how to check for loss of brake power??
October-31st-2002, 07:34 PM
#1
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: los angeles CA
Posts: 255
how to check for loss of brake power??
I feel my brakes are kinda weak compared to before. the p5 is exactly 1 year old and 12000 miles.
how can I check if its the case? I took it to the dealer some time ago but they said that they didn't find there to be any loss in brake performance.
also when I start my friends automatic car I have my foot on the brake and then turn the key, after that the brake pedal will move down like 0.5 inch. but this doesn't seem to happen for my car... is it because mine is stick? or is it because I've lost power assist brakes?
how can I check if its the case? I took it to the dealer some time ago but they said that they didn't find there to be any loss in brake performance.
also when I start my friends automatic car I have my foot on the brake and then turn the key, after that the brake pedal will move down like 0.5 inch. but this doesn't seem to happen for my car... is it because mine is stick? or is it because I've lost power assist brakes?
November-1st-2002, 08:47 AM
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 1,122
Re: how to check for loss of brake power??
What does "kinda weak" mean exactly? Is the pedal mushy, or is the pedal nice and hard but it take more force to push the pedal and stop the car?
The brake pedal movement in your friend's car is probably caused by a combination of more power assist and more mush in the brake system (i.e. old fluid, water or air in the fluid, or softer brake lines). Some cars are inherently more prone to this behavior than others.
BTW you would *know it* if your car lost power assist completely. Have you ever driven a car without power brakes? (Most people under the age of 30 never have, and most people on this forum are under 30.
) Without power brakes, a light push on the pedal does absolutely nothing, and a hard stop requires so much force that you think you're going to push the pedal through the floor. 
This is why your grandparents may have a story about the first time they drove a car with power brakes... and the story may involve the driver or passenger slamming into the dash. 
The brake pedal movement in your friend's car is probably caused by a combination of more power assist and more mush in the brake system (i.e. old fluid, water or air in the fluid, or softer brake lines). Some cars are inherently more prone to this behavior than others.
BTW you would *know it* if your car lost power assist completely. Have you ever driven a car without power brakes? (Most people under the age of 30 never have, and most people on this forum are under 30.
) Without power brakes, a light push on the pedal does absolutely nothing, and a hard stop requires so much force that you think you're going to push the pedal through the floor. This is why your grandparents may have a story about the first time they drove a car with power brakes... and the story may involve the driver or passenger slamming into the dash.
November-11th-2002, 02:21 AM
#3
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: los angeles CA
Posts: 255
my brake pedal feels mushy during the first inch of downward movement, then it gets really .. I kinda remember it being really pretty firm when I first bought the car
i think i know what u mean buy the no power assisted brakes, I was driving a uhaul truck and I had to push so hard to get that thing to stop..
i think i know what u mean buy the no power assisted brakes, I was driving a uhaul truck and I had to push so hard to get that thing to stop..
November-11th-2002, 03:40 AM
#4
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Hamilton, ON
Posts: 323
Originally posted by tttP5
my brake pedal feels mushy during the first inch of downward movement, then it gets really .. I kinda remember it being really pretty firm when I first bought the car
i think i know what u mean buy the no power assisted brakes, I was driving a uhaul truck and I had to push so hard to get that thing to stop..
my brake pedal feels mushy during the first inch of downward movement, then it gets really .. I kinda remember it being really pretty firm when I first bought the car
i think i know what u mean buy the no power assisted brakes, I was driving a uhaul truck and I had to push so hard to get that thing to stop..
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