Hey all, after my $1,100 repair, which included my brake master cylinder being replaced and brake lines, the brakes feel REALLY spongy. I'm wondering if they didn't bleed if correctly and I still have air in the lines.

I'll be coming up to a stoplight and depress the brake pedal, it doesn't feel firm and slowly sinks more and more in until it's touching the floor. If I let go fast and depress it again it's firm This started happening before I actually took it in. But is still going on after this repair I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt thinking there might be air in the lines. It was doing it a lot when I first got it back but I would say 85-90% of the time it's firm now. But every now and then it does that.

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2007 BMW 328XI

Take it back to them and have them finish the job. For that amount of money, you have no air in the lines, plus gold-plated parts.

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Don't Chrome them; polish them

I thought it was only going to be $500?!

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

It was until they were like "it was more work than we expected" AND ontop of that, went all crazy fixing stuff left and right... Which is nice and all but I didn't really ask to have that done you know?

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2007 BMW 328XI

That's why you sign an authorization to repair form, and specify the total. If you didn't sign anything before you left the car, you don't have to pay them a dime.

Brakes need to be fully bled. Or they are leaking somewhere. Bring it back.

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

You know what's funny too, they parked it in front of their shop unattended because of space... We have another set of keys, Soooo could have just unlocked it and drove her home LOL Then came back and been like "OMG, WHERE IS MY CAR????" "SOMEONE STOLE MY CAR!!!" and have them give me money. But that's not the Texan thing to do.

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2007 BMW 328XI

Agreed it's not the right thing to do, but more than doubling the bill isn't right either.

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

Yeah for sure, I'm taking it back in the next or two. It's still leaking oil, which is the initial reason we brought it in. So looked at it and saw that it was the oil pan gasket... Which I don't understand why they didn't replace that but w/e goes in real soon so I'll tell them about the brakes. Sucks though cause I hate being without a car -__-

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2007 BMW 328XI

Every time you bring your Car back to the Shop they are going to try to sell you more work. The best defence against this is to let them say want the want to and just tell them you do not have the money right now and do not want to put it on your Credit Card.

If you take it back and they bleed the system again and the Brakes are still not firm it could be a poorly rebuilt Master Cylinder.
I got a rebuilt from the local parts chain and after several brake bleedings it still was not 100%. I drove it anyway for a year and it got way worse; a good rebuild should last 3-5 years or more.

I decided to buy a New Master Cylinder (FRAMCO) and am now amazed at how good my brakes are.

I would forget about haveing the fix the oil leak unless you already paid for it. Get them to fix the brakes and never come back.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

This should have all been taken care of the first time around. Especially with a $1,200 repair bill. I'm taking it back for the oil leak because they were supposed to fix that. When they found out it was the oil pan gasket, I was kind of thinking "you had the car for like 4 days and went through the whole thing, and couldn't find this, yet you jack it up and look at it for 5 minutes and you now know it was the oil pan gasket???" ughhhh I hate mechanics. I always think I found a good one and then end up being giblet heads -