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Brake pedal travel

Jtvgray

Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Messages
30
Location
Corsham
Car
C220d Sport Premium
Just had new pads fitted all round, disks are fine. Before the change I only had to touch the brake pedal lightly and the brakes were immediately effective. Since the change though I now have to depress the pedal quite a long way before the brakes seem to become active. They seem safe but the change is a bit unnerving and is taking some getting used to. Is this normal?? Will it change when the pads wear in?
 
How many miles since the pad change? Sounds as if the brakes need bleeding. How firm does the pedal feel?
 
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Bleed the brakes. You have air in there. Who the hell changed the pads without doing a bleed?
 
As said by other members def air in the system. As you done all round you will have to bleed all round. You can make a bleeder from a we plastic bottle and small bit of tube and it means you can bleed them on your own , works excellent
Hole in cap of bottle with little fluid in bottom of bottle with the hose pushed down into the fluid other end pushed onto nipple , open nipple slightly and pump brake few times keeping a check on reservoir does not get too low and keep topping up with fluid. If your car has a lot of mls and you pump a lot through
each wheel then this is basically a fluid change .
 
Just take it back to the place that fit your pads. Tell them to finish the job before their carelessness kills somebody.
 
Thanks all - I have done around 150 miles since the pad change and hoped they would bed in, but it sounds from your responses that they need bleeding so I will take it back to the garage tomorrow.
 
How did the garage even let air into the system for a simple pad change?

Or did you pay for a brake fluid change as well? If so, then they messed up the brake fluid change.
 
Nope. Didn’t pay for a fluid change, just replaced the pads. So, I have no idea (I don’t do mechanics )
 
Are you sure they are mechanics?
 
Nope. Didn’t pay for a fluid change, just replaced the pads. So, I have no idea (I don’t do mechanics )
A pad change will actually push fluid out of the system because of the increased pad thickness (being new). So I think you need to use another garage for the future.

I hope you can get this sorted.
 
What they should do before pushing back the caliper pistons is open the bleed nipple and expel excess fluid at the caliper end. The reason for doing it this way is to avoid pushing dirty fluid back up the system. Maybe they tried to do it as I've described and introduced air in the process.
 
What they should do before pushing back the caliper pistons is open the bleed nipple and expel excess fluid at the caliper end. The reason for doing it this way is to avoid pushing dirty fluid back up the system. Maybe they tried to do it as I've described and introduced air in the process.

And, if they neglected to do the above and merely pushed old fluid upstream, there still wouldn't be the requirement to bleed.

Bleeding with a pad change is optional. Good practice - but still optional.
If the pedal is immediately firm when it does resist - then not a bleeding issue at all.
There are other (mechanical) possibilities for a long pedal (the firmness or otherwise is the indication as to mechanical or hydraulic).

I'd be inclined to return the car and ask them to rectify - whatever it takes.
 
Ok, so I took it back today and they immediately bled the air out of the system and all is back to how it should be.

I have used this garage for years with many different cars and never had any problems. They also have an excellent reputation locally so I am surprised something as simple as this mistake occurred. Doesn’t take much to lose confidence does it???!!!!

anyway....thanks to you all for your advice (again)!
 
Ok, so I took it back today and they immediately bled the air out of the system and all is back to how it should be.

They must have embarked on as per post # 11 and somehow messed it up.

I have used this garage for years with many different cars and never had any problems. They also have an excellent reputation locally so I am surprised something as simple as this mistake occurred. Doesn’t take much to lose confidence does it???!!!!

In fairness, they didn't return your car with inoperative brakes - merely brakes that were different (in feel) than before. Shouldn't have happened, but if they otherwise are good (and rectified the problem quickly), then maybe worth sticking with them?
 
Yep, I agree. Although they didn’t apologise in the truest sense, they were a little sheepish..as they have always been so good in the past I will be sticking with them.
 

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