Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Plus Four, Supersport & Plus Six (CX & CXV Generation Vehicles) Handbrake woes!

My Plus Four handbrake has been rubbish since new.
Every service it's been reported, and each time it has been "improved" a little - just about MOT standard. this lasts for a few miles (maybe a couple of hundred), then back to normal. I.e. will not prevent the car creeping or rolling on a slight incline.
So simply my question is, can it be fixed properly?
It's been into 3 different Morgan garages with the same results.
I would really like to avoid another MOT failure.

It appears on the earlier CX to be unfortunately the norm with especially the pre MY23 cars due to the make of brake calipers fitted. I'm fortunate because my MY22 handbrake is very good ,basically in that and helped by I dfrive an automatic,so I never use the handbrake, which made me smile when Malvern during the recent service and MOT said that's why it is one of the better working examples,.as I don't use it between MOT's.!!!!!!!I I was told that they have in the past temporarily fitted the new system to get a car thru the MOT and then removed it post MOT. I think there have been a series of handbrake cable and adjustment mechanism design changes in recent times that improve the situation.

I know not much help, but I understand the MY23 and later cars have a different brake setup and resultant better hand brake. I've heard of an early car having the complete system being replaced by the later brake setup, ie calipers etc. improved the situation, not cheap but solved the issue.

The handbrake function with rear discs seems to challenge MMC starting with the Aero's then ARP4. There are various solutions employing separate handbrake caliper, drum within disc rotor, dedicated additional master cylinder to hydraulics etc. Having said that our F54 Mini has one of the best handbrakes I've ever encountered using a single piston floating caliper incorporating both hydraulic and cable actuation. The latter with electric assistance though - maybe that's the answer

My MY23 Plus Four had a similar issue with the handbrake. Highlighted to the dealer when in for a small warranty job and services. A new cable was fitted but only a small improvement. This year the car was back at MMC for a hood to screen adjustment post a screen pillar repaint and wind noise and leaks after reassembly, so a service and first MOT was booked at the same time. Mark took me out for a test drive to asses the car. I asked for the handbrake to be looked at as it could well have been an MOT fail/advisory. New pads on the rear as an issue with material bonding was found with one (😱££). They checked and reset the handbrake system. Now sorted and the car holds on a slope I use for tests. It now holds well there with no creeping so no need to put into Park mode. I used a train to get back and fore from dropping the car off and picking it up. Nice train journey. Change at Hereford then on to Malvern Link for a 5 minute walk to the factory. Sausage bap and coffee in the cafe. Back to enjoying the car again.
I seem to remember comments from Caterham owners about rear disc handbrake issues.
Our Kia has an electric brake and excellent with the auto hold a nice bonus. Could well be the best solution for development. The brake also stays on unless the driver's seatbelt is connected and a dab on the brake pedal to release.

It's interesting to see how people use automatic cars differently, having driven automatics for decades, I never use the handbrake, always put it in park, the resultant issue often being at MOT time, the handbrake mechanisms sometimes needs to be freed off due to lack af use, more modern cars like the wife's Mercedes's have an electronic application, so it does it aitomatically.when we were chatting last night about this issue, she didn't even realise there was an electronic handbrake on her car and the existence of a manual pull release should the system fail for whatever reason.......she does now. It's interesting how the car use varies a case of different strokes for different folks.

The reason why I never use the handbrake is because the modern auto's have a more sensitive anti creep mechanism to hold it on a slope/hill at tickover, in fact the Morgan anticreep setting is probabily a little too powerful as I have to hold it on the brake far more than in my other automatics, probabily due to the lower weight of the Morgan not being taken into account in the anti creep settings..

I think there was a later revised design for the handbrake mechanism in '25, which may have solved the problem......certainly the issue from discussions iwith MarK for the earlier cars hinges more around the make of calipers and the setup used in earlier cars as well as what seems to be the hanbrake adjustment and application set up, even on later cars. .........

By the way I left my car with MMC for a week, and they decided off their own bat to readjust my doors at my expense, I didn't ask for that, but obviously something needed adjustment, they certainly close better, I'm not complaining at all, the doors certainly close tighter than when I first got the car, which may cut down some of the draughts in that area I've yet to resolve, soon see when the colder weather arrives. They found my wipers thud sound at the end of the sweep, wasn't due to the mechanism striking anything in its sweep, so they have added material to quieten it down....haven't had cause to use the wipers yet.......but it may be another thing I have to live with..............as long as it works it,s a bonus, got to love Morgans and often have deep pockets or they would drive you insane with their sometimes demanding ownership requirements......need to go for a blast today and hope not to be reminded of the need for wipers etc.

I tended to use the P setting but became wary. There were reports of damage to a pawl in the gearbox due to "settling" of the car causing some movement and stressing the components. Also perhaps putting into P before the car was fully stationary. I found this settling down more prominent on hills as the slack in the gearbox was taken up. Stop the car, handbrake on, P mode is the sequence I use if stationary for a longer period( how long is open to interpretation). Otherwise happy to hold on the footbrake to prevent the natural creep. I wonder if the lighter Morgan causes this creep versus heavier BMW cars.
Some advice on BMW sites and youtube also on when to use P mode. Holding on the footbrake for short periods was the advice and using P mode if stationary for extended periods. Based on the gearbox being designed to be held on the footbrake.
I've driven autos in the past but test drives for manual v auto Plus Four made the auto a no-brainer. Paddle shifting gives manual whenever you want it. Auto to cruise. Kickdown in auto in normal setting is impressive! Sport is great for overtaking with the nudge of the gear lever but Sport+ not needed.

I always apply the foot brake and hold the brake on so the car is totally stationary before putting in P........there are always reasons why not to do something on some car forum or other, but in the hundreds of thousands of miles of driving an auto, I've never exoerienced an issue with using only park as long as the car is stationary, before engaging or disengaging, and I have a quite steep driveway up hill slope into my garage....so all my cars are in P on the slope in P whilst I open the garage doors. It's a case of what ever you feel confortable enough with.

Why make mountains out of mole hills all the time.There is no weight in a morgan compared to BMWs with the same engine and box.You stop foot on the brake put in park pull up the hanbrake job done.Your plus 4 or 6 will need slight adjustement at a service same as any other car unless its a garage queen as many on here are.

As has been alluded to, the workaround I used on my ARP4 in the 10 years I owned it, and passed on to every MOT tester, was that the car should be set with the footbrake hard on first, then the handbrake pulled up, this then held the calipers in the position set by the footbrake. No-one says that the handbrake has to be used to slow the car, only that it should hold it in a parked position. It certainly worked for all my MoTs. BTW, the handbrake on my '24MY Plus Four grips like iron.