WHOA!!! Brake failure!! W124

[jbach36]

......(This post was added on to, with Part II of the story toward the end of page 2)

Major problem. Backed out of the garage on the first start of the day, hit the brakes a few times as usual on the way out and down the nearly-level driveway, out onto the street, and all was well. 1991 300d turbo, with 98k on it.

Put it into forward, down the short (maybe 30 yards) and very gently sloping road to the 4 way stop sign. I hit the brakes, and the pedal was hard. The brakes were braking some, but not stopping the car!! I pushed harder, but I don't think the pedal went down anymore; it was just a hard pedal (not soft and going to the floor). The harder I pushed, made no difference in the stopping ability. I overshot the stop sign by 8 feet. I could have killed someone!

Backed the car up to take it home, it braked just fine. Checked the brake fluid: it was full, and we just changed it some 6 months ago. No leaks anywhere. Tried it a few more times, all was well. Perfectly normal.

I don't experiment with my brakes. I took it to a mechanic's place, he'll work on it on Monday. Anyone know what's going on?

Thanks,

Jeff
1991 300d, 98k