Broken brake

Had a warning light come up on my BMW 1-Series, relating to Suspension Stability Control. The diagnostic states "brake hydraulic malfunction" DTC at a cost of £1,200 for the part + £500 labour. That means the part is 6.5% of car cost when new. Brakes work fine, etc--- DTC not on though. On looking into the web re problems, this seems to be quite common on 3 year old 35,0000 - 40,000 mile Series 1's Have you come across this? Is there a cheaper repair? Should BMW accept the problem and pay up?

Asked on 7 November 2009 by

Answered by Honest John

It’s a malfunctioning brake pressure sensor in the Teves ABS module, common on BMW 1 Series and 3 Series. Very common on Golfs, Octavias, Leons and Alteas. Starting to happen on Volvo S40s and V50s, too. All at 3 - 5 years old. Volvo offers 70% but can be pushed to pay all. VW offers up to 100% if the car has been correctly serviced by a VW dealer, including brake fluid changes, and lesser amounts if it hasn’t. Yes, BMW should pay at least 70% because it's a safety fault. VOSA will not issue a vehicle safety recall, though.

Tags: buying recalls technical issues abs vosa owning

Dear Honest John,

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