best to help you. You might also ask the people who recently sold you the car. The service records of your car may offer other clues.
First if the dash is displaying hold you are not using the parking brake you are actually using the ABS system to hold the car with the hydraulic brake system. Second the cable should not be adjusted but if needed the shoes should be adjusted and there is a specific procedure followed by a calibration of the motor. Generally the cause of the problem is rust and dirt build up in the drum and damaged shoes with very little surface area remaining. The combination of a poor surface for the shoes to grip and the face of the shoes being chewed up causes the brake not to hold. I suspect you will need new parking brake shoes and a thorough cleaning of the drum surface or replacement of the rotor and drum assembly.
Thanks for your responses. I understand the difference between “hold”, park+1st gear and just “park” and what I’m looking for is advice on how to adjust the parking brake. Preferably from someone who has adjusted theirs. I have an appointment with the local Ferrari service shop but it’s not until August and I’d like to fix the weak E-brake before that.
Did you do something that damaged the parking brakes, as it is not normal for the parking brake to not hold the car.? If so, the shoes and rotors should be inspected for wear/damage. The brake shoes are adjusted through a hole in the rotor, and then the electronic parking brake is calibrated and bedded in using the Ferrari diagnostic computer (DEIS). I would recommend that you have your Ferrari service shop perform the adjustment/repair.
Haven’t done anything to damage it. It’s a combination of normal wear and very steep hills (Seattle).
