Brake failure

[welshwizard]

Driving to Goodwood via Worthing on Saturday night, for Sunday's Revival I had just put some fuel in the car at Sainsbury's Richmond when at a crossing - green for me and red for her - a small child ran out emergency STOP!  Parent couldn't care less.  Afterwards I notice brakes didn't have quite the same 'feel'...

Got to Dorking, noticing more effort was needed to get the car to stop - brake fluid low warning came on.  Called the AA and after waiting 23 mins to talk to an operator cancelled the call (was on roadside) and decided to go to the local Esso in Leatherhead to top up the brake fluid which just about got me to Worthing.  Called the AA again on Saturday night, and after 2 time adjustments got a call saying no technicians were available and could we wait until 1st thing Sunday....(I get the AA via my bank account).

Good job we had somewhere to stay otherwise it would have been a cold night in the car, and OHs friend lent me her Mini for Sunday.

Sunday, AA comes and technician looks under the car and says fluid all over the place, the pipe has obviously burst.  We'll tow it to a garage of your choice or home.  I said Joe's in Epsom. Turns out he had known Joe for a long time and I left Joe a message to say the car was being left with him.  AA then arranged a rental car which meant I could get back home.

Although I was very dismayed by the AA on Saturday, they redeemed themselves on Sunday.  Technician was professional.
People on FB who've seen my post have commented on the dual brake circuit and that I should have been able to continue without issue - even Joe said this is rare on a Saab.
The rental car - Citroen C4 - pitiful, awful, dreadful, horrid.  That 1.2 Puretech engine only words that can be moderated out can be used to describe it.  Much as we scorn General Motors and GM-era Saabs and Vauxhall I think Stellantis is far worse...

[TomPaine]

Commiserations. It's dismaying to hear this of the AA. I currently have both AA and Britannia (for complicated reasons) and one's experiences are so variable. In the last few years AA have on one occasion been lightning quick, and another very slow. Britannia's European arm were terrible on a recent breakdown in France, requiring multiple / angry calls for anything to happen, and excellent on a domestic callout requiring a recovery truck.

At least it's at Joe's now; good luck and keep us posted.

[welshwizard]

Joe's Fixed it already!!

[carrera]

Ah, interesting, my other half showed me a FB post at the weekend of a poorly 9-5NG, didn't know it was you.

It will have been a burst brake pipe, if it's the same as the one that failed on mine, it will have been the difficult to get to one above the fuel tank.

A dual brake circuit works in case of a master cylinder failure. If brake fluid is leaking out with each press of the pedal, eventually there will be none left for the other circuit

Glad it's sorted, if not back with you yet

[welshwizard]

Joe did say it was a tight squeeze but was glad to be reunited with the car...

Now I have to book the car for the nearside rear door to be tidied up, and then the horn, need to try the 15 amp fuse (wonder if I have any spare in the Golf...).

if that doesn't work then front off and replace... I'll check if Ron Saab Leeds has some horns from the NGs he's been breaking lately.

[carrera]

Wash my mouth out, but don't forget that the Insignia parts bin contains many of the same components, this site might be useful to put in your favourites

https://webautocats.com/en-gb/epc/vauxhall/g09/p12/14/

The Saab part number is unique, but that's probably because of the metal bracket, rather than the operating bits, for some reason I think I have looked at this before, eg

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/326789096409?

[welshwizard]

Noted, thank you