Replacing broken epb motor

[silvermatt]

Hi everyone, this morning I was greeted by a stuck on nearside brake so my guess is the motor/gear unit has failed. Tonight will try the various fixes I've found on here including how to make it driveable (thanks to Martin1810 and other posters) but assuming it has failed can I repair myself without VCDS or vag-com?

If I buy a new or salvaged part and fit it will it automatically clear the dashboard errors? There have been few threads where people have resolved themselves but its not clear if they have access to VCDS. Also is there any risk of damaging the ECU if then replacement is not in exactly the same position as the one removed?

[Crasher]

Yes it is extremely easy to fry the ECU, I have had it happen just trying to clear the fault code on a failed motor. I suggest a new motor and then code clear and set up.

[Tony_Essex]

I fried the ECU on mine with just 3 button pushes trying to free the siezed brake (it released on the thrid try). FYI an ECU costs ~£340.

[silvermatt]

Quick update on this. I tried to free the two torx bolts myself but they were rock solid and I didn't have appropriate tools. Had to call RAC in the end who got the servo motor off with a lot of effort! Same fault as so many - a cracked housing allowed water ingress which caused the gears to jam and fail. Towed to garage and just been quoted £336 all in for repair, which seems the going rate.

The part that came off was badged TRW - is this the original componet or is a failed replacement I wonder?

Once resolved I'm going to look into pre-empting this failure and applying some epoxy or even tape to the "fault line" to try and prevent this happening again. Its crazy this gearbox housing is not made to a better standard...

[martin1810]

Quick update on this. I tried to free the two torx bolts myself but they were rock solid and I didn't have appropriate tools. Had to call RAC in the end who got the servo motor off with a lot of effort! Same fault as so many - a cracked housing allowed water ingress which caused the gears to jam and fail. Towed to garage and just been quoted £336 all in for repair, which seems the going rate.

The part that came off was badged TRW - is this the original componet or is a failed replacement I wonder?

Once resolved I'm going to look into pre-empting this failure and applying some epoxy or even tape to the "fault line" to try and prevent this happening again. Its crazy this gearbox housing is not made to a better standard...

TRW are the manufacturer of the epb. They are all made by TRW.

[Crasher]

Yes and they will not supply them aftermarket either which is unusual for TRW.

[silvermatt]

Unbelievable the offside motor has now gone stranding me again not two weeks after the near side. My advice to anyone who suffers the epb failure is to fix both sides at the same time. What a nightmare not to mention another 330 odd quid!

[Crasher]

This often happens. Whatever was wrong with a lever and two cables?

[Quatrelle]

This often happens. Whatever was wrong with a lever and two cables?

Cheap to repair or replace?

[Crasher]

Oh you are cynical...