>Brakes:
>
>To get the emergency brake to hold on a steep hill I need to pull the
>handle back quite far and very hard.  Is this normal?

The proper way to set a parking brake is to FIRST depress the brake pedal hard,
THEN pull the parking brake lever. A lot less stress on the parking brake
hardware, and it will always set the brake harder than pulling the lever alone
(the parking brake cable only pulls on one shoe and relies on a lever to move
the other shoe. The hydraulic system (should) pushes on both shoes equally). 

Brakes are my life, and maybe yours, too.
 

Andy McKinley
75112.2101@compuserve.com
'72 Westy, looking for a Thing to buy

"...the car itself was still full of bugs." -Heinz Nordhoff, 1948, rebuilding
the VW after the war.