Bora - ABS light and Traction Control light is on. Possible causes and fixes please.

[Loofer]

Guten targen...

I'm hoping some knowledgeable/experienced readers can help me out with the situation below.

The Car:
2001 VW Bora TDi Sport PD 115 (AJM). Done 123K miles.

The problem:
About a month ago my ABS light and ASR light (equivalent of ESP i believe) came on. I cant remember weather it just didn't turn off after starting the engine or if it just came on whilst driving. My VW manual states that I shoud visit a dealer if this ever happens. I am reluctant to pay a VW dealer to diagnose the poblem and also to fix it.

The lights eventually went off either whilst driving or after turning off the engine and then starting it up some time later. This has been quite intermittent over the last month and it has just come on again today.

The symtpons:
When slowing down and coming to a stop I feel a slight judder in the brake pedal. It's as though the brake pads are automatically squeezing against the discs for a split second.
The brake pedal seems to dip/press in a little then pop out within that split second (hope that makes sense). I'm assuming this is what the ABS does, however, shouldn't this only be in harsh braking conditions to stop the wheels from locking? This happens under normal braking conditions i.e. no harsh braking.

Also, I notice the brakes arent effective as they were previously, i.e. takes fractionally onger to slow down and I have to press slightly harder. Though this may be a placebo effect - because I know something is up with the braking system I automatically think they are not perfroming as well.

I also (finally!) hear a very faint rubbing sound when braking. It is extremely faint and you would have to listen out for it. It isn't squeking and I doubt you could hear it from outisde. Then again it my have always made that sound and I've only just started noticing it.

What I've done so far:
About three weeks ago I've had my car serviced (local garage) and told him about my symptons. The chap said my discs, drums and pads were working fine and had enough life in them.

He mentioned it could be a number of things but the common problem is faulty ABS sensors. This could only be checked with a diagnostic reader such as VAG COM which he did not have.

I have ordered a lead and will be downloading and registereing the full version of VAG Com within the next few days (need to reset LongLife service schedule anyway). I'm hoping the fault codes will tell me what the problem is specifically rather than just basically saying there is something wrong with the braking/ABS. Can it do that?

I have thought about going to Kwik-Fit just to get a free brake check done but havn't had much time to be honest. Will try this weekend.

Any help/guidance on the above (including use of VAG COM) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Waheed
P.S. apologies for the awfully long post ;)

[cairnsie13]

Once had discs that were fine on the side showing through the wheel but complety shot on the other side that was hiddern behind the back plate. However sure a competent mechanic would check both sides

[Loofer]

Once had discs that were fine on the side showing through the wheel but complety shot on the other side that was hiddern behind the back plate. However sure a competent mechanic would check both sides

Thanks for the super promt reply cairnsie13.
Well I have a sure reason to doubt the mechanic that serviced my car. When I got it back, there was marginally too much oil in the engine. Its just over the max line. I should take a bit out but I haven't invested in a Pela/Extractor as BigCol suggested. I should've gone straight back to the garage that day.

I'm going to take it to Kwik_Fit... I'm sure they will be more than happy to point out any potentially replaceable parts.:approve:

[cairnsie13]

Does the car shake when braking or pull to one side?

[Loofer]

No more than it did before the problem occured. It has always had an extremly finite leniency to pull to one side but I suspect it may just need tracking.

Dosn't shake when braking either.

[Loofer]

Assuming there is a fuse for the ABS, would taking the fuse out for a temporary period stop the brake pedal 'jerking'?

[Darren VWPassat]

Hey eeezzup. i would recommend that you get your brake lights and brake switch checked.i know that sounds funny but i had a problem like that with my passat.it had the same symptoms of yours only the "engine workshop" display came up too.the garage did all types of tests but it turned out that it was just a fauly brake light throwing everything else off.might be worth a look

[Loofer]

Hey eeezzup. i would recommend that you get your brake lights and brake switch checked.i know that sounds funny but i had a problem like that with my passat.it had the same symptoms of yours only the "engine workshop" display came up too.the garage did all types of tests but it turned out that it was just a fauly brake light throwing everything else off.might be worth a look

Thanks Darren but because I'm actually having problems with the brakes I'm quite confident its more than just a problem with the lights. I took it to Kwik Fit over the weekend and I metioned the ABS light... thats when they told me they dont intefere with the electrics such as ABS so they didn't bother looking at it. I'm going to try again at another local Kwik Fit... at least get my pads/discs/shoes checked and make sure they're ok until I can identify problem.

Still waiting for my USB lead... AArrgh!

[Cambrai]

Does your ABS light stay on all the time or reset itself whilst driving? My 1999 Audi A6 had similar problems with ABS as the fault light kept coming on intermittently becoming more and more often with all the same braking problems you are experiencing. I paid £40 for a fault diagnostic which turned up the ABS Modulator. New price from Audi was £1400!! I did some shopping around on the internet and bought a reconditioned unit from www.Ecu-Testing.com for £200 and as it is a simple job fitted it myself. This was 3 months ago and the ABS is fine. It might be worth considering.
Cheers Steve

[Loofer]

Does your ABS light stay on all the time or reset itself whilst driving? My 1999 Audi A6 had similar problems with ABS as the fault light kept coming on intermittently becoming more and more often with all the same braking problems you are experiencing. I paid £40 for a fault diagnostic which turned up the ABS Modulator. New price from Audi was £1400!! I did some shopping around on the internet and bought a reconditioned unit from www.Ecu-Testing.com (http://www.Ecu-Testing.com) for £200 and as it is a simple job fitted it myself. This was 3 months ago and the ABS is fine. It might be worth considering.
Cheers Steve

Steve,
The light comes on and off as and when it pleases. Sometimes its just the ABS light and sometimes it both ABS and ESR. £200 is a bit more than I was hoping to pay for a fix but if thats what it takes then I shall have to. I've got some money tucked away which I was looking to use to get Cruise Control fitted. I think it I ought to be worrying about sloing down and stopping before I get onto Cruising hehe:p

Thanks Steve. Let you all know how I get on. Might help some other readers

[ifti_a]

i replaced our abs sensor but my light is still on

i diagnosed it and was told it was the front left. is that the passenger side front ?

anyone have any ideas