Has anyone else had issues with brakes?

[dorkbydesign]

Hey guys,

My girlfriend was driving my BRZ yesterday when the brakes stopped working. The car slowed and then suddenly didn't slow any more and the car kept rolling at 10-15km/h, she pushed the pedal to the floor (which was really soft) but the car didn't stop.

We had it towed to Subaru and they said they couldn't find a problem.

They said they are going to bring out a regional manager to have a look.

If they say that the car is fine on Monday, I am still apprehensive to drive it because luckily, this time it happened at low speed but what if it happens on the highway etc.

I bought this car back in 2013 and it only has 15000km on it. It is still covered under factory warranty but Subaru either can't find the problem or refuse to acknowledge it. The brake pedal is squishy now, but the brakes sort of work. It used to be a lot harder/more sensitive.

Any advice?

Thanks

[Mr.ac]

I really don't know what to tell you, since the car is at the shop. Or is it? Can't tell by your writing. Sounds to me like you got air in the system. That really fucks with abs units.

I would tell them to road test it. If they still have it.
If you have it check the pads, and change out the brake fluid and bleed it good. The only real way to test it is to brake hard. You can do that pretty safely with low speeds. Then work your way up higher. Just make sure your at an empty long stretch of road.

[juliog]

Squishy pedal means time to flush the brake fluid. It could have absorbed moisture (all fluids will eventually) or perhaps you boiled it (spirited driving or track days), or perhaps you got air in the lines somehow.

Brake pad thickness OK?
Surface of rotors smooth?
Any brake line punctures or leaks?
Brake fluid reservoir topped? If recently flushed, is the level consistent from one day to the next?

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by dorkbydesign

Hey guys,

My girlfriend was driving my BRZ yesterday when the brakes stopped working...............

Any advice?

Thanks

HELLO, dorkbydesign and WELCOME to ...... The Forum ......

Advice, ..... yes, don't let your girlfriend drive your car ......

Seriously, like mentioned above, several times, I also suggest you have the brake system bleed.


humfrz

[MisterSheep]

Originally Posted by humfrz

HELLO, Advice, ..... yes, don't let your girlfriend drive your car ......

LOL! My girlfriend drives my car all the time and begs sometimes asking if we can go for a drive so she can drive.

Anyway i would check in this order;

Master Cylinder, make sure you're not getting any air in your system.

Check your fluid

Check the lines for any leaks

Checks the rotors and pads.


Usually when brakes go out suddenly like that and you have a squishy pedal it's going to be related to your fluid. My biggest guess is air is getting in somehow.

[strat61caster]

Any recent brake work?

IMO along with the above comments about inspecting for leaks, flush the fluid and check pad thickness would be my solution.

The only time I've had my pedal get soft/squishy was when I boiled fluid and overheated the pads by driving hard (TC and ABS can help this happen very quickly), to the floor only happens when I swap pads and it takes a few pumps for the brakes to clamp down. The former is totally possible, the latter is unlikely.

If the dealership is uncooperative you might want to check out a local shop, any shop worth it's salt should be able to do the brake maintenance in this thread. Hell you could do it yourself if you want, it isn't rocket science, lots of DIY's on this site and others, I'll be doing a full fluid flush this winter on my car (did it last year with some help, will try this year on my own).

[Packofcrows]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Advice, ..... yes, don't let your girlfriend drive your car ......
humfrz

Maybe that was part of the plan...




On topic though, i've never experienced this, (thanks to Obama!) but my first plan of action would be to flush out break lines, bleed, bleed some more, test drive (10-20mph), bleed, and then test at high speeds (30-40mph..not higher).

Check break booster for leaks or lines for damage like being bent!

[dorkbydesign]

Originally Posted by Mr.ac

I really don't know what to tell you, since the car is at the shop. Or is it? Can't tell by your writing. Sounds to me like you got air in the system. That really fucks with abs units.

I would tell them to road test it. If they still have it.
If you have it check the pads, and change out the brake fluid and bleed it good. The only real way to test it is to brake hard. You can do that pretty safely with low speeds. Then work your way up higher. Just make sure your at an empty long stretch of road.

Yeah the car is still at the shop and they're closed until Monday. I will tell them to road test it. I may even go there and do it myself since they don't even believe me when I told them the brakes failed.

Originally Posted by juliog

Squishy pedal means time to flush the brake fluid. It could have absorbed moisture (all fluids will eventually) or perhaps you boiled it (spirited driving or track days), or perhaps you got air in the lines somehow.

Brake pad thickness OK?
Surface of rotors smooth?
Any brake line punctures or leaks?
Brake fluid reservoir topped? If recently flushed, is the level consistent from one day to the next?

I would assume that Subaru would check all of these things but they told me nothing was wrong even though the pedal is super squishy.

Originally Posted by MisterSheep

LOL! My girlfriend drives my car all the time and begs sometimes asking if we can go for a drive so she can drive.

Anyway i would check in this order;

Master Cylinder, make sure you're not getting any air in your system.

Check your fluid

Check the lines for any leaks

Checks the rotors and pads.


Usually when brakes go out suddenly like that and you have a squishy pedal it's going to be related to your fluid. My biggest guess is air is getting in somehow.

Again I would expect that Subaru would've investigated this but somehow they reckon nothing is wrong.

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Any recent brake work?

No recent brake work, the car is completely stock except for tail lights lol

[humfrz]

Well, @dorkbydesign ...... if it were my car, I'd take it in to a local brake shop and and have them bleed the brake system. The heck with what the dealership says.

Brakes are nothing to mess around with!


humfrz

[pantdino]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, @dorkbydesign ...... if it were my car, I'd take it in to a local brake shop and and have them bleed the brake system. The heck with what the dealership says.

Brakes are nothing to mess around with!


humfrz

But then you run the risk of the dealer claiming that you or the brake shop messed something up. I would tell them to test drive the car including hard stops.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by pantdino

But then you run the risk of the dealer claiming that you or the brake shop messed something up. I would tell them to test drive the car including hard stops.

Well, I would hope the brake shop would do a professional job of bleeding the system and inspecting the brakes.

Besides, I gathered from the OP's last post that the dealership cannot find anything wrong ......


humfrz

[dorkbydesign]

This was Subaru's response



Apparently there's nothing wrong with the brakes, but the pedal is still super squishy.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by dorkbydesign

This was Subaru's response................



Apparently there's nothing wrong with the brakes, but the pedal is still super squishy.

Well now, dorkbydesign, you could take a "test drive" in another BRZ, to see if the brakes on the other car feel "super squishy" to you ......

You might consider making a habit of "double pumping" the brakes when you apply them.

(some of us still do that, as a habit from the past ....... to make sure the single master cylinder was working ..... if not, it gave us time to downshift and pull the emergency brake ...... )

Or, like mentioned many times up above, have an independent brake shop bleed the system.


humfrz

[dorkbydesign]

Ok so I got the car back today and the pedal feels normal again.

It is noticeably firmer than it was that day.

Would they really fix it and then claim there was no problem?