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Comments
I have the same vibration problem with my 2000 Passat. I don't have any ABS or worn brake pad warning lights, but right before a stop even on dry pavement the ABS kicks on hard. Sometimes it has prevented me from stopping and I nearly rear ended the car in front of me; I had to pump the brakes to get the ABS to stop so I could stop the car.
Anyone know what is causing this? The manual says that at 4mph the ABS system kicks in as a system check, but I can't imagine this is what is going on.
I just went for an oil change and the dealer told me my rear brakes (both pads and rotors!!) need to be changed. I found this very unusual given that the car has only 29,000 miles. The dealer was like rear brakes tend to wear out much faster than front brakes on VWs. The dealer quoted a price of $415 Couple questions -
1. Do rear brakes really wear out at 29,000 miles?
2. Do I really need to change both pads and rotors? I would think that changing pads only would be fine.
3. Isn't $415 a lot? Does this sound right?
4. Is it usual for rear brakes to wear out before front brakes? I always thought front brakes tend to bear most of the braking load and would thus wear out much faster.
I am hoping someone can help me with my questions.
Thanks a lot and any insights are much appreciated!
SN
I don't ride the brakes andI downshift when descending hills. No other car that I've owned in the past or in the present has this wear pattern.
$400+ sounds right for a dealership. You can do better elsewhere, but make sure you use quality products. Can't comment on doing the job yourself because of the electric parking brake - I think you need a VAG-Com to do the job.
DIY on the old gen Passat was easy-peasy.
99 Passat 2.8 V6
I bring this up because our brake STOP warning light came on recently and
I am told adding brake fluid may correct this condition but I dont want to over fill.
That black plastic shield is very easily removed. Simply grasp the rubber gasket on the front edge (towards the engine) and pull it forward. Then lift the shield slightly and pull it out from under the windshield. It's harder to describe than it is to actually do. You'll then have a full view of the brake fluid reservoir. Youmight even want to change your cabin air filer while you have that cover off. It's cheap and easy to do (dealer has a special running right now to do this for $37. You can DIY for the cost fo the filter fo maybe $12).
To give us a better idea what might be going on thw your brake fluid, a little more info would help. How many miles are on your current brake pads? The reservoir drops as the pads wear. This could be telling you it's time for a brake job. Alternatively, your brake fluid could be leaking - in any case, it's worth investigating.
There could be other factors at play here, too. You might want to pull the codes with an OBD scanner at your local auto parts store (many do this for free) to see if there are any codes from the ABS module. Good luck!
When I hit the brakes the dashboard lights always come on. Also, when I have the headlights on the rear brake lights are always on.
If i take the replacement bulb out everything works as designed except i have a rear light out.
Has anyone encountered something like this with VW lights? Does it sound like a problem with a fuse or a bigger issue with the wiring? I am out of ideas and hate bringing the car into the dealership. Any suggestions are appreciated.
The dealer told me i needed new front and rear breaks (91k ) and new rotors. THe price, along with two new tires was over 2500. I went to the place where I get my brakes done and tires - they did everything that VW was going to do but suggested new axles? -- still less money then VW. However, when i brake now, the car feels like the ABS system is coming on - like when you brake on ice. No lights come on -- the tire dealer said he wants to try a different type of pad which he has ordered - has anyone heard of this?
I own a 2003 VW Passat GLS sedan with 65k miles. Today my dealer said that the brake pads have worn down to 3 mm and needs to be replaced. Can this wait for another 5 k miles. Also what is the typical cost of this repair.I live in MN.
Also will 3 rd party brake parts work fine or is it advisable to go for genuine VW parts.
Any helpful comments will be greatly appreciated.
As to OEM VW parts - you certainly don't have to use them. I've used PBR Deluxe pads on thr front and rear with great success. I've used Ate rear rotors (bought on line - look for free shipping) for the rears and Zimmermann rotors (also bought on line) on the front with no problems.
I like getcoolparts.com, but there are other online suppliers that are just as good. When comparing prices, check the total price including the shipping. Rotors are heavy!
On my 2004 GLX, I found all OE fitment/mfr pads and rotors for about $225 plus shipping (didn't shop that much but this was online at autohausaz dot com. You don't have to use OE/OEM parts, but read all the previous comments about abs coming on and funny feel. All depends on what you expect, if you want to keep the car, but getting OE for $225 is pretty decent price for brakes that last 65k miles; why mess with that kind of success?
