Weekend In Review

[kingandy]

Yesterday was great - ajon and richc's wedding went off without a hitch (in a good way), save for a smattering of rain and a slightly perculiar organist.  Oh, and some small confusion regarding exactly who was invited to the meal part of the reception, but bacony and spodula allegedly had a cracking time anyway, wherever it was they went.

Today - not so good.  Drove down to Coventry to catch up with some old friends, which in and of itself was good good fun.  However, on the way down I managed to get myself flashed by speed cameras again (despite being scornful of anne_l_davies's advice to be careful through the roadworks, because I very rarely speed through roadworks - but when it came to it I was still slowing down from entering them, and the man behind was very close, and oh bugger.)  That makes 9 points on the license in the last 3 years, which I gather is the point at which bad things happen.  At least, the letter on the last one said something about "If you've collected 9 or more..." but stsquad seemed adamant that it meant that it was only bad if you already had 9 and this took you over...

(ETA: The DVLA site has it that "A person whose penalty points reach 12 or more in a period of 3 years is liable to be disqualified". Phew. I guess I'll just have to be a good boy from now on...)

Then on the way back, driving through Didsbury (which was a little out of my way, I decided to take the scenic route after coming the wrong way off the M56 - you'd expect the left lane to turn you left, wouldn't you?  But no) my brakes stopped working.  It may have been somewhat irresponsible of me to continue the drive home but I was going slowly and used my gears and handbrake to stop and I didn't crash at all.  (Plus the brakes still worked a little if I pushed it all the way down.  Does that suggest the brake pads fell off or something?)

Car is under warranty (which was a little odd and involved filling out a form for some insurance - I'm not sure if that means I have to contact the insurers or the salesman).  So I guess I'll spend tomorrow ringing people and/or visiting garages, or something.  So, overall, I am not best pleased with today.  Feeling down and a little bit edgy.

Comments

[kingandy]

" they did still work a little, and the handbrake slowed me down."

This does sound like my current status.

icklejo has opined that it is likely due to a lack of fluid (since various warning lights came on - the manual does say that it's a general "brake system" warning light though so there could be pad issues). Regardless, I am going to take it in somewhere to look at tomorrow - it is still under warranty after all.

[pax-draconis.livejournal.com]

Fluid by the sound of it. Do not drive it. Get them to sort it under warranty.

[kingandy]

Problem is, I sort of need it done ASAP, and I'm not particularly confident about the salesman being very helpful, operating as he does out of a unit in a self-storage complex. I am reasonably sure he would say "What do you expect me to do about it? Talk to the insurers."

[pax-draconis.livejournal.com]

1) Get Jo to show you where the brake fluid goes. Check the fluid level, and if it's low, fill it up. It may be this simple.

2) If this does not improve the problem, check under the car to see if there is a pool of brake fluid. if so, you have a blown seal in your brake cylinder, broken or something equivalent. This is not a major job to fix.

Irrespective of how much hassle it will be to resolve, do not drive a car with failed brakes. There is no "except" in this sentence.

Were I you, I would return the car and demand my money back.

If you can describe the warning lights that came on I may be able to be a bit more help.

[kingandy]

I can probably get the location of the brake fluid intake from the manual, but I don't have any brake fluid. Maybe I'll ring the AA, get their man to have a look at it and tow me to a garage if required...

"I would return the car and demand my money back."

The thought did occur to me. But I do like the car. And I need a car for work. And I'd have to get it back over there to him.

The warning lights were firstly the handbrake light (which, according to the manual, also means "something wrong with the brakes" - could be anything from the fluid to the lights to missing brake pads) and after a few minutes the ABS light.

[pax-draconis.livejournal.com]

Missing pads would be accompanied by a loud squealing and grinding noise, sparks, and a tremendous amount of vibration back through the pedal. Plus, pads shouldn't just "fall out". If you still have some braking effect at the end of the pedal's travel, then you still have your pads.

If you have home AA cover, ring them and get a first-hand opinion.

Handbrake light sounds like a fluid problem, tbh - there's not a lot else that can go wrong with brakes that will cause that light to illuminate. If it was pad wear, the light would flicker for about 500 miles before illuminating. The ABS light coming on doesn't sound good, though.

Back to the dealer, stern face. Even if you like the car, if it doesn't go it's nothing but expensive modern art.

[kingandy]

I freely admit to an ignorance regarding car-parts, though "fall off" was somewhat hyperbolic. Jo was confident the ABS light would be a knock-on effect of the low fluid, being another part of the brake system; the manual says stern yet nebulous things about its meaning.

The AA will be summoned forthwith, thank you sir.