Even though I replaced the handbrake compensater it did not improve the handbrake efficiency a lot. So the next thing was to check the handbrake brake shoes inside the rear discs. The car has only done 20k miles but i bought some new shoes just in case I needed them.
After removing the wheel there are a couple of allen screws holding the disc brake caliper in place. Removing these were probably the most tricky part of the job. I “eased” them out slowly with plenty of plus gas to make sure I didn’t shear them.
After removing the disc retaining screw the disc came off easily exposing the brake shoes. The whole area inside was caked full of dust.
After cleaning out the dust and sanding the surface of the shoes and a final wipe of the surfaces with meths I decided not to use the new shoes as the originals were hardly worn. In fact the whole inside and internal fittings looked nearly new.
Refitted all the parts using copper grease on the caliper bolts. Whilst the wheel was off made a good opportunity to top up the waxoyl under the rear quarter of the underside of the car
MG ZT info mods and maintenance 