eauboy
Active member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 1999
- Location
- Bethesda, MD
I have a 2000 NB with 50,000 miles that had no problems. I received a recall letter in the mail from VWoA for a brake light switch replacement. Once the time was convenient for me, I decided to take the car in and have them do the service.
Well...
On the way home from the service, I noticed that the brakes seemed kind of "touchy". For instance, usually you have a bit of play in the brake pedal before the brakes actually engage. In this case, they would grab immediately upon tapping the pedal. I thought it was in my head and kept driving. About a mile later I noticed that when taking my foot off the accelerator, the car would quickly come to a stop on it's own. By the time I was a mile from home, the car was laboring so hard that it wouldn't even shift out of second gear.
The very next morning, things seemed to be just fine. I drove 2 miles to work. By the time I get there, I can tell that the brakes are grabbing. I put the car in neutral while going 2 or 3 mph and let it coast to a stop. You can no doubt feel the car locking in to a full stop instead of coasting. I took it back to the dealer that afternoon. They look all surprised and a mechanic comes out and pulls the brake pedal out a couple of clicks and said the previous guy didn't fully reset it. Whatever, it seems to sort of do the job.
The next morning it's back to it's old tricks, so I take it back to the dealer and explain what happened. They call back and say the rear pads and rotors need to be replaced because they are all worn. (No kidding, given what happened as soon as I left their garage.) $500 later I take the car back home. I'm wondering why I paid for the warranty if I have to shell out my own cash for this.
Well I get home and guess what? Problem not resolved. I'm thinking to myself why did I drop all this cash and they didn't fix the problem. I bring the car back for them to look at. They call back and say we found that the brake booster had excess pressure, but they released it and now everything is fine. I pick up the car, drive a couple of miles and yes, I CAN FEEL THE BRAKES STILL GRABBING!!!
This morning I bring it back YET AGAIN and by the time I get to the dealer, they are locking up real fine. On the one hand I'm really glad to get to show him how serious this problem is, and on the other I'm thinking about $500 going up in smoke. The service guy sees me as I pull in and I motion for him to come out. The brakes are seized so bad that the car would move in "D" at idle. Now they going to replace the brake booster.
Having searched the forum and finding others with the same experience (e.g. this thread) I thought I would serve up my story as well.
Now, how do I go about getting my $500 back?!
Well...
On the way home from the service, I noticed that the brakes seemed kind of "touchy". For instance, usually you have a bit of play in the brake pedal before the brakes actually engage. In this case, they would grab immediately upon tapping the pedal. I thought it was in my head and kept driving. About a mile later I noticed that when taking my foot off the accelerator, the car would quickly come to a stop on it's own. By the time I was a mile from home, the car was laboring so hard that it wouldn't even shift out of second gear.
The very next morning, things seemed to be just fine. I drove 2 miles to work. By the time I get there, I can tell that the brakes are grabbing. I put the car in neutral while going 2 or 3 mph and let it coast to a stop. You can no doubt feel the car locking in to a full stop instead of coasting. I took it back to the dealer that afternoon. They look all surprised and a mechanic comes out and pulls the brake pedal out a couple of clicks and said the previous guy didn't fully reset it. Whatever, it seems to sort of do the job.
The next morning it's back to it's old tricks, so I take it back to the dealer and explain what happened. They call back and say the rear pads and rotors need to be replaced because they are all worn. (No kidding, given what happened as soon as I left their garage.) $500 later I take the car back home. I'm wondering why I paid for the warranty if I have to shell out my own cash for this.
Well I get home and guess what? Problem not resolved. I'm thinking to myself why did I drop all this cash and they didn't fix the problem. I bring the car back for them to look at. They call back and say we found that the brake booster had excess pressure, but they released it and now everything is fine. I pick up the car, drive a couple of miles and yes, I CAN FEEL THE BRAKES STILL GRABBING!!!
This morning I bring it back YET AGAIN and by the time I get to the dealer, they are locking up real fine. On the one hand I'm really glad to get to show him how serious this problem is, and on the other I'm thinking about $500 going up in smoke. The service guy sees me as I pull in and I motion for him to come out. The brakes are seized so bad that the car would move in "D" at idle. Now they going to replace the brake booster.
Having searched the forum and finding others with the same experience (e.g. this thread) I thought I would serve up my story as well.
Now, how do I go about getting my $500 back?!