Piston Slap: Making Masala of a Jetta Parking Brake?

by Sajeev Mehta

Updated: November 8th, 2019 Published: June 11th, 2015

piston slap making masala of a jetta parking brake

Gaurav writes:

Hello Sanjeev, (oh dear…*facepalm*- SM)

I am writing you from India. I have a Jetta MkV 1.9 TDI with automatic transmission. It has done about 74,000 km. About a month back, I got the the brake fluid replaced as the service adviser suggested it should be replaced once every 60-70k km. After I got the car back, it felt like the brake efficiency had decreased. I was told its normal and after driving for some time it would be okay. Unfortunately, it never improved.

Yesterday, when I applied the brake, I noticed a burning smell. I took my car to the side of the road and there was smoke coming from the rear brake pads. I stopped to let them cool and then drove back. Since it was late at night I had no help available from VW.

Today, when I took it to VW workshop, they said they are not sure about the problem and have been trying to investigate it for last 8 hours. I am writing this email to you with the hope of getting some suggestions on what should I do.

Sajeev answers:

Gaurav, just so our readers are on the same page, MkV Jettas assembled in India wear 4-wheel disc brakes and the repair procedure is straight-forward enough for your average mechanic. So, even if they serviced the wear items on the brakes (pads and rotors), that isn’t a problem.

Which leads to the parking brake cable. It must be dragging on the brake.

This thread suggests the parking brake lever at the caliper can fall out-of-sync after pad/rotor replacement. It’s possible there isn’t enough slack. This thread suggests tinkering with the lever inside the car works! I reckon that’s your problem and the VW workshop is struggling to make this adjustment!

Some parts of India (hills in the North) are hard on brakes, but in urban areas you probably can’t go fast enough to cook brakes designed for the German Autobahn. I doubt you needed the fluid flush at 70,000-ish km on a MkV Jetta. More miles and many more years on the road is needed for that. But it’s too late for that advice, bhai!

[Image: Shutterstock user MR.YURANAN LAKHAPOL]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.

#Adjustment #Brakes #Cable #India #Jetta #Lever #Mkv #ParkingBrake #RearBrakes #Smoke #VW #Volkswagen

Sajeev Mehta

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2 of 19 comments

Bjchase55 on Jun 11, 2015

As others have said the system isn't completely sealed. But even if it was sealed, just like oil the brake fluid breaks down over time. A general rule of thumb is to flush it every 2-3 years. If you do live in dryer climates I would suggest to at least check your brake fluid every 2-3 years. Checking for moisture content is better than nothing but can give false readings (the air has moisture in it). Checking for copper levels is the more accurate way. As someone who has been in the braking industry for over 15 years and had access to decades of information, one of the things that stuck out was this. Previously the Big 3 mentioned little to nothing about brake fluid change intervals. The Asian manufactures did. Guess who had the most complaints in regards to brakes? The Big 3, with far, far more related to bad brake fluid than the Asians.

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Michael Peerson on Jun 12, 2015

Possibly collapse of the inside of the brakes hose. Has this happen on a 94 Neon and on of all things, a Case W20C loader. The brake line collapses on the inside and it will let some fluid under high pressure pass. (Braking) and slowly return the fluid to a point when the brakes were not applied. After time they would not return fluid and viola you have one brake on slightly all the time... that happens to drag more and more as you use the brakes. Since they were in there flushing it is quite possible a hunk of hose has come off inside the hose and plugged things. Hope it helps, but check to make sure you get lots of fluid when you bleed the brakes, not just a little dribble.

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