Excuse the long post but this is doing my head in. Having had the brake fluid in my 56 plate vrs bled for the third time the brakes still don't feel right. The dealer test drove it and said they were fine. However there seems to be too much pedal travel til things really start to happen. I've seen in a previous post other people have had the same/similar issue but no cure.

For the first inch/ inch and half the pedal is soft/little feel. The brakes are engaging a bit, as the car is slowing but no feel . The feel (to me) is similar to a car with drum brakes that have not self adjusted. When you do get to some sort of feel you seem to have to push more than expected to stop. At slow speed jabbing the brakes the rears seem to grab/lock before the front have.

Ideas as to what it could be?

Air in lines? The garage has bled the brakes three times surely it cant be that. Pumping the brake with the engine off the pedal is firm and stays firm.

Pads? The nearside has an odd chamfered edge on part of it (not all of it) the offside has a chamfered edge but no where near as large. Before the previous bleed the front disks weren't looking as clean as they probably should with an inner ring visibly cleaner. Would they cause excessive travel?

Something to do with the/a caliper(s)?

Ideas/thoughts? Help!

We sometimes come across this on another make of car. The advice that we were given was to apply the brakes a few times so that the ABS cut in. A dealer should know the ins and outs of bleeding Skoda brakes (additional bleed nipples on the master cylinder, bleeding using diagnostic equipment to get the ABS pump to move the fluid). Were the brakes bled as part of a scheduled fluid change?, or has other work been done on them?

The brake fluid was changed as part of routine service. I've just been out for a thrash to see if it helped at all. Getting firm with the brakes things feel reasonably good (ignoring the pedal travel). It just seems being gentle/smooth with things not so good. If there was air in the system would ABS kick in ok?

Any ideas what would cause excess travel?

is it possible to clamp the flexi on the caliper that has the dodgy brake pad wear and see if this cures the fault? this will at least point you in the right direction....

Ah, good idea . Need to buy a hose clamp first but cheaper than buying pads on a off chance they might improve things.

Think I've found the pedal travel reason, but not why as yet.

I got "her indoors" to operate the pedal whilst I watched the calipers. I could see the caliper moving (both sides of car). The movement I could see corresponded with the soft bit of pedal feel. From what the misses was saying, once the pedal felt like there was something there I couldnt see movement. The inner part of the pad (nearest the hub) I didnt notice move, however the caliper could be seen to move, so I assume the outer (closest to disk edge) bit of pad is moving.

Apart from uneven pad wear any other reason for the caliper "slack"?

The brakes will be more than likely single pot callipers, and the pad on the inside works on sliders.

i.e as the calliper piston shoves the outside pad onto the disc the sliders move to pull the other pad in to create the bite.

Should I be able to see the movement? I dont remember seeing movement in other cars apart from when I've changed the pads and got things to re-seat.

Its been suggested to me the pads could be stuck in the carriers. So a pull apart and clean session needed. When it stops raining that is...