Brakes failed on the way home

CanadaA3wales

CanadaA3wales

Canadian living in South Wales - Audi A3 8V 150BHP
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Well this is my first official breakown, not sure what happened.

Had my kids in the car and lucky I was going through a small village when it happened, but my brakes just went.

Had my 15 year old get into the drivers seat while I leaned at the back and when she pressed the brake you could hear air coming out of the hose and liquid all over my petrol tank.

Cant believe how quick it happened as they were fine at the previous set of lights, but they were probably leaking then as well.

I was about to get onto the M4 so thank my lucky stars.

RAC took it to one of their approved garages in Bridgend as they have a locked up yard and they can do the work on monday he said.

I dont like taking my car to unknown garages, but he said they are very good, RAC and VOSA approved and they are Peugeot and Vauxhall registered.

Either way if I took it to my house and then dropped it somewhere on monday I would possibly looking at more recovery fees.

Seems like a simple job.

RAC guy said one of the clips was corroded, probably due to me living on the beach.

Well thats more money gone LOL
 
Glad you and family ok. Had something similar on an old car. Pedal straight to the floor and the panic/fear/oh sh1t/brown pants feeling. Luckily driving in traffic and used the handbrake to slow down. Not sure what will happen with the electronic handbrake in these new cars if you yanked the button while moving at speed.
 
Thanks both, I was 5 minutes from joining the M4 and that would have been a massive problem.
At the previous lights I thought It felt a bit spongy, but didnt think anything of it.
I did not need to use my brakes for 10 minutes and when I got to the village I decided to test my brakes.
As soon as I put my brakes on, the pedal went straight to the floor.
I could hear all the air pouring out when my daughter pressed the brake down.

When RAC came he said its non repairable as it seemed the whole system emptied out all over the back of the car, it was all over the bottom.

I am hoping its just some new clips, bleed all the brakes and should be job done.

I did not need to use my emergency brake as I was doing about 15mph and was on a bit of a hill so it came to a stop by itself.

I did manage to move it to a better place for RAC to get it on the tow, and the brakes worked a bit, but they were very spongy and went to the floor.

Fingers crossed its a good garage and its a cheap repair as I am having my honeycomb grill fitted, MOT, Service and Insurance renewal all due at the end of the month.
 
I am going to get that checked out on VCDS when I get my car serviced with Audi/VW Indy in Bridgend.
Its a sensor I really need, I dont need another code Brown moment LOL

Nothing came on, even when fluid was squirting everyhere and brakes went right to the floor.

Only light that came on was that my car was due for a service in 28 days.

Looks like thats coming early Ha Ha
 
You can check the brake fluid reservoir. If you lift the cap off that should trigger the low fluid warning.
 
RAC took the car to the garage compound so I don't have access to it until Monday.
He spoke with the owner while I was at the road so he knows it needs to be done ASAP.

I'll go down there and talk them through what happened and make sure they check all hoses and clips. If any are corroded I will ask them to replace, just to be safe.

I have a petrol leak from the top. If I fill it up it seems to have a small leak, so I only fill it up 3/4. My mate said if it still leaked then it needs to be dropped, which can be expensive, it has not leaked since only filling it up 3/4 of the way. I may get them to have a look at this if they are pleasant to deal with and prices are good.

But I just need to ensure all hoses and clips are in tip top condition.

They have 5 stars on multiple sites, so it seems RAC have taken it to a decent place.
 
Normally if clips are gone then some brake pipes or hoses will need replaced. Parts are cheap but a little labour intensive.
 
Your fuel leak will probably be just the fuel pump assembly top seal. Easy enough to check but the rear seat base will have to be removed for access. As far as I'm aware you don't have to drop the fuel tank.
 
I will let them know.
I know the fuel pump was replaced when I bought the car, but that was the one in the engine as it controlled the fuel level indicator.

I will have to get them to clean the entire bottom of the car as there was liquid everywhere when I was driving and it spraying all over.

Parts are super cheap, but yes the labour will be a lot. Hopefully they dont charge over 40.00 a hour
 
Morris39 said:
No
Click to expand...

No its shouldnt?

So when your brakes are about to failure or totally fail in my case, Audi dont give any warnings?

Seems very dangerous

I need to know so I can ask a local Audi Indy to sort it out and I am not paying for diagnostics if its not needed.
 
