Hi all,

Just bought an '03 plate Fiesta Ghia 1.4 with 53k on the clock. Nice little car, however on the test drive I noticed it was making a clicking noise which got more frequent the faster it got, furthermore the noise seemed to be linked to the handbrake (If you pulled it up slightly said noise would disappear). The garage I got it from checked it out, couldn't find a problem with the wheels etc. and said it was just the new brakepads they fitted wearing in and it'll go away after a few miles. In good faith I took it, with assurances I could take it back if it didn't disappear as promised and sure enough upon driving home the noise stopped. Problem solved? Apparently not.

I woke up this morning and drove to work for the noise to reappear again. Now I'm slightly worried. Has anyone else had a similar problem and if so any idea what it turned out to be?

Thanks!

I've never heard of new brake pads clicking, and I've had countless new sets in my motoring life.

When it's doing it, find a safe quiet road, and roll the car to a stop (don't hit the brakes - use gear changes to slow down). Then get out and check each of the brake discs (carefully) to see if any of them are hot. They should all be fairly cool if you didn't touch the brakes. NOTE: Be super-careful doing this as they can get extremely hot - in which case you'll be able to feel the heat conduction onto the wheel itself.

If any are hot, then you have a binding brake which needs addressing, and could be caused by a number of problems.

Thanks for the prompt reply. I'll check that out.

I've had a scout around the Internet and I've seen one or two people complain of similar issues (with other makes and models) and the standard response seems to be that this knocking/clicking is caused by a loose handbrake cable, which would chime with the fact that by pulling on the handbrake ever so slightly the noise disappears completely. Does that sound more plausible?

Are you sure its not just a stone or nail in a tyre

Are you sure its not just a stone or nail in a tyre

They checked that at the dealer when the problem first arose and couldn't see anything. They also rotated the wheels and couldn't hear a noise, which is why I'm leaning towards it being something to do with the handbrake + vibrations.

Is it a random click when hitting imperfections or is it a regular pulse which gets faster as you go quicker?

*edit*

Sorry I should have read properly first ;) yep I'd look at cable and libels grist then go from there...