Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Comments
Your question is sorta like asking if dirty carpeting can cause a headlight to burn out... there is no connection.
HOWEVER: As mentioned in the last post, if your vehicle is veering to one side when you step on the brakes, you have either a BRAKE problem... or a sloppy suspension component (like a tie-rod-end)
IS THE HAND BRAKE AND THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE LIGHTS ARE ON AT THE SAME TIME,
THE LAST TIME I HAD THIS PROBLEM THE MECANIC AT THE GARAGE BLEED THE REAR BRAKES AND IT SOLVED THE PROBLEM TEMPORALY.
IT IS BACK, WHAT CAN CAUSE THIS AND HOW TO I FIX IT. CAN I HAVE THE ANTI LOCK SYSTEM BYPASSED?
impact_driver: That sure sounds like a failing master cylinder.
I used a little liquid penetrant and flushed it out with clean brake fluid. However, I think that the left brake caliper may still be slightly dragging.
After driving 12 highway miles to work with using brakes minimally, the right rear rotor is warm to the touch when the other three are cooler. Is a slight brake drag normal?
Inspection of the Caliper Pins indicated that they were greased and operating properly.
I was not looking to rebuild the caliper at this time. However, can I go back in and coat the piston with caliper grease or use liquid silicon brake spray?
Thanks for any suggestions.
PS: If the rear rotor retracts only by turning it clockwise, how is it that it relieves the pressure from the piston?
Since the corrosion is INSIDE the cylinder walls, there is virtually nothing you can "spray on" that would make much difference. I have personal experince with this.... Just replace the caliper and be done with it. Your time to take it all apart over and over and over to spray somthing on it is not time well spent.
Also, the heat from a dragging caliper will burn off all the grease from the wheelbearing and can cause even more damage.
It is NOT recommended for you to attempt to "rebuild" a sticky caliper. Make some phonecalls to some autoparts stores. Most of them have a "core return" policy wheras they will take back your old caliper. A caliper rebuilt under sterile conditions using the proper equipment will last farr longer than any "rebuild" you would attempt at home.
Again, I have about 25 years of experince with this stuff. Dont mess around with it, just take it apart ONCE and replace the caliper.... there is nothing else you can do that will fix it. Brakes are too important to your safety to even consider anything else.
During 30 or more years of caliper heartbrake (a play on words) I have learned the same lesson: Change 'em out with rebuilts.
Please help.
None leaked as long as I owned the cars, each for several years.
On all of these, I had a cylinder 'reamer', which is abrasive 'stones' on a drive that chuckes into a variable speed drill and hones the cylinder out. Then, new rubber parts are installed.
The Vette calipers were especially worrisome, since there were significant 'pits' where water had accumulated and rusted the bores. But my more experienced friend that was helping felt they would hold and not leak even though we did not hone out the bore enough to get rid of the pits. And, they did not leak after assembly and for a few years more of ownership.
Now-a-days, when I hear about 'cheep', it pertains to the foreign made rotor and calipers sold as 'new' replacement parts. But I did install the cheepest rotors I could find (Made in China) onto my 94 Ranger. This cured the warped induced braking shimmy and lasted for several years til sale of the truck.
And, in the future I would probably replace rather than rebuild. The replacements, either new or rebuilds, including brake parts and starters, alternators, etc are about as cheep as buying the parts - bearings, brushes, seals, boots, hones, etc.
That is NOT a "problem" we have 3 VWs in the family and the brakes on all of them are VERY powerful. Most high-performance vehicles have powerful brakes like this. Dont forget that VW is HIGH QUALITY GERMAN ROAD CAR!!...not a ford ;-)
After driving an automobile with excellent brakes for awhile... most other cars feel like they have whimpy brakes.
Another thing you will notice with VW brakes, their ABS system is different than some other cars. Hit the brakes too hard on loose gravel or snow-coverd roads and the brake pedal will "vibrate" noticably. (telling you ABS is active)
VW also uses ABS system to give you EDL (Electronic Differential Lock)traction-control by applying brakes on the wheel that is slipping. (forcing torque to other drivewheel)
Sensitive brakes do not necessarily equal better brakes.
Saying VW is a "HIGH QUALITY GERMAN ROAD CAR" (and implying that Ford is not) is short0sighted and simple-minded.
Some VWs are made in the USA, and Fords in Europe. Both have high and low quality examples.
To generalize (which isn't fair, but it's generally true), Europeans prefer their brakes to be less sensitive, so they can modulate the brakes appropriate to the situation. Brakes that don't 'grab' are much easier to modulate to reduce highway speeds for instance, or to smooth out congested traffic.
Americans, (in general) seem to complain about the brakes on European cars, so the European marques have designed the brakes differently for the US market. More mechanical advantage.
Take a test drive in any pre-1998 Audi A6 for instance. They're certainly "HIGH QUALITY GERMAN ROAD CAR"s , but they have progressive brakes. You can stop on a dime, but you are expected to put some effort into it.
The European outlook may be that the Americans are either too simple-minded to appreciate progressive braking (which I disagree with), or too lazy (want everything 'power' and pushbutton), or drive too aggressively in traffic (compared to Europeans).
