Car not fully stopping sometimes at traffic lights

1990xrider

Any advice? As I've asked around and some people are saying this doesn't seem like it would cause such an issue, but no other faults are being found. But how can I know how to fix my car if no one can find anything actually wrong with it? 

eskbanker

1990xrider said:

Taken the car for the diagnosis, they say the rear left caliper is getting stuck, and the brake fluid levels are too high and of poor quality, as it was the rear brakepads which were recently replaced I wonder if that garage knocked something 

1990xrider said:

Any advice? As I've asked around and some people are saying this doesn't seem like it would cause such an issue, but no other faults are being found. But how can I know how to fix my car if no one can find anything actually wrong with it? 

Surely your previous post identified issues to be fixed?

1990xrider

eskbanker said:

1990xrider said:

Taken the car for the diagnosis, they say the rear left caliper is getting stuck, and the brake fluid levels are too high and of poor quality, as it was the rear brakepads which were recently replaced I wonder if that garage knocked something 

1990xrider said:

Any advice? As I've asked around and some people are saying this doesn't seem like it would cause such an issue, but no other faults are being found. But how can I know how to fix my car if no one can find anything actually wrong with it? 

Surely your previous post identified issues to be fixed?

Yes, but not sure if they're actually the cause and no way to prove it without continuing driving it and seeing if it happens again, which I really hope it doesn't.

eskbanker

1990xrider said:

eskbanker said:

1990xrider said:

Taken the car for the diagnosis, they say the rear left caliper is getting stuck, and the brake fluid levels are too high and of poor quality, as it was the rear brakepads which were recently replaced I wonder if that garage knocked something 

1990xrider said:

Any advice? As I've asked around and some people are saying this doesn't seem like it would cause such an issue, but no other faults are being found. But how can I know how to fix my car if no one can find anything actually wrong with it? 

Surely your previous post identified issues to be fixed?

Yes, but not sure if they're actually the cause and no way to prove it without continuing driving it and seeing if it happens again, which I really hope it doesn't.

Surely fixing those would be a way to prove it?  Either it stops happening (good result) or it continues (in which case take it back to the diagnosing place) - I'd have thought that the only reliable diagnosis is that obtained by actually inspecting the car, and everything else is just speculation....

1990xrider

eskbanker said:

1990xrider said:

eskbanker said:

1990xrider said:

Taken the car for the diagnosis, they say the rear left caliper is getting stuck, and the brake fluid levels are too high and of poor quality, as it was the rear brakepads which were recently replaced I wonder if that garage knocked something 

1990xrider said:

Any advice? As I've asked around and some people are saying this doesn't seem like it would cause such an issue, but no other faults are being found. But how can I know how to fix my car if no one can find anything actually wrong with it? 

Surely your previous post identified issues to be fixed?

Yes, but not sure if they're actually the cause and no way to prove it without continuing driving it and seeing if it happens again, which I really hope it doesn't.

Surely fixing those would be a way to prove it?  Either it stops happening (good result) or it continues (in which case take it back to the diagnosing place) - I'd have thought that the only reliable diagnosis is that obtained by actually inspecting the car, and everything else is just speculation....

Yep, it would be, but i just don't want to be put in the position of being unable to stop again. 

droopsnoot

If the rear caliper was getting stuck, I would expect less chance of the car creeping forward when it should be stopped. Presuming that it's stuck "closed" rather than "open" - they tend to stick that way because of the time spent with the handbrake on. Even if it were stuck "open", i.e. not contributing to braking, I wouldn't expect it to make much difference in the scenario the OP describes.

Mildly_Miffed

1990xrider said:

eskbanker said:

1990xrider said:

Taken the car for the diagnosis, they say the rear left caliper is getting stuck, and the brake fluid levels are too high and of poor quality, as it was the rear brakepads which were recently replaced I wonder if that garage knocked something

Surely your previous post identified issues to be fixed?

Yes, but not sure if they're actually the cause and no way to prove it without continuing driving it and seeing if it happens again, which I really hope it doesn't.

