Volkswagen Fox Parking brake won't hold car Inspection at your home or office.

Our certified mobile mechanics come to you 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(4,402)

How A Diagnostic Works

Instantly book a certified mobile mechanic to come to you

Mechanic diagnoses the problem and quotes necessary repairs

Your vehicle is ready to go

Fair, upfront & transparent pricing for all services

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to you now.

Customer Ratings

(4,402)

Parking brake won't hold car Inspection Service

How much does a Parking brake won't hold car Inspection cost?

On average, the cost for a Volkswagen Fox Parking brake won't hold car Inspection is $95 with $0 for parts and $95 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
1988 Volkswagen FoxL4-1.8LService typeParking brake won't hold car InspectionEstimate$114.99Shop/Dealer Price$124.99 - $132.49
1987 Volkswagen FoxL4-1.8LService typeParking brake won't hold car InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
1990 Volkswagen FoxL4-1.8LService typeParking brake won't hold car InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
1992 Volkswagen FoxL4-1.8LService typeParking brake won't hold car InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$104.99 - $112.48
1991 Volkswagen FoxL4-1.8LService typeParking brake won't hold car InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.02 - $112.55
1993 Volkswagen FoxL4-1.8LService typeParking brake won't hold car InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
1989 Volkswagen FoxL4-1.8LService typeParking brake won't hold car InspectionEstimate$99.99Shop/Dealer Price$109.87 - $117.28
Show example Volkswagen Fox Parking brake won't hold car Inspection prices

To prevent unnecessary wear and tear on your transmission, and to ensure that it doesn’t slip out of park and roll when you’re parked on an incline, your vehicle is equipped with a parking brake.

Engaging the parking brake activates the rear brakes, and ensures that the car won’t roll, even on a relatively steep incline. However, if your parking brake won’t hold the car, there’s a problem that must be addressed for your safety (and that of others).

How this system works:

Parking brake systems vary drastically from one automaker to another, and even on different makes and models. Some have a supplemental set of shoes inside a built-in drum on the rear rotors (disc brakes). Some use the rear shoes of the primary drum system as the parking brake. However, all of them should be able to hold the car on an incline.

When you activate the parking brake, either by pulling up the handle between the front seats or pushing the parking brake pedal under the dash, a cable that runs to the rear of the vehicle is pulled taut. This engages the parking brake. When you disengage the pedal or lower the handle, release springs in the rear return the brake system to its normal configuration and you’re able to drive.

Over time and through (lack of) normal use, your parking brake system might shift out of adjustment.

Common reasons for this to happen:

  • Brakes Out of Adjustment: The most common reason for a parking brake not to hold a car on an incline is that the brakes are out of adjustment. Most parking brakes are self-adjusting, which means that they automatically adjust through use. However, if you don’t use your parking brake very often, the system is thrown off (it’s not able to self-adjust if it’s not used).

  • Adjuster Wheel Damaged or Seized: Manually adjusting your brake pads is done with an adjuster wheel, which changes the spread of the shoes inside the drum. However, if the wheel is damaged or seized, you will not be able to adjust the shoes.

  • Drum Damage/Wear: If it has been some time since you had your drums resurfaced, the wear on the inside may make it impossible for the shoes to make contact with the surface (or make only light contact, meaning that while the brake engages, it won’t be enough to hold the car).

  • Brake Not Engaging: It might not be a question of the parking brake not holding the car. It might be a question of the parking brake not engaging at all. Rust, corrosion, damaged return springs and numerous other problems can prevent your parking brake from engaging in the first place.

What to expect:

A top-rated mobile mechanic will come to your home or office to inspect the parking brake, including the adjustment of the rear brakes, the condition of the cable and other components. The mechanic will then provide a detailed inspection report that includes the scope and cost of the necessary repairs.

How it's done:

The mechanic will need to inspect the entire parking brake system, including the handle, the cable, return springs, shoes and more. It’s likely that the mechanic will have to remove both rear wheels, as well as the drums in order to inspect the shoes and adjust the brakes if necessary.