Does anyone know for sure if the warning light should have come on?
I could hear the air from the rear brake lines and fluid all over the petrol tank.

I need to know today as the RAC garage will be calling and I don't want to pay for diagnostic work if its not needed.

I looked online and couldn't see an answer to what happened to me.

Really appreciate it.
 
This is an image of a 2014 reservoir,it shows a yellow plug which i presume is a float indicator,for fluid level.
s-l1600.jpg
s-l1600.jpg
 
Scary biscuits! Thankfully only doing 15mph and in an area where you could slow gently.

Back in the old days it was a case of yanking up the handbrake or worst case switching the engine off with the key (in the knowledge you’ll lose power assisted steering).

However the parking brake can also be an emergency brake:

https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...anual-cabriolet-1-4-tfsi.220062/#post-2195877

Do you have Hold Assist? If so, that uses brake fluid to apply the brakes and would have contributed to it being pumped out whilst it was in use.
 
CanadaA3wales said:
What I would like to know is why did no warning lights come on when it was a life threatning issue?
Click to expand...
The brake warning light is triggered by low fluid level. Which means that it will only come on after the fluid has leaked out, but it will come on before the fluid is depleted to the point that the brakes won't work.

However, the brakes require pressure to function, and if there is a leak, the first thing that happens is that the pressure won't build. Also, the fluid usually doesn't leak out much on its own, leakage is mainly when the system is under pressure (brake pedal being pressed). So, in the event of a leak, the loss of pedal resistance will come first, and the light will come on later only after enough fluid has leaked to be measurable.

It's important to remember that a leak will not cause the brakes to fail immediately and completely. These cars have 2 separate braking systems linked to the same pedal. Normally, when you press the pedal, both braking systems engage. However, if one system has a leak and can't build pressure, then the other system will work on its own. When operating in fail-safe mode, it alters the pedal feel, to provide a warning to the driver. The pedal will travel further and feel like it is going to the floor when operating in fail-safe mode.

If you're not expecting this, it can be pretty scary having the brake pedal suddenly change feel, and feel like it is going to the floor, as well as only having 1/2 braking performance, but the brakes will still work with reduced performance. However, every time you press the pedal, the system will lose fluid. Once the fluid starts to drop significantly, the light will come on. Once the fluid runs out, both braking systems will fail completely (they both share the same fluid reserve), but there is enough reserve for a few pedal pushes once the light comes on.
 
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Thanks all, I really appreciate the advice. No I dont have hold assist, also did not need to use the elec handbrake, there must have been enough in the system for me to stop for a short time.

I noticed the brake going to the floor about 5 miles back, but then went down a Minor A Road that did not require brakes.
When I got to the village I had to slow down due to speed cameras and then again the brake went down again.
I then got to a hill and thought I will test the brakes 100% and then it went to the floor but still managed to stop due to me being on a hill.

When I got out I pressed the brake several times and it did have a little pressure, but the brake still went to the floor.

I got out and asked my 15 year old daughter to press the brake again and I got out and heard a bunch of air coming out of the rear drivers side tyre.

The RAC guy asked me to move it forward as he needed to get it towed up and it did brake, but the pedal again went almost to the floor.

With all this pressing and the air coming from the rear, I am really suprised the light never came on.

I think when the car is in for a oil change and minor service I will ask them to check for any errors.

I am now thinking I should ask them to do a major inspection, but they are doing a MOT anyway, but will ask them to inspect everything underneath and in the engine.

I have called the RAC garage today and they have the car safe and sound and will be doing the work tomorrow.

I advised them to check all the brakes, cables and clips and if they are corroded, they should replace them.

I have also asked them to give me a quote for the minor petrol leak when I fill my car up to full as I have only been able to fill it up 3/4 of the way.
Its not a huge leak, it seems to be coming from the top and spilling over and dribbling down the tank. But if its going to cost me huge money to lower the tank and fix, I may just leave it. But I am worried about a large spark as my kids always sit on the back seat. I dont need it blowing up!!
 
CanadaA3wales said:
Thanks all, I really appreciate the advice. No I dont have hold assist, also did not need to use the elec handbrake, there must have been enough in the system for me to stop for a short time.

