Your car’s handbrake is actually a required protection feature according to the highway code, in fact , it aims to quit your Kia Optima, even on the slight incline. It must be in addition to the main brake system controls. It will be possible that after a while the cable system of the hand brake will loosen up and you will certainly not pass the technical control or you may feel that it can be no longer blocking your car. To address these complications, we will look at how to adjust the hand brake on your Kia Optima . To get this done, first we will see the adjustment of a manual handbrake on Kia Optima , in that case, in a second step, how to adjust an automatic handbrake, and ultimately the price of the service performed by a professional.
Adjusting a manual handbrake on Kia Optima?
So we commence our content with the hand brake adjustment of a Kia Optima in its manual version. This kind of version works in a basic way with a system of cable and screws that allow you to manage the tension in the device and so to modify the stroke in the lever of your handbrake. To act on it you will need to act on these screws in order to extend the handbrake cable of your Kia Optima . In any case, just before adjusting the hand brake, you must make sure that your back wheels are not blocked throughout the adjustment. Please find below the detailed procedure to carry out this intervention:
- In the level of the handbrake, remove the plastic console that protects it using the torx screws and clips.
- Once carried out, you should see a trapdoor in your handbrake, open it to see the screw and cable system.
- You need to locate the locknuts and loosen them with a wrench to allow you to change the cable pressure.
- Now screw on the lock nuts about both sides, make sure you make the comparable changes upon both sides to keep a balanced brake, and make sure that the hand brake lever of your Kia Optima has a stroke of about three notches.
- Tighten the locknuts and test the fastening of the tires of your car, if it’s good you can reassemble the set, otherwise tighten up again the tightening screws until you get a great optimal configuration
.
If you don’t have access to the handbrake flap of your Kia Optima, the adjustment will be exactly the same but it will be done by passing directly below your car on the level of the handbrake lever. Be sure to place your car on the stand just before any actions.
How do I adjust the automatic handbrake of my personal Kia Optima?
Second system of handbrake adjustment about Kia Optima , this is an automatic handbrake, contrary to the manual one, that one is done upon the brake drums or perhaps calipers, and it is designed to adjust automatically to the wear of your brake shoes or disc brake pads. It may be that if you rapidly have to get brake pads, the handbrake will suffer power, here are the steps for taking to verify if the tension of your handbrake is the right one:
- Take note that an automatic handbrake cannot be adjusted directly because it is designed to adapt by itself to the have on of the disc brake pads or pads of your Kia Optima.
- You can nonetheless verify that the system is functioning effectively by putting the vehicle on the stand and checking by driving under the vehicle that the brake pads are still in good functioning order.
- For drum brakes it can be required to take apart the brakes to verify your the shoes, we all encourage you to have it performed by a specialist.
- Be sure you replace your disc brake pads if you need to.
What is the cost of adjusting the handbrake of Kia Optima by a specialist?
Finally, if you do not feel comfortable with this procedure, especially since it worries a security element of your car, namely the adjustment in the handbrake of your Kia Optima , we counsel you to go to a motor mechanic who are able to adjust the handbrake for a about fifty local currency . If you have problems with vibrations when braking on Kia Optima, do not hesitate to refer to our content which relates to this problem.
If you want more guides on the Kia Optima, go to our Kia Optima category.
