Hi all,

Been having issues with brakes of late :(

I thought I had fixed it with the help of the "Handbrake cable issue on my VRS" thread but it seems to have returned.

I purchased the springs from vw & fitted them myself which was surprisingly easy, didn't even need to use pliers or grips to squeeze them into place.

The problem still persisted so I took my car in for this and some more issues with the induction system :wonder: & was told that the brakes were functioning fine!

It seems ok as long as I don't use the handbrake which isn't always practical, When am driving say 20mph on a flat bit of road the car slows very quickly without intervention, normally in neutral or coasting it comes to a halt quicker than expected.

Also on small gradients the car won't roll backwards even though am not using the brakes or gears.

It feels as if the rear pads are rubbing (or the car is dragging its ar5e about like a dog with worms) but I can't be sure that its the fronts, rears or both?

What else could it be? bearings?? I'm at a loss :(

Also have included some pics of my filthy wheels which were only cleaned 2 weeks ago

Any help is greatly appreciated as I'm really getting fed up with this car & just want to enjoy it again!

Thanks in advance

Edited 31 May, 201115 yr by pieman[vrs]

Jack each wheel up with handbrake off and see which wheel(s) is dragging. You obviously have a sticking caliper or calipers. Other possibilities are faulty master cylinder retaining pressure in the braking system.

Another thing that can happen, is the rear caliper handbrake mech can be destroyed when changing pads if the correct wind back tool isn't used. If your not 100% sure about how these brakes work, PLEASE take it to a garage.

Many thanks for your fast & informative reply MoggyTech

I jacked up the car & checked each wheel. The rears span freely with a little friction but there was a metallic rubbing sound from the brake disk. The Fronts were a whole different story! hardly budged at all with the same but louder metallic rubbing noise.

So it was the fronts after all :( strange seeing as they were replaced (pads & disks)in November

Is it likely to be the callipers? are they expensive to fix?

And yes you're right I'm not equipped with the knowledge or tools to start taking brakes apart so the car goes back in tomorrow. I wish I had the knowledge It would save me a sh1tload of monies!

thanks again!

Edited 27 May, 201115 yr by pieman[vrs]

Forgot to mention a partially collapsed flexi brake hose can cause brake drag, but only usually effects one wheel. If both fronts are dragging, it's unlikely to be both calipers, although not impossible. The brakes may need a good service. This involves new pads and discs, cleaning of caliper frames, and new caliper shims etc when rebuilding. A brake fluid change would also be advisable, if it's not been done in the last two years. Finding a good garage is the hardest part.

Ask the garage to check if the caliper piston heat shields are missing. If they are, the caliper piston dust cover will be rock hard, causing the piston to stick.

Thanks again Moggy! I will ask the garage to give the brakes a good going over and mention what you have advised. They are usually spot on and haven't let me down yet so fingers crossed I get car back on Tuesday and all will be happy again!

one last thanks Moggy you are.a top man

MT is right....had one of my fronts stick on me a couple of months back just after fitting new discs and pads......so I stripped the pistons out of the calipers and fitted new seals and dust skirts......result!!! And parts from Skoda only cost me around £15!!! The seals go hard with heat and age....well mine were 10yrs old!!!!

Going to be doing the rears this weekend!!!!

Edited 28 May, 201115 yr by fabdavrav

Thanks fabdavrav, As I mentioned before I dont really have much knowledge of cars (other than I enjoy them) & don't think that the brakes are the best place to practice :S

Although thanks to this & other forums* I am learning more & more every day! (*sometimes too much info is a bad thing)

Anyhow the cars In the hands of the garage now so hopefully by Tuesday I will be back on the road!

I will post again here if its anything different from whats posted here causing these issues to hopefully help someone else.

Thanks for the replys peoples

Ok so the cars been in the garage since last saturday am, & they can't find anything wrong with the brakes!

They say there is nothing wrong with the functioning of the brakes & that they are fine. They said they would test it on their brake machine & RR it to see if they can find anything..?

I feel like I'm going crazy I have had so many issues with this car & I feel like driving it through the window of the dealership where I bought it & throwing the keys at the ar5ehat that sold it too me!

So lovely wise ones of briskoda can you please suggest anything that might be causing the issues described in the first post? before I trade it in for a golf!

Driveshafts, clutch, gearbox, wheel bearings??? anything please.... :'(

You said in an earlier post that the fronts hardly spun.....was this with the car in neutral??? There should be a small abount of sticking due to friction of gearbox...but it sounds like this is worse!! As you said that the rears spun freely then those should not be the problem....and if the garage says that the fronts are ok and you have newish pads and discs then the problem is not a visiable one....I still think that the piston seals have gone hard....so drain the fluid down...remove caliper, remove piston and dustskirt and inner seal....get new seal and dust skirt from Skoda and refit and use 1500 grit wet and dry on the piston to get rid of crap....etc.etc...