Can anyone advise on a potential brake problem? And cant edit the title so sorry for the typo

Now and then, if I am braking hard, there seems to be something like brake-fade - that is as near as I can explain it. However, I am unsure if this is what it is - or perhaps it is just the way the brakes feel having been used to a bigger car? It is just a couple of times it feels like it was not going to stop if i wanted it to.

The car has done 18,000 miles.

Can anyone shed any light on this please?

Ta,

Andy

Are you feeling a vibration of the pedal through the sole of your foot when this "fade" occurs? True brake fade, where the discs and/or pads overheat, is most unlikely in a modern car, unless someone has fitted shields between the calipers and the wheels to keep brake dust off the wheels (or you've been really pressing on, like full throttle acceleration and braking, for several miles without the car ever stopping moving).

There is no juddering - it just feels sometimes like it isn't going to stop. An example was last night, I overtook a car coming up to a roundabout, pulled in and hit the brakes quite hard - it just felt spongy!

Would I be better off taking it to Skoda to have a look at? At 18k I would have thought the brakes would have lasted longer - plus, it isn't there all the time!

What about brake fluid?

That needs changing every 2 years , has that been done at all?

sarah

I've had this recently. Put it down to wet/icy/salty pads and discs. Make sure you safely dry out your brakes before using in anger.

If that does not work then seek further attention.:S

brake fluid is my bet, its been a fair i amount of time it might have absorbed water and its boliing points will be very reduced. are you experiencing the fade after being particularly hard on the brakes over a short period of time. mine has this same problem, but ny fluid is getting changed on its service which is in about 200 miles. I'm putting motul performance fluid in.

Hmm never thought about the brake fluid - the car just recently had a service but I know the fluid wasn't changed.

Based on the fact they seem OK at lower speeds, I am going to look at getting that done first I think - is it a big job? Do I need a specific fluid?

Thanks for the suggestions

Not just the title that had a typo!

I believe you need DOT 4.1 brake fluid, but I could be wrong. Mixing them can cause all sorts of problems, so it's definitely worth finding out!

Hehe I give up checking sometimes - fingers work 20% faster than my brain sometimes

OK will check thx

Actually, Gregoir might have a point, particularly if you get this problem in the first 2 or 3 stops after leaving the car for several hours, and not otherwise.

Also, if you're contemplating changing the brake fluid, the Octy 1 required a specific non-standard bleeding order; I suspect the Octy 2 will as well.

Actually, Gregoir might have a point, particularly if you get this problem in the first 2 or 3 stops after leaving the car for several hours, and not otherwise.

Also, if you're contemplating changing the brake fluid, the Octy 1 required a specific non-standard bleeding order; I suspect the Octy 2 will as well.

I have used them a fair bit at the point were this has happened, but just not hard - its almost like they are bedding in, but I can see no note that they have been changed

Sounds similiar to mine, http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/55707-new-octy-vrs-brakes/page__hl__brakes

Can anyone shed any light on this please?

If you have a split CV boot, or broken CD boot clip, and it sprays grease onto the disks you get poor braking, but more likely to pull to one side. Have you checked your brake fluid levels and or changed the fluid (if moisture/air/bubbles have entered the system?

Fluid is DOT 4 or DOT 5.1, but absolutely NOT DOT5.0

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/60393-brake-fluids-a-hopefully-definitive-thread/

I don't think brake fluid will be the issue - you are not getting anywhere hot enough to boil even contaminated fluid in normal road driving. It would only boil on the track or on a long downward hill decent with constant braking.

My money would be on some form of contamination of the braking surface, or some sort of intermittant fault with the brake servo.

To be honest, I dont think Skoda/VAG brakes are all that, especially compared to other makes of car especially Renaults and Citroens.

I've had 12 Golfs (all flavours), 2 Skodas and 1 Renault. The Renault (despite being a rusty crock of a car) had the best brakes ever. It was very stoppable.

All theGolfs I've had, even though the whole braking system was in top order i.e new pads, disks, hoses, fluids etc; never really instilled confidence in me when driving enthusiastically - apart from my last MK3 16V golf with 312mm disks. I had a MK2 16v before that and that was positively scary as the disks were 256!!! as standard. Waaaaay tooo small. They were upgraded to 288s but they were adequate - just. There are loads of threads on the ClubGti website forum about Golf owners trying to get a decent pedal feel. It just doesn't happen naturally on a VAG car.

Octavias are bigger and heavier than a Golf with the same brakes. It just aint going to happen.

Well the car is back into the garage on Tuesday so will see what they come up with

I've had this recently. Put it down to wet/icy/salty pads and discs. Make sure you safely dry out your brakes before using in anger.

If that does not work then seek further attention.:S

Me too, it is the ice/wet. I thought my brakes were not good, even after recent fluid change. Once drier weather appeared they were as normal, you just have to take account of the conditions and brake earlier.