Re: parking break

["Sherry & Chuck Clark" <clark@rmi.net>]

Hey James,

       Same thing happened to me in my '87 5TQ after driving to a ski 
resort through slush and snow on the highway and set my parking 
brake.. After skiing for 6 hours, I jumped in my car and headed home.
 Only problem is that 
before I even reached the end of the parking lot my car did a 
complete 360 without any notice. Yes I did need some clean shorts! 
Problem was that the right rear caliper was frozen to the rotor and 
wouldn't budge. The only reason I didn't notice this before driving 
is because I was on snow/ice and there wasn't alot of resistance 
between the road and my tire. So I jacked the car up and spent an 
hour trying to thaw and hammer the caliper loose. Eventually it broke 
loose and worked fine the rest of the way home-luckily. I stopped and 
checked it a few times for a bright red rotor but everything was ok. 
Bottom line- I needed a new rear caliper-bought a used one for $70 
from Santa Fe Audi hear in Colorado. Works great ever since. 

 Also, avoid using your parking brake once you stop after driving 
through slush and snow as the brake cables can and will freeze up the 
pads against the rotor. 
                  HTH
                                 Chad Clark