Hi all. Following on from my recent 2012 xs purchase, its time to start dealing with its issues. I had a couple of incidents on the motorway when the whole car would vibrate and shake, as if a driveshaft was out of balance and then it would clear up again. Intermittently it does it on A roads to a lesser extent, and i have found by putting the handbrake on a couple of times seems to get rid of the issue, so Im thinking potential brake shoe issue? This would also tally up with the offside rear hub getting hot but not all the time? Is there a way to prove brake shoes over pads and a sticking caliper? Would this contribute much to my poor MPG, which is currently around 25, driven gently. Also it feels abit like resonating noise through the floorpan under load, again some days worse than others. Would a sticking brake affect the operation of the rear drivetrain, haldex , diff or not which may contribute to the issue. I know the gearbox has internal electronic issues which unsurprisingly the supplying garage dont want to know so i have that to resolve going forward. Thanks as always for your suggestions.

If you have brake shoes for the hand brake rather than an EPB then the brake shoe linings have a habit of coming away from the shoe and causing the symptoms you are describing along with the correction that happens when you apply the hand brake. Simple fix. Fit new brake shoes.

Binding rear brakes (disk or handbrake) will heat up the hub and cause a poor MPG.

Only one thing for it - service the rear brakes.

With an old car the problem could be many things - stuck caliper, binding disk pads, binding handbrake shoes, jammed up handbrake mechanism.
Though you indicate its most likely the handbrake. Jules

Have you checked the wheel hubs (carefully) to see if they are hot after a reasonable run? FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

It's easy enough to remove the handbrake shoes and run the car to see if they are your problem. Just remember to leave it in gear and or use chocks.
I have a laser thermometer which helped diagnose my rear brake problems. Something is out of true with my rear discs and handbrake shoes, so I am in the process of obtaining all the parts to replace the lot. Good luck.

Thankyou for all the suggestions. Having been out this afternoon on a very short trip, the rear hub was indeed getting hot to touch while the nearside was still cold so definitley an issue. There is also slight vibration under load which you can feel through the car, somedays its worse than others. The rear tyres are just over the wear limits while the front are relatively new, both front and rear are cheap chinese brands so may not help with road noise, but im sure i read somewhere that new tyres should be on the rear, and more worn ones to the front.

Personally I wouldnt drive it till the brakes were sorted. They are kinda important in unexpected situations.

Lots of debate as to where to put the most worn tyres. It doesnt matter from a drive train point of view in a FL2 as its not full time 4WD.

IMO the best tyres should be at the front because the FL2 is primarily front wheel drive and you steer with the front and do most of the braking with the front wheels. If you lose the rear wheels in a skid you have the front to counter steer and regain control, if you can. If you lose the front then you've lost steering and braking with the weight of the engine etc taking the car where it wants to go - you are just passenger. Jules

Nice video about he HB shoes

&ab_channel=powerfulukltd Jules

Thanks Jules, makes interesting viewing.. I did see another video for changing the hand brake cables as apparantly the outer sleeve can split and allow moisture in causing corrosion? I had a look today and both my cables have splits in the outer sleeve on the bends so probably worth swapping at 20 quid a side. Still contemplating doing the brake upgrade to rear vented discs as part of it all. Do you know whether the rear brakes get used more when towing, my reason for the possible upgrade? Car on its own isnt too bad but fully loaded with 5 adults and the caravan in tow the brakes dont feel to have much bite.

I dont know you can get a vented rear brake for the FL2.

Vented disks are much thicker than non-vented so you would need to change the caliper, caliper carrier and pads.

I upgraded my fronts brakes to the larger diameter disk as used by the petrol FL2. Same caliper and pads but needed a different caliper carrier to move the caliper and pads further away from the hub. Jules

I hope its ok to post as I have a similar issue - I do have EPB and its on an Auto - which for the longest time we have not used the brake which I know is not good for the transmission but anyway....

Drivers side hub gets hot so I thought it was the EPB holding on - so I swapped the EPB units over right to left and the drivers side still stayed hot and was clearly binding.

So I bought a new caliper for the drivers side, and at the same time did discs and pads on both sides.

The drivers side is still binding, but not all the time ???

I am confused to what it might be now? We havent engaged the EPB for weeks on or off - so the only thing I can think of is the flexi hose somehow?
All the other brakes seem fine [FL2 fine as its not that sharp ]

When was the brake fluid last flushed through?

Did you clean the areas where the pads slide and apply a little brake grease to the sliding surfaces?

For a start I'd jack the rear up, take the wheels off, put the EPB into service mode and observe the pads/pistons when you get someone to press and release the brake peddle and spins the disks to see if there is a difference.


FWIW I use the EPB all the time mainly to keep it working - they often seize when not used regularly.

I use it a lot at traffic lights; leave it in D and put the EPB on. Then I can take my foot of the brake and hold it over the accelerator or just rest it for a while. The EPB releases as soon as you hit the accelerator. Jules

When was the brake fluid last flushed through?

not in ages but this is the only wheel that binds

Did you clean the areas where the pads slide and apply a little brake grease to the sliding surfaces?

I think I did this - but it was a few months ago, but I could check the pins again as the carrier is the original.

For a start I'd jack the rear up, take the wheels off, put the EPB into service mode and observe the pads/pistons when you get someone to press and release the brake peddle and spins the disks to see if there is a difference.

yes good idea - will do that thanks - tricky with the AWD of course!!

FWIW I use the EPB all the time mainly to keep it working - they often seize when not used regularly.

I use it a lot at traffic lights; leave it in D and put the EPB on. Then I can take my foot of the brake and hold it over the accelerator or just rest it for a while. The EPB releases as soon as you hit the accelerator.

We found if we used ours the drivers side would just bind and heat the hub/disk. I tried for a week not using it and it never got hot again... this is why I thought it was the EPB holding it on that side but this theory was vanquished when I swapped the motors over, and then I figured it was a sticking caliper...no wondering if the carrier is the issue !!!

Caliper slide pins are often neglected (the ones that allow side to side movement of the caliper) - I'd check these - clean and lubricate (they should be clean and free of deposits that often accumulate and make them tight, may need scraping to get rid of any deposits, the caliper should slide freely from side to side - check with the pads removed).
Does the EPB not come on automatically when the engine is switched off on the Auto? It does on my manual. 2014 Freelander 2 TD4 Manual Dynamic
1956/7 88" Series One Land Rover
1956/7 88" Series One Land Rover - undergoing restoration

I might see how much a new carrier pins set is ? as its always played up and would hopefully mean I would not have to touch for a year or 2