Here's a good way to stress your marriage:
,0,4192306.story
--- In ev_update@..., "forest flanigan" <creoflan@...> wrote:
This is not about my EVC , but I was able to get 103 K out of the
front pads
on a Ford Ranger with an oversized Lance cab over camper on it. I
live in
the Sierra Foothills so most of my driving is in hills.I don't use the
clutch to stop but do use the gears to control the vehicle on hills.
As Bob
says, anticipating the need to stop goes a long way toward long lasting
brakes. I've got 117k on the pickup now and still haven't replaced
the rear
brakes---but I did replace the camper with a 95 EVC :)
Forest
On Wed, Jun 11, 2008 at 6:47 AM, Florian <fkahlert@...> wrote:
Jeez - I was thinking the same thing. With our Weekender we change
them every 25k miles. Granted we do a lot (!) of around town /
stop/go in Connecticut, its a bit hilly and we both are not the most
gentle one on the brakes but 73K? That is unreal! Any tips?
--- In ev_update@... <ev_update%40yahoogroups.com>, David
Richoux <tubaman@> wrote:
Bob,
I do not think I am a "heavy breaker," nor is my wife (who sometimes
drives the EVC) but how in the heck did you get 73K+ out of one set
of Eurovan brakes?! My 2000 had one disk/pad replacement by the
previous owner at about 35K and I had to do it again at 60K. Do you
have a manual trans?
The two mechanics who have worked on my EVC (both very well trusted)
explain how VW (and most other German vehicles) have "soft rotors"
and high wearing pads, and that my experience is not that unusual.
I have often heard the mechanic folklore that it is cheaper to
replace brakes than to repair a clutch/transmission, so that is why
it is better to use the brakes instead of "engine braking" but it
seems like mine are wearing out a lot quicker than yours do! We do
use (automatic) 3rd gear on descending mountain roads and we don't
pull any trailers.
Any tips for keeping the brakes working for so long? Were you just
lucky?
Dave Richoux 2000 EVC
On Jun 10, 2008, at 6:48 PM, Sea2river@ wrote:
Fifty thousand miles is about the right time to need new pads,
particularly
in the heavier EVC. The front and the rear pads are sized to wear
out about
the same time. While the front pads are larger, they apply most of
your
stopping power. One brake pad on each wheel has a wire embedded in
it. When any one
of those four pads is worn down to that wire such that the wire is
severed,
"brake warning light" circuit continuity is now lacking and the
light on the
dash board illuminates. In addition, if for some reason a wire
elsewhere in
the circuit gets severed or a connector is loose, circuit
continuity is also
broken and the light will illuminate.
In my case, the front pads were the first to need replacement.
When the
light illuminated at 73,000 miles, I found that one of the front
pads had worn
to the extent that the wire in the pad was severed. Measuring
that pad
revealed that I could expect about another 40,000 miles from the
pad before the
pad's backing plate scraped the rotor. But that would mean 40,000
more miles
with a light and periodic buzzer. Hence, I changed the front pads
and the
dashboard light extinguished. About 2000 miles later, the light
again illuminated
and I found that the wire in one of the rear pads was severed.
After
replacing the rear pads the light extinguished and remains so at
124,000 miles.
I suspect that the wire in each pad is embedded at an imprecise
depth such
that once the wire is severed, one may have anywhere from zero to
five mm of
pad remaining and perhaps more.
If you want to "reset the warning system" then you must restore
circuit
continuity. My suspicion is that replacing the pads on all four
wheels will
solve your problem. There are instructions in our files
section for
DIY pad
replacement.
Good luck,
Bob W.
In a message dated 6/10/2008 7:32:39 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
clyde318000@ writes:
I have a '02 EVC with 50k miles on it. Last week a warning
light came
on indicating that the brake pads needed replacement. My
friendly Les
Schwab dealer pulled the tires and found that the pads were in
good
shape - more than 50% wear left. That's the good news, the bad is
warning light remains on and emits an earspliting buzzing
sound about
every third time I start up the van (same sound as the low fuel
buzzer). Any thoughts on resetting the warning system? Thanks.
Clyde the Guide
