Back in January, I had an interesting electrical fault on my 850. It was sorted yesterday by a local roving auto-electrician as a fault to earth - i.e. the earth was hanging off! :blush: However, the car has been sitting outside on the road in our delightful winter weather with the handbrake on (doh!) and now it won't release.

Does anybody know of a quick and easy way to make the caliper release so that the car is drivable?

All suggestions to solve the problem are gratefully received :liebe011: . Anyone who would like to re-iterate what a plank I am knows what they can do! :bwekk:

Sorry i cant be of much help. I do not have the experience of owning a car in winter. I mainly used cabs and trains to commute. But i hope someone can help you there.

BTW, dont spray loosening oil there, coz even if that manages to free up the lock, you'll find yourself screaming why the brakes dont work. :haha:

But try this: Engage a low gear, and Try moving the car bit by bit, and see if that frees the seizing off. Also check to see if your brake fluid is OK.

you tried pulling the handbrake on and off a lot? sometimes frees it. otherwise you can try taking the back wheels off (chock the front ones!) and remove each back wheel one at a time and tap the caliper gently with a soft plastic or copper headed hammer. failing that the trick i do with my old land rover is just whack it until it comes loose. it does have drum brakes so less likely to do any damage and a great stress relieiver. or just drive it until the back wheel turn! (not advisable)

the 850 has drum brakes? not that i have ever seen. i think bear is on the right track, even though my man mong there has a good idea about beating it with a mallet. try rocking the car back and forth while in gear, nor too far, as far as you would when stuck in snow and all you are doing is spinning the tires. i know how that one feels like. ooooh, boy. hey bear, i always knew you were slumming with us po' folk on the forum. i always take a train or cab during the winter. :grin: man i love the guy. super rich and he hangs with us commoners. :banana:

HEHE. OK,OK, so maybe what i should have said was, "WHEN I WAS THERE, i mainly took the train and cab to places..."

Right here? I drive WHEREVER and WHENEVER i can.
(Given the fuel price right now, dont you think DRIVING around IS the rich-man's practice)... Hmmm...errr....

:banana:

and he buys stuff from a store called kinki's. :grin:

Tell me about it.
I had a hard time explaining to the wife where i was going, when i blurted out I'm going to Kinki's for a while..." and there goes the whole saturday afternoon. *sigh*

:D

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA, dude you kill me. and he hangs with bruce lee. :banana: