Sudden brake failure in mk3 VW Golf

Had the car had all its servicing? including regular brake fluid changes? It is quite possible to suddenly lose the brakes as a result of seal failure caused by rust, caused by lack of fluid changes, it is also possible that the pedal could feel ok again later when cold, particularly on a modern car where the engine compartment gets very hot in use. I am not aware of any car that can have complete brake failure by an intermittent electrical fault.

Driving in very heavy rain can cause the brakes to fail till they dry out again.

OR: If the wheels are locked up it can feel very like the car speeds up as you rush toward an object, so perhaps it was driver error, were you on the phone at the time?

Why did you not use the handbrake?

Mrcheerful

It had had full MOT about 3 weeks previously.

No, I don't possess one. I had to borrow one from a policewoman to call my husband. I was also awake at the time ;-) I have a clean record, with no accidents in 20 years of driving until this event.

I did; I couldn't pull it hard enough with one hand to get any braking effect from it though. I have been told since this isn't a good thing to do as it can cause the car to spin. The police report said the handbrake was applied when the car was examined, although it wasn't relevant anyway.

The only other thing I can think of is about 5 mins after I started my journey, I noticed the handbrake light was on and checked and found it wasn't fully in the down position. The brakes were functioning after I noticed this though.

moriarte ( snipped-for-privacy@basilisk.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Nor am I.

Sounds like it shouldn't have passed the MOT, then.

If you pull it on hard enough to lock the rear wheels, and you're not travelling in a straight line, then, yes, it can, if you don't know how to control it.

So you don't know any service history for the car, particularly brake fluid changes?

An MoT is not a full service or service history.

You had a quarter mile to stop and didn't, if the car was not faulty, then it is down to you.

Mrcheerful

MrCheerful ( snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Which would happen almost as soon as you apply them.

moriarte ( snipped-for-privacy@basilisk.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Good.

Your car experienced a failure, almost certainly due to poor maintenance, and you crashed because you didn't know what to do. Luckily, nobody was injured.

What's that smell?

Si

Pursuing the engaged hand-brake as a contributory factor, does anyone know what the configuration of the brakes is on a Mk3 Golf - do the handbrake and footbrake use the same brake fluid?

Having done a bit of research it seems that if the brake fluid has not been replaced for a while, it can absorb moisture, which means it can boil at a lower temperature. I have read that leaving the handbrake lightly applied can lead to heating up the brake fluid. If the fluid boils you get compressible vapour which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the footbrake.

Was it serviced though?

Yes, you can cause a spin if you apply it too hard. What I'd do in this situation is apply the handbrake as hard as I dared, easing off if I needed to steer, and shove the car into a very low gear (1st for up to

Did the light go out after you made sure the handbrake as fully down? It's not a "handbrake light", it's a brake warning light. How come it took you 5 minutes to realise you had a red light on the dashboard? The other reason it could have been on is that you had a brake fluid leak but that would have been discovered when the police tested it.

This is certainly true, and the fact that the handbrake was possibly dragging slightly earlier on could have caused the brake fluid to boil. Handbrakes are normally cable operated, and do not use the brake fluid at all. However, the minimum requirement of a handbrake is very low, and they are almost worse than useless at slowing the vehicle if at any speed. This could be made worse if the brake shoes were overheated by being left on, they get glazed, and lose their friction. If the vehicle is not an automatic, you should change to a lower gear and use the engine to slow you down, as well as use the handbrake. I realise it doesn't help now to say this though. Did the police warn you at the time that you might face prosecution? They must normally do so within 2 weeks.

No, I don't think it was. It wasn't our usual garage. It had been regularly serviced previously, I will check the brake fluid replacement

Yes, it went off.

Thus speaks Mr Perfect.

Again, Mr Perfect, who would always know what to do in all eventualities, especially when blessed with hindsight.

Probably overheated rear brake shoes

Do they have to warn you within 2 weeks for any prosecution? I know that's the rule for speeding tickets...

That needs doing every two years.

Mental note: Must change fluid in wife's car!

Brian ( snipped-for-privacy@tesco.net) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Can I remind you of the "several hundred yards" line in there?

Can I also ask you what YOUR reaction would be if you were stationary at lights and hit by somebody who claimed their brakes had failed?

moriarte ( snipped-for-privacy@basilisk.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Handbrakes don't use fluid - just cables.

It'll heat the rear shoes, which may in turn heat the fluid in the rear brake lines. It won't do anything to the front brakes.

REDUCES THE EFFECTIVENESS. Pumping the brake, as you say you were, will get them working again, as you compress the steam in the fluid.

Peter Spikings ( snipped-for-privacy@spikings.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

The notice of intention to prosecute must be posted within two weeks from a camera. If the OP was spoken to by a plod at the scene, then there's a six months statute of limitation on actually starting proceedings, AIUI.

No, someone capable of stopping their car without brakes "over several hundred yards". Not perfect, merely acceptable.

Again, not perfect, just someone with adequate skill to be allowed on the road.

I wholeheartedly support the prosecution of drivers who plow in to the back of a queue of traffic after having "several hundred yards" to stop using the clutch, handbrake, or if necessary (and empty of pedestrians), kerb.