Holy sh!te brake fail....on the drive at least

[storminmike]

Wife rings me at work...."the check fluid level has come on". I ask if the pedal is good and can she see anything near the wheels. Nope and pedal feels fine. Can she check reservoir (which is in a sh!te position)...says she can see some in but she's no car expert.

Pick up some fluid on way home and sure enough it's low....not super super low but about an inch from top marker. Topped it up and like a good husband started the engine and tried the brakes.....3 pumps then STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR....Holy sh!te. Looks round the car and it's dripping from what seems like the pipe to the rear nearside. Quite what's gone I can't say....but what worries me is that there's NO brakes whatsoever...not even front. Now that would have been a serious smash out on the road in an auto

I was only remarking the other days about those pipes that go to the calipers at the rear....bet it's one of those.

Going to have to call my Indy tommorow then get the AA out to move it

[TimX5]

That's what mine looked like , think I caught them just in time ( before they failed ) and they passed a mot 3 months before I bought the car , then I checked all the brakes etc and discovered the pipes in this state.

[storminmike]

I wouldn't be surpised if they're as bad as that. The frightening part is that the handbrake is useless and you seem to loose ALL brakes...Not Good....Not Good at all

I bet they were weeping and me STOMPING on them good and proper has blown either the rubber or the joint. The leak looked like it came from the same vicinty of that rubber to pipe joint in the photo on the car.

Without overstating this...it was more than a blown bulb but a full on LOSS under pressure....this could have ended very badly

[TimX5]

Sounds like you've had a lucky escape , my rear discs and handbrake shoes are all new and the handbrake still isn't brilliant tbh .

[Riggie]

That didn't corrode overnight, why didn't the MOT pick this up?

[storminmike]

[quote="Riggie"]
That didn't corrode overnight, why didn't the MOT pick this up?
[/quote]

I guess that's what Tim and I would ask too. Is it part of the no disamantle policy? The wife's (car that is) last MOT was April 2014

[TimX5]

[quote="Riggie"]
That didn't corrode overnight, why didn't the MOT pick this up?
[/quote]

Don't know tbh only reason I can think of is that the pipes run along the top arms and are difficult to see .

[storminmike]

[quote="TimX5"]
Sounds like you've had a lucky escape , my rear discs and handbrake shoes are all new and the handbrake still isn't brilliant tbh .
[/quote]

very lucky indeed. Well not me, the other half. If the car does 4,000 mile a year then it's had a good run out

[Turks]

Exactly what happened to me and exactly the same location. Was the pipe itself. Took it to the dealer to fix and they made a right meal of it. What should have been a simple pipe replacement turned into them replacing the Master Cylinder, Servo?, and reprogramming stuff... I just don't think they bled the system right or something. Anyway, was under the extended warranty so wasn't too bothered. Would have been upset though if it was me paying the bill.

Had to fill up with fluid again last month so don't know if they have even done the job properly or I have got another pipe on the way out.


Turks.

[Reusch]

One of mine failed mot 2013 last year had mot done at  Halfords passed mot advised rear bake pipe corroded but not fail erm I thought sod that I had it done and not by Halfords.

[shadrack]

i replaced all pipes on my x5, if ones that bad they all will be, mine was iirc 5years old when all brake pipes were done

[TimX5]

[quote="shadrack"]
i replaced all pipes on my x5, if ones that bad they all will be, mine was iirc 5years old when all brake pipes were done
[/quote]

I've checked all the rest of the brake pipes , even removed the plastic under tray underneath the nearside ,  all ok and waxoiled everywhere.

[chrisn7]

Yep Waxoyl rules!

[storminmike]

Not got the results back yet as is went on the AA trailer this morning. It also needed an oil service so whilst it's in that's getting attended to.

What I could see in the daylight (just) leads me to believe it is as bad as the pictures above

[TimX5]

[quote="storminmike"]
Not got the results back yet as is went on the AA trailer this morning. It also needed an oil service so whilst it's in that's getting attended to.

What I could see in the daylight (just) leads me to believe it is as bad as the pictures above
[/quote]

Yours are worse coz mine didn't burst lol , on a more serious note I hope you get sorted and there was no harm done thank goodness.

Tim