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wheela33
29-08-2007, 03:45 PM
I've been told that diesel models use vacuum pumps for braking.

Since I've had the car the brakes do not seem to have gone any better (was told that the car had new disks and pads) as they need to bed in. Whenever braking, as I ease off the brake, a squeal can be heard. The brakes do work, but not as effective as they are on other cars Ive driven.

I asked my mate that fitted a timing belt for me what it was, he said that it could be the vacuum pump.

Has anyone encountered this problem? According to the Haynes manual, if the pump is faulty, then the only option is to replace it, I fear that this will be a costly repair.

tornadored7
29-08-2007, 08:18 PM
Hi Wheela,

How long have you been driving the Golf MK3 TDI ?

I've been driving a G3 TDI for close to 10 years, and compared to many other cars, its brakes definitely leave alot to be desired.
Perhaps best described as being 'very blunt' ? In my opinion the brakes (front non vented single discs, and rear drums) are highly underrated for the Heavy engine lump at the front.

Further, new pads and drums will takes several hundred miles to bed in.

Is it that the brakes are genuinely bad on your car, or that you aren't used to the G3 TDI's intrinsically poor braking ?

TR7

wheela33
29-08-2007, 09:07 PM
Hi Wheela,

How long have you been driving the Golf MK3 TDI ?

I've been driving a G3 TDI for close to 10 years, and compared to many other cars, its brakes definitely leave alot to be desired.
Perhaps best described as being 'very blunt' ? In my opinion the brakes (front non vented single discs, and rear drums) are highly underrated for the Heavy engine lump at the front.

Further, new pads and drums will takes several hundred miles to bed in.

Is it that the brakes are genuinely bad on your car, or that you aren't used to the G3 TDI's intrinsically poor braking ?

TR7

I have access to other cars, plus have had many in the past, yet the brakes on my car seem to be very slow compared to the other cars.
The brakes are not too worn and not new, so they should be operating fine now.

tornadored7
30-08-2007, 12:14 AM
I have access to other cars, plus have had many in the past, yet the brakes on my car seem to be very slow compared to the other cars.

Weela,

Are the other cars G3 TDIs ?
If they weren't, I almost certain all the other cars would have better brakes, (that's how poor I feel the G3 TDI's brake's are).

Some obvious points;

Do the tyres (particilarly the fronts) have plenty of tread on them ?
Some poeple don't believe in a brake fluid service regime, but when was the brake fluid last changed ?
How old/worn are the shock absorbers ? Worn shock absorbers, will reduce braking power.
When was wheel alignment last performed ?Personally, I have found braking at low speeds very poor. However oddly enough, at motorway speeds and hard braking, the brakes seem quite perky and effective (!?).

I'd recommend getting getting a second opinion and if possible driving another G3 TDI.

wheela33
30-08-2007, 12:53 AM
Weela,

Are the other cars G3 TDIs ?
If they weren't, I almost certain all the other cars would have better brakes, (that's how poor I feel the G3 TDI's brake's are).

Some obvious points;
Do the tyres (particilarly the fronts) have plenty of tread on them ?
Some poeple don't believe in a brake fluid service regime, but when was the brake fluid last changed ?
How old/worn are the shock absorbers ? Worn shock absorbers, will reduce braking power.
When was wheel alignment last performed ?Personally, I have found braking at low speeds very poor. However oddly enough, at motorway speeds and hard braking, the brakes seem quite perky and effective (!?).

I'd recommend getting getting a second opinion and if possible driving another G3 TDI.

Maybe its just diesels that dont have ABS, I remember the d-turbo pug 306 I had, the same, crud brakes, tried fixing the problem by getting new ones fitted.

I've had a Passat tdi 110, but the brakes on that were fine, I never had any issues with them maybe due to the fact it had disc brakes all round and ABS as standard.

Now onto the points you've mentioned:

a) All the tyres on my car are near enough new
b) According to the service history, there is no record of the shock absorbers being replaced, so I presume the originals are still on the car
c) Wheel alignment must have been done a while ago too.

I have to agree to your opinion with regards to the braking at low speeds being poor and high motorway speeds being quite effective. I wonder why this is?