Whether they're the cause or not, they need fixing.

It's a 12yo car. You've owned it three months.

Brake fluid is a consumable that should be replaced every two or three years.
Caliper sticking is wear and tear caused by corrosion and not being properly cleaned and lubricated at previous services.

Neither will be even remotely likely to be covered by a three month used-car warranty on a 12yo car. Both are simple basic routine maintenance.

If the problem was ABS related, you would feel the pedal pulsating back at you. I presume you can't.

You say it's an an automatic, and I'm guessing it's still in drive when it "won't stop". What engine speed is it idling at?

My suspicion is that there's a combination of not pressing the brake pedal hard enough, and either a loose floormat getting tangled around the pedals or idle too high (air leak?) causing it to "creep" too hard to overcome the little braking effort that you're giving.

If you press the brake pedal harder when it "won't stop", what happens...?

1990xrider

Mildly_Miffed said:

1990xrider said:

eskbanker said:

1990xrider said:

Taken the car for the diagnosis, they say the rear left caliper is getting stuck, and the brake fluid levels are too high and of poor quality, as it was the rear brakepads which were recently replaced I wonder if that garage knocked something

Surely your previous post identified issues to be fixed?

Yes, but not sure if they're actually the cause and no way to prove it without continuing driving it and seeing if it happens again, which I really hope it doesn't.

Whether they're the cause or not, they need fixing.

It's a 12yo car. You've owned it three months.

Brake fluid is a consumable that should be replaced every two or three years.
Caliper sticking is wear and tear caused by corrosion and not being properly cleaned and lubricated at previous services.

Neither will be even remotely likely to be covered by a three month used-car warranty on a 12yo car. Both are simple basic routine maintenance.

If the problem was ABS related, you would feel the pedal pulsating back at you. I presume you can't.

You say it's an an automatic, and I'm guessing it's still in drive when it "won't stop". What engine speed is it idling at?

My suspicion is that there's a combination of not pressing the brake pedal hard enough, and either a loose floormat getting tangled around the pedals or idle too high (air leak?) causing it to "creep" too hard to overcome the little braking effort that you're giving.

If you press the brake pedal harder when it "won't stop", what happens...?

There is no brake mat so that is definitely not the issue.
It's getting down to 1-3mph.
The car was given a service and MOT as part of the sale so I assume a brake fluid change would have been done then.

1990xrider

Mildly_Miffed said:

1990xrider said:

eskbanker said:

1990xrider said:

Taken the car for the diagnosis, they say the rear left caliper is getting stuck, and the brake fluid levels are too high and of poor quality, as it was the rear brakepads which were recently replaced I wonder if that garage knocked something

Surely your previous post identified issues to be fixed?

Yes, but not sure if they're actually the cause and no way to prove it without continuing driving it and seeing if it happens again, which I really hope it doesn't.

Whether they're the cause or not, they need fixing.

It's a 12yo car. You've owned it three months.

Brake fluid is a consumable that should be replaced every two or three years.
Caliper sticking is wear and tear caused by corrosion and not being properly cleaned and lubricated at previous services.

Neither will be even remotely likely to be covered by a three month used-car warranty on a 12yo car. Both are simple basic routine maintenance.

If the problem was ABS related, you would feel the pedal pulsating back at you. I presume you can't.

You say it's an an automatic, and I'm guessing it's still in drive when it "won't stop". What engine speed is it idling at?

My suspicion is that there's a combination of not pressing the brake pedal hard enough, and either a loose floormat getting tangled around the pedals or idle too high (air leak?) causing it to "creep" too hard to overcome the little braking effort that you're giving.

If you press the brake pedal harder when it "won't stop", what happens...?

It still won't stop. Usually I have to just take my foot off and apply again. 

Car_54

1990xrider said:

The car was given a service and MOT as part of the sale so I assume a brake fluid change would have been done then.

No. It's only due every 2-3 years, so it's not part of every service. In my experience, even when it is due they normally "advise" you  that it will cost extra.