How important is this service?

If your parking brake won’t hold the car, then parking on even a slight incline can be very dangerous. Even an automatic transmission can slip out of park, and if you’re driving a stick shift, it can also slip out of gear. When this happens, the car will roll down the incline, impacting anything in its way. One of our professional mechanics can inspect and repair your parking brake to ensure safety at all times.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee


Meet some of our expert Volkswagen mechanics

Real customer reviews from Volkswagen owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(4,402)

Rating Summary
4,131
135
31
26
79
4,131
135
31
26
79

Rodney

36 years of experience
544 reviews
Rodney
36 years of experience
Volkswagen Fox L4-1.8L - Brake System Inspection - Sacramento, California
Rodney arrived on time for the appointment and was able to diagnose the problem with my car almost immediately. He delved deeper into the area the problem was just to make sure, and his initial diagnosis was correct. He was very friendly and capable, and I look forward to booking his services for any car troubles I have in the future.

Brian

24 years of experience
201 reviews
Brian
24 years of experience
Volkswagen Passat L4-1.8L Turbo - Axle / CV Shaft Assembly Replacement (Driver Side Front) - Frederick, Maryland
Brian is very knowledgeable, reliable, professional and friendly. He's a great mechanic and a wonderful person to deal with. I am very happy with the service he provided me (installation of the left/driver's side front c/v axle and the thorough 50-point inspection). I will definitely recommend him to my family and friends!

Tien

23 years of experience
903 reviews
Tien
23 years of experience
Volkswagen Beetle L4-2.0L - Thermostat - Oakland, California
Your mechanic has done a great job working on our car. He gave good feedback on what he was doing and what I might need in the future. I would recommend your mechanic to anyone needing minor work done on there car.

John

20 years of experience
571 reviews
John
20 years of experience
Volkswagen GTI L4-2.0L Turbo - Pre-purchase Car Inspection - Orlando, Florida
John performed a pre-purchase inspection for me (an out of state car shopper) and I could not be happier. He spotted things that the seller did not disclose or take pictures of in their ad. He saved me from buying a car that I could then see (with John's pictures) had been modified by the previous owner in a way that I did not like. We communicated seamlessly through text and he showed up on short notice which made the process totally painless. Absolutely worth every penny.

Excellent Rating

(4,402)

Rating Summary
4,131
135
31
26
79
4,131
135
31
26
79
Number of Volkswagen services completed
48422+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Volkswagen MECHANICS
1000+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

P0133: OBD-II Trouble Code: O2 Sensor Circuit Slow Response (Bank 1 Sensor 1)
P0133 Trouble code definition P0133 O2 Sensor Circuit Slow Response What the P0133 code means Bank 1 Sensor 1 is a sensor...
P2784 OBD-II Trouble Code: Input/Turbine Speed Sensor A/B Correlation
P2784 means a signal from the turbine speed sensor was detected due to electrical issues, faulty sensors or solenoids or bad transmission fluid.
P0319 OBD-II Trouble Code: Rough Road Sensor B Signal Circuit
P0319 means the vehicle's crankshaft position changed due to defective, disconnected, or missing rough road sensors.

I have a check engine on once a while when I hit a bump on the freeway and my echo goes away. Is it the motor mounts?

Hello. From what you describe it would appear that your vehicle has more than one issue present. The check engine light comes on when the computer detects an issue with the vehicle's engine management system. It will set off the...

Shaking

Hi There, Depending on what speed the shaking happens and whether or not it happens when pressing the brake pedal, this may be a result of suspension components failing or possibly brakes that need to be replaced. If the shaking...

2013 Toyota Highlander making a lot of noise from waterpump, and I'd like to know to expect in terms of repairs.

The engine has to be removed in order to replace the water pump on this engine. The labor just for the water pump is 13 hours. This does not include diagnosis or additional repairs needed like thermostat or any other...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (855) 347-2779 · hi@yourmechanic.com