Are our brakes really good enough?

The brakes on my Topaz are appalling (no ABS). They only just pass the MOT despite new stainless steel pipes and a full brake service by my garage.

Shortly after I bought the van I caused a three-car rear-ender at traffic lights as a direct result. Now I drive *very carefully* and keep a good distance from vehicles in front.

Hi
   I am sure if you go on to the VW Forums you could upgrade the brakes from a different model,I personnely would not be happy in your situation
   regards
      Alan

Personally I would not "upgrade" brakes unless I was absolutely certain that they are performing as they came from the factory and are still found to be inadequate. If, for example, one or more of the calipers is partially seized, or the sliders are not moving freely, or there's the slightest amount of air in the system, or there's internal damage to one of the flexibles, or the brake balance valve is defective then you may get poor brake performance.

The thing that strikes me is that when the Topaz has been reviewed for motorhome magazines in the past there was no mention of the fact that the brakes were appalling - so it seems reasonable to conclude that there is something wrong, rather than that they need to be upgraded.

Hi Mojo
       I presumed that that had already been done ,a sticking caliper I think would show up on the MOT as brake inbalence
                 regards
                     Alan

gemdeco wrote:Hi Mojo
       I presumed that that had already been done ,a sticking caliper I think would show up on the MOT as brake inbalence
                 regards
                     Alan

But if both are sticking?

Frank

I would say something is wrong, my Topaz brakes were spot on . no problems whatsoever. seems sensible to me to explore  all possibilities  that can  go wrong first  before changing the braking system that doesn`t sound the way to go to me.

Good luck

I've been waiting for someone who has or had a Topaz to contribute.
Something that only just passes the MOT is BAD. The MOT standards are the minimum that can be safely accepted and pretty low. I find it hard to believe that a vehicle with its braking as good as the factory standard struggles to pass the MOT.

I've never driven a VW van so I have no experience of them, so the fact that Margaret didn't have an issue with her brakes confirms to me that there is something sadly wrong with the OP's brakes.

Frank

I had a 55 Reg VW T5 window van , converted by Leisure Drive some years ago, the brakes were terrible, the turbo lag even worse.
I don't know why folk rave on about them, however I did like the old Splities and Bay window vans.
Boaby

I now have the same base van VW T4 2.5TDI on my Clubman, I don`t have any issues with the brakes on that either. that is why I went for this van as I loved the previous one and wouldn`t change.

thoughts?
It is almost as though we need softer pads, which would mean changing them more frequently.


Graham

Some things - are the discs ok?  When did you last change the brake fluid?  Any brake advisories in the MOT?

The laws of physics mean that stopping a 3 tonne camper will take a lot more effort than a 1 tonne car. 

Also, regardless of how good or bad the brakes are, all the energy is being sent via 4 small patches of rubber, a few square inches each. 

The ABS will kick in when the tyres loose traction with the road, so tyre type, and road conditions will be the determining factor. Don't forget van tyres are different to car tyres and camper tyres are different again as they have to carry heavy loads, all the time.

If your tyres grip well enough to prevent the ABS needing to cut in that is a good thing, whats it like on a wet road?

You make a good point re 3T van versus 1T car macthlessman but the braking systems should compensate for the difference in weight. When I drove LGV's at 16 tonnes they would lock up the wheels if you stood on the pedal but my Symbol never comes close to locking anything, even without ABS. The only way I get wheel slip is accelerating hard on a wet road uphill! Part of the HGV test involved accelerating to 30mph through the gears and then coming to a halt using only the gearbox. Still do it.