Hi everyone. I have a car problem and need advice!
Last week was my MOT. I failed because my 'handbrake efficiency (was) below requirements.' I gave them permission to see what was wrong exactly with the handbrake, and they told me it needed readjusting/tightening and a bit of a clean. I gave them the go ahead to do that and I collected my car later that day. My home is only a two minute drive from the test centre, so I noticed nothing wrong as I went back - apart from the adjusted handbrake, of course. I noticed immediately it was a lot tighter.
Anyway, I drove it today for the first time and I noticed an awful smell as I got out of the car. I'd noticed the car had struggled up a steep hill, but put this down to very rainy conditions. I'd gone into uni to do some work but left after 45 minutes because I was worried about my car. I drove home and there was no smell, and it seemed to drive better, too.
What do I do now? I can't really identify the smell, I assumed it was a burning smell but honestly I don't know. Do I monitor the problem, or call the mechanic first thing when they reopen tomorrow to see if they didn't tighten the handbrake too much? A friend who knows a bit about this sort of thing suggested I need to allow the brake cable to settle, as it has been stretched and that could have caused the smell for the first big drive. Don't know if you need this info, but it's a Nissan Micra 2001.