Per my earlier post, my drums are still self adjusting just fine after having done them twice manually. The first time they lasted around six months or so before I noticed the parking brake travel was getting excessive. The last adjustment was in the fall and they're still adjusted properly.
There may be something to do with the slack adjuster alignment that doesn't allow it to function properly until a certain amount of wear has taken place, after which it works ok.
I finally got a good brake/clutch bleed done last week after fabbing up a pressurized bleeder system and my brakes are better than ever. I didn't do a full fluid flush, but was able to get a few small air bubbles out of each brake caliper/cylinder. The brakes are working better than ever, with short engagement travel and a very progressive feel. This is the next step for the Cruze owner who wants to optimize their brakes.
Predictably, however, the Cruze suffers brake pad "knock back". This means that aggressive cornering maneuvers will cause the wheel bearing/hub to flex and the rotor pushes the pads back into the caliper. The next time you apply the brakes you will notice extra travel required to get them to bite. This is not exclusive to the Cruze, it affects most cars, and the more precisely your brakes are working the more obvious it is to the driver. Bleeding the brakes and optimizing the rear drums makes the knock back more obvious.