On my Mk4 1.25 LX Fiesta's MOT failure sheet, listed "Handbrake and rear brakes weak".
Before retest, put handbrake 3/4 on and tried to push car on the flat, would not budge an inch and no creaking noises either.
During repairs they replaced the rear Flex brake hose and bled the rear brakes.
Also did small amount of welding.
Reasonable repair costs (2 hours labour + hose) but no mention of any work done to handbrake or rear brakes other than above. Would this work remedy weak brakes?
Anyway passed retest, but not sure the brakes were a failure on the initial test anyway.
(Hose and welding did need doing so no argument there).
Am I within my rights to ask for the actual brake force readings from initial test, should I want to see them?
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Am I within my rights to ask for the actual brake force readings from initial test should I want to see them?
Not kept.
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Saltrampen, how old is the car?
>tried to push car on the flat
Unless you are Geoff Capes, this will not really show up weak brakes. It would only show up inoperative brakes.
>Would this work remedy weak brakes?
possibly, if the flex hose was sufficiently worn to allow air or moisture in or if the brakes had not been serviced for a long time.
>no mention of any work done to handbrake
a simple adjustment of the handbrake whilst doing the other work would probably take less time than putting another line item on the the invoice. This is what I suspect was the case. If it was a computerised invoice with repair operation times, maybe adjusting handbrake is part of the time allowed for changing the hose.
At the end of the day, it also failed the MOT on welding and rear hose. The welding and rear hose have been sorted. It has now passed. What's the prob?
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I have no problem other than there is very little evidence that what was done (must have minor) to the brakes made it pass the MOT.
If they had said cleaned rear brakes or adjusted handbrake then fine, but no mention of this.
Car is 1997 Fiesta.
Handbrake adjustment - agreed if it is done from inside car, but I thought you needed a special tool on fiestas and that the adjustment was underneath - even so a 5 minute job.
Pushing car - Well assuming I put my weight against and applied 50kg of force is this the same as when it is parked on a 1/20 slope if a 1 ton car (probably not, but close)? Maybe getting old, as I am sure I pushed a mates car an inch when trying to bump start it when he said "Oh I left the handbrake on".
..I just get worried when garages says "Its fixed" without actually telling you everything they did...
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That's not how 4 individual brake faults would be listed on the fail sheet.
There are very specific wordings that must be used, depending on the exact reason for failure.
Something smells fishy here.
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Pushing car - Well assuming I put my weight against and applied 50kg of force is this the same as when it is parked on a 1/20 slope if a 1 ton car (probably not, but close)? Maybe getting old, as I am sure I pushed a mates car an inch when trying to bump start it when he said "Oh I left the handbrake on".
How do you know that the mates handbrake was a) on fully and b) effective and to MoT standard?
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Screwloose...
I think that may have been wording on invoice/ work sheet.
On official computer print out MOT Failure note there were 3 faults with codes which said something like insufficient force from rear brake, then another mentioned service brake.
Sorry I did not make it clear...
Maybe mate had Handbrake only just on, but maybe if any of you try pushing your car with handbrake half on while on the flat and see if you can move it.....
Edited by Saltrampen on 09/05/2008 at 15:44
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The problem is, that the coefficient of friction between two static objects (when you tried to push) is considerably higher than two moving ones (in the test), it's the stiction (static friction) effect, which is why some things need a nudge of extra force to get moving.
Edited by Hamsafar on 09/05/2008 at 16:55
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Personally I wouldn't bother about it, it was obviously going to fail anyway on the other items so why would they put down something extra to what was actually wrong with it. Just ask the garage what they did to the rear brakes and I'm sure they'll tell you. It may have just been that the rear brakes may have been weak and built up a bit of crud inside the drums. By the time that they have bled the system and taken it for a proper (mechanics) roadtest, it may have cleaned the rear brakes back up nicely and then flown through the efficiency test.
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