tjb

@sepulchrave you were bang on the first time. When to check the value operation this morning and in trying to remove the pipe I noticed the vacuum pipe had split around the bottom. Didn't remove it when I first inspected it and missed the small split! I've patched it up and ordering a new pipe. Thank you both for your help

I've now checked the vacuum line from the engine and it's in order, can't see any visual degradation or hear any leaks. @Wino I ran the test under the heading "Test if the Brake Booster Can Maintain a Vacuum" from here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/How-to-Diagnose-a-Faulty-Brake-Booster-/10000000178571669/g.html The pedal pushed back as soon as the engine was switched off. According to the article this means my servo can't hold a vacuum. Actually, I found out the brake loses it's efficiency as soon as the engine is switched off, I tested this (possibly not the smartest idea) by rolling along and switching the engine off, immediately I had virtually no brakes. Trying this on my other car and it slowly loses brake efficiency as the brake is pumped multiple times. The reason this bothers me is if for some random reason the engine cuts out I wont have any buffer with the residual vacuum to slow the car down. Car booked in tomorrow with a garage who will hopefully diagnose the issue and give me a quote for the work. If that's the case I'll be asking the dealer to cough up on grounds of the braking system not being fit for purpose.

Thanks for the reply, I'll have a look at the pipe this evening. When I checked it yesterday I couldn't hear any leaking noises from the engine bay only from inside the car If all the vacuum hoses are fine what's the next step, brake servo itself? What sort of garage costs would I expect for replacing a brake servo?

Picked up a Skoda Fabia 2004 1.4 16v last week and I've been really impressed with the car except for a few little things which I can probably sort out myself. However I'm stumped by a hissing sound that's coming from the drivers foot well. It's there at idle and for a few seconds after pulling away, once the revs climb either I can't hear it or it goes away. Pressing the brake pedal seems to quieten it down somewhat but it never goes away completely. Sort of sounds like static from an untuned radio. Anyone had experience with this sort of issue before? I only paid £1050 for the car but it comes with a 28 day warranty, really don't want to return it but if it needs fixing I'll chase them for garage fee's which I think would be fair considering a car sold as good condition with a years MOT should really have fully functioning brakes! I've tried brake tests recommended in the Haynes manual. With the engine off the peddle build up pressure then dips when the engine is started. With the engine running and the brake depressed turning the engine off forces the brake peddle up immediately; from what I understand that's suspicious? Thanks for any help in advance