ADS
Thx
ADS
Thanks for the reply. The rear brake pads are down to 65 k. Also I bought this car at 38 k miles and this is the first brake job at 65 k.
Also can I ask how much you paid for labor.
Thanks again.
Thanks for the reply. The rear brake pads are down to 65 k. Also I bought this car at 38 k miles and this is the first brake job at 65 k after I bought the car.
Also can I ask how much you paid for labor.
Thanks again.
Rears on most cars wear slower, but I just inspected mine - the rears on my 2004 glx appear to be wearing faster than the fronts; this can happen if they size the rears, which have much less weight to stop than the fronts, are sized significantly smaller than the front.
good luck
ADS
Rears on the Passat, in my experience, wear about twice as fast as the front pads. I've seen supporting evidence of this elsewhere on the web, as well. I think it is a factor of size as well as hw the brakes are biased (based on what a VW tech has told me).
ADS
I don't know your skill so you could be better than me, but when you bled them, did you start at the farthest wheel (rear wheel, opposite side of where the master cylinder is, then other rear, then furthest front from master cylinder, then the remaining front wheel)? If not, you may well still have air in the system.
Good luck.
It is a 2001 passat 4 motion. I just bought it and alread paid much to misfire . Hope some one can help me.
Good luck.
ADS
I've considered removing the bodywork but it doesn't look like it comes off easily.
Does anyone know how to get round this?
The brake pedal freezes at temperatures below freezing, and there is a considerable amount of water in the brake line. My mechanic diagnosed the problem as a water infiltration issue caused by water getting into the brake booster from the windshield wiper tray (this problem is described in more detail in this forum). We have cleaned out the windshield wiper tray, and opened up the drain hole, but are still getting the problem (water must still be getting into the brake booster).
Any suggestions?
1. the brake fluid lid should easily seal it from water dripping or even flowing around it, although I think if the cowls (and look for drain holes) are clear, this shouldn't happen. If it has been covered in water, frozen, then maybe cracked somewhere, but even this seems unlikely, you'd lose pressure. So it seems really unlikely you're getting water in this way.
2 Modern disc brake systems almost NEVER need fluid added unless something is wrong. The fluid goes down by exactly as much as the pads wear, and if you push the brake pistons back to get new (thicker) pads in, the fluid in the reservoir will rise back up between the min/max lines. This is just to illustrate how it works, because, that said, here is the most pertinent thing:
3. Brake fluid is agroscopic, it picks up moisture. BMW and I think Audi/VW recommend changing fluid every two years. If you track your car (road coarse), you change it a couple times a year, maybe more, or the moisture will actually boil in the lines and vapor then makes for serious brake fade. Also, I've seen brake fluid with rust in it (a 97 ford ranger with drum rear brakes). Again, moisture in the lines. I had to replace a wheel cylinder in rear it was so bad it couldn't be honed out! However,
4. If your pedal is frozen in pace (won't go up or down), you may be right with your diagnosis, but, something VERY odd is going on to allow that much water in there.
Good luck
ADS
The van has brake fluid, master cylinder and rear brake system are also good, but not lock.
What could it be?
I thank you most help.
Thank you.
For now, let's ignore ABS and the hand brake.
You say front "hangs". do you mean the tires skid, or the brakes don't release and get hot, or ?
The "pedal is stiff". I think you mean it is normal, it isn't soft so it doesn't go to the floor. Is that right or is it stiff such that it doesn't provide good stopping poer?
So the rear is good, or not providing any braking?
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So now, what you may be saying is that everything works, but the front brakes are allowing the wheel to lock up and skid? Is that the key problem? Or are the rears not doing anything as your title indicates? I'm a bit confused.
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How many miles on the car, when were front brake pads and/or rotors replaced if ever? Same question for rear brakes.
Do you have any error lights on the dash, like an ABS light?
How long have you had the car?
Are you positive it has ABS on both front and rear brakes? Some cars in the early days of ABS only had rear ABS (not sure about VW or your year).
If you're new to the car AND this is the design, it wouldn't be abnormal under heavy braking for the front wheels to skid but not the rears - this is why I ask.
Until you clarify these things some, the possible problems are too many to comment on.
ADS
My vw is a passat b3 89, with 353574 km, the front brakes have been changed 2 months ago, but the rear brakes i don´t know, i have the van almost 13 months and they are the same, the van have abs in front and rear, but only works in front.
But don´t worry, because the problem is resolved.
Connector plugs from the abs were having some sort of loose connection or dirt, and they work good now .
i appreciate the help.
Thank you.