My handbrake ratchet must have sheered/warn down and mot time was fast approaching so i set about researching how to change the handbrake lever. All of the info led me to believe this was a big job involving moving of the centre console... and a second hand part was £75. Not great.
So I found a bit of a shortcut by removing the drivers seat (it's a right hand drive), and prying out the side cover of the centre console with a screwdriver to reveal the lower part of the handbrake mechanism...
From here you will see part of the ratchet (the part with the teeth) and the wire connections with the double nuts on). I loosened off the nuts (taking note of their positions before undoing them) and pulled the handbrake up as far as it would go. This exposed the ratchet part with the teeth thay were worn down.
Now i simply used a semi-circle type metal file to get the teeth back in shape and this worked an absolute treat.
No need to remove the centre console or buy a new part. A £4 file did the trick.
I did take pictures but i'm uploading this on my phone and cant seem to get them on... will try to add them when i get on the laptop to help people visualise the fix.
IMPORTANT NOTE...
*Do your research on seat removal... disconnect the battery before unplugging your seat. (Yes this is annoying but must be done!)
Hope this is useful to someone in future and saves you a few £££££
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