Car not fully stopping sometimes at traffic lights

eskbanker

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.

Best not to make assumptions like that - a brake fluid change wouldn't typically be included within the scope of a service, especially one carried out purely with a view to getting a car through its MOT and out of the door, but if you have a detailed invoice showing that it was included then that would be different....

photome

1990xrider said:

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.

Highly unlikely that brake fluid was changed , they would have done the absolute minimum required on a 12 year old car
.
assuming you are in drive when stopping , if you put it in neutral do the brakes work ok

born_again

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? 

Think plenty of advice already on what to do.
But if it does it again. Pull handbrake on. Even if it is a electric one. That will stop car.

Although posting on a BMW forum would be a good idea, where fellow owners can help & may even have faced the same issue.

1990xrider

Garage says copper grease was put on the front brake pads which shouldn't be used, which means when the car gets heated up it won't brake fully

1990xrider

So there is now an added dimension to this: did the dealer sell me effectively an un-roadworthy vehicle? Could I be in line for any compensation? In addition to the cost of a repair, which I will insist is done by the garage I know, certainly not by the one the dealer used. 

Wonka_2

1990xrider said:

Garage says copper grease was put on the front brake pads which shouldn't be used, which means when the car gets heated up it won't brake fully

Hopefully they mean on the pistons and not on the brakes themselves lol

As for the ‘braking down to 2mph but then not working’ brakes (and physics) don’t work like that - assuming they’ll slow it down from 30mph to 2mph then the same pressure should take it to
zero - unless something is applying a greater force e.g an incline or the engine (or you’re driving something from the ‘70s with drum brakes)

What happens when you start the car and put it into drive ? Do the brakes hold it then ? 

Wonka_2

1990xrider said:

So there is now an added dimension to this: did the dealer sell me effectively an un-roadworthy vehicle? Could I be in line for any compensation? In addition to the cost of a repair, which I will insist is done by the garage I know, certainly not by the one the dealer used. 

Unlikely given it had worked until recently. When was it last MOT’d and were there any advisories re brakes ? 

What model/age/mileage are we talking about ? And what sort of service history ? 

1990xrider

Wonka_2 said:

1990xrider said:

So there is now an added dimension to this: did the dealer sell me effectively an un-roadworthy vehicle? Could I be in line for any compensation? In addition to the cost of a repair, which I will insist is done by the garage I know, certainly not by the one the dealer used. 

Unlikely given it had worked until recently. When was it last MOT’d and were there any advisories re brakes ? 

What model/age/mileage are we talking about ? And what sort of service history ? 

Was last MOTed the day or two before I bought the car in May with a service done in which the brake pads were replaced because it failed because of them. They are claiming they would have used aluminium but are offering me the parts and i can install at a garage of my choice. I'm asking if I can just get the parts and get them fitted at the garage I got the diagnosis at as this is a time sensitive issue, and they will pick up the costs.

It's a 12 year old BMW, bought it with 70K miles on the clock now has 75K, to my knowledge it has a FSH. 

1990xrider

So I need some advice - garage is saying their offer is "out of goodwill" and that if i want costs repaired I need to go through the warranty route. Obviously this takes time. Do I wait for them, or do I get the car in the garage ASAP and hope they pay me the £544? 

1990xrider

And who is responsible for getting the car fixed if it was faulty - the dealer or the warranty people? 
If they have sold me an unroadworthy vehicle, that is a criminal offence is it not

It seems as I have bought the car within 6 months, the dealer must repair the vehicle unless they can prove the defect did not exist at time of purchase. They are denying it.

But as they repaired the brakes, they are the only ones who could have put in the wrong brake fluid. They have not been touched since.