I noticed the brake going to the floor about 5 miles back, but then went down a Minor A Road that did not require brakes.
When I got to the village I had to slow down due to speed cameras and then again the brake went down again.
I then got to a hill and thought I will test the brakes 100% and then it went to the floor but still managed to stop due to me being on a hill.

When I got out I pressed the brake several times and it did have a little pressure, but the brake still went to the floor.

I got out and asked my 15 year old daughter to press the brake again and I got out and heard a bunch of air coming out of the rear drivers side tyre.

The RAC guy asked me to move it forward as he needed to get it towed up and it did brake, but the pedal again went almost to the floor.

With all this pressing and the air coming from the rear, I am really suprised the light never came on.

I think when the car is in for a oil change and minor service I will ask them to check for any errors.

I am now thinking I should ask them to do a major inspection, but they are doing a MOT anyway, but will ask them to inspect everything underneath and in the engine.

I have called the RAC garage today and they have the car safe and sound and will be doing the work tomorrow.

I advised them to check all the brakes, cables and clips and if they are corroded, they should replace them.

I have also asked them to give me a quote for the minor petrol leak when I fill my car up to full as I have only been able to fill it up 3/4 of the way.
Its not a huge leak, it seems to be coming from the top and spilling over and dribbling down the tank. But if its going to cost me huge money to lower the tank and fix, I may just leave it. But I am worried about a large spark as my kids always sit on the back seat. I dont need it blowing up!!
Click to expand...
A cautionary tale. Recollect what Dirty Harry said ' A man must know his .....
 
Been to the garage, they advised the electric caliper is dead and pads, the wheel is completely seized.
We cannot hear any air anymore and he advised there is tons of break fluid in the car so there are no leaks.

I spoke with my mate who did the other caliper and he said that if the pistons have completly gone you can get a bit of sound coming from them if you presss the brakes. Either way its probably another £250.00 + just for the brake and fitting.

I replaced the other caliper 3 months ago, I knew I should have done the other one, but oh well, I tried to make it last as long as possible, but its dead now.

He is doing the petrol tank as well, he said the sender unit is really loose so will take about a hour to fix it.

They seem decent enough, and its a very big garage with 5 star google ratings.

I wont have my car back until friday as they had to track down a rear caliper, they had troubles like my mate did.

Only if garages shopped on ebay or places like that, as I am sure they have them.
 
So much for mates rates.
Poper big garage which approved by main dealers and RAC approved, I now have a bill for £600.00
The rear caliper without motor as the motor is fine.
Full back discs and pads
fix my fuel tank
labour

I dont have an option as I need my car and its undrivable and they have the parts ready to go and fixed by tomorrow.

I HATE THESE ELECTRIC BRAKES - I have had nothing but problems with them.

But they are all new now apart from one motor.

He said he could not find the parts from any of his suppliers apart from Audi which was £180.00 just for the caliper without motor.
If I wanted a motor it would be £300 + vat. But he said the motor is fine for now and it works, but knowing my luck it will go when I get home
 
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CanadaA3wales said:
So much for mates rates.
Poper big garage which approved by main dealers and RAC approved, I now have a bill for £600.00
The rear caliper without motor as the motor is fine.
Full back discs and pads
fix my fuel tank
labour

I dont have an option as I need my car and its undrivable and they have the parts ready to go and fixed by tomorrow.

I HATE THESE ELECTRIC BRAKES - I have had nothing but problems with them.

But they are all new now apart from one motor.

He said he could not find the parts from any of his suppliers apart from Audi which was £180.00 just for the caliper without motor.
If I wanted a motor it would be £300 + vat. But he said the motor is fine for now and it works, but knowing my luck it will go when I get home
Click to expand...
But at least it’s all repaired, having confidence to drive it again and fill it up is worth way more than £600. Staying safe is paramount pal.
 
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You are right on the money @Jcbmally
I have been used to mates rates for 12 years now, and it was a massive shock I guess.

I would hate to think how much audi would have charged for a rear electric caliper, all new rear brakes and rotors and fixing the sender unit in the petrol tank.

This is now the third time the rear brakes have been fixed due to the other rear caliper breaking a few months ago.

I wish I would have asked my mate to do both of them at the time, but the other one was fine so I thought it would have been wasted money.

I have my insurance due at the end of the month, service needed, mot and install of my honeycomb grill. Its going to be a tight month LOL
 
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