Try to look at things a little more open-mindedly.
Ironically, your typical US-market VW brakes may not be very 'German' in it's performance.
Contrary to your suggestion, I am quite open-minded. I am also tained in engineering so my 'open-mindedness' about automibiles goes signicantly deeper than most folks. I see things from a mechanical point-of view. Most German-designed automobiles are years ahead of the others from that perspective. (DSG xmission, Electonic power-steering, 56 MPG diesels, 12-year/unlimited-milage corrosion warantee)
You are correct when you say "Sensitive brakes do not necessarily equal better brakes." I was referring to the components, design and implementation of the braking system. not the perceved 'sensitivity' of the brake pedal.
For example:
The brakes on my VW are VERY advanced... the onbord computer can apply ANY ONE WHEELBRAKE to compensate for yaw (skidding). They can also apply themselves to force drivetorque to the wheel with the most traction. The brake system is also tied to the "fly by wire" throttle and will cut engine power under low traction conditions. (And this is just a 'lowly' VW Jetta... Imagene what the VW Phaeton can do?)
It is possible to get this kind of technology on other automobiles... but they will not say Ford on them ;-)
In any case, the original posters question was answered and they have no need for concern for the 'touchy feel' of the brakes on their daughters Volkswagen.
He thought the brakes on the Jetta were a little too sensitive (my words).
Your post implied that such sensitivity is "whimpy" .
As long as you were at it, you denigrated other marques (Ford in particular) without good reason. The sensitivity of the brakes is simply a design choice. There's no inherent benefit in being "German". Ford has used plenty of VW parts in the past, and probably still does (I'm obviously not currently mapping the automakers of the world). VW designs and builds in Brazil (among many other countries).
I don't like baseless nationalism, or folks using honest well-though out questions to launch into brand-name snobbery.
I'm no fan of Ford, but they don't deserve baseless cheap shots.
Also - I've driven many cars with ABS from Honda, Nissan, Mercedes, Acura, Lexus, Chevrolet, Audi, VW, Ford and more - and in every one you feel the brake pedal vibrate when the ABS engages.
So, what was your point about the VW system ?
BTW - I am a professional engineer. I own a Passat 4-motion , an A6, as well as a couple Japanese and American-marque vehicles.
And, we're aware that VW has no lock on ABS or traction control. There are many systems. They all have merits and faults. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking there is one perfect system.
Do the original poster (and the rest of us) a favor, and don't imply that his preference (for progressive braking)is uninformed. The throttle is progressive, why shouldn't the brakes be progressive ?
It's like describing a car's engine as "VERY powerful" simply because the throttle goes from 0 to 100% with very little displacement. It's not as safe as a progressive throttle. Same for brakes.
BTW: Please do not confuse QUALITY (like as seen in VW) with RELIABILITY (as seen in Honda / Toyota) The automakers use those terms interchangeably... but they are often not the same thing.
A Honda may be quite reliable... but since they rust to the point of being illegeal, I have opted to own VWs which are backed up by the 12-year/unlimited-milage corrosion warantee. For me, it is farrrrr more important that the body lasts 12-15 years. I can replace some failed comonents... but RUST is not repairable. (I know because I have tried it ;-)
Now-- lets get back to discussing brakes 8-)
I ususally install the pads WITHOUT the caliper and make sure that they can slide to-n-fro without binding. You should be able to slide the pads by hand along the guides.
The next thing to check is that the CALIPER can slide easilly on the pins. To check this, install the caliper WITHOUT the pads and make sure it can move to-n-fro easilly by hand.
Dont forget, modern disk brakes are called "fully floating" for a reason... the entier assembly is supposed to "float" on the guide and pins. Any binding will cause the brakes to not fully release and drag.
Also, did you remember to file the burrs off of the guides before re-installing the pads?
One last thought, air in the hydrolic system can act like a "spring" and keep the calipers pushed against the pads.
(NOTE: due to differing brake designes, some of the above checks need to be done differently than I have described above)
I had a 2006 Cobalt that was doing the same thing, the last time I made a left hand turn and the steering locked and I hit a wall and total my new month old Cobalt, never buy one again
This is normal.
ANY ONE Take a shot at this? Thanks
air pressure did not work because I donot have the proper fitting. I am tired of getting the piston out. I was trying to save some money. It seems that diy failed this time. A remanuf caliber is in the range of $90 to $160 with the core. so I'ill go and buy it. thanx all
Last night I looked on the back side of the drum to see if there was a rubber boot to pop out so I could manually adjust the shoes, b/c obviously backing up and stopping wasn't adjust them.
I didn't see a mechanism for adjusting the parking brake neither inside the drum, nor on the cable linkage, nor on the hand brake under the console.
I adjusted the shoes as tight as I could without binding the drum up.
The hand brake when pulled up, still pulls all the way up as if the shoes aren't pressing as hard as the should be against the drum, but adjust the shoes did help a little bit.
How to adjust the parking brake? Although the shoes looked OK, do I need to just get new shoes which will have thicker linings and a new drum?
Could the parking brake cable just be that far stretched out?
The only REAL way to fix is to PM the rear brakes.
PM= Preventive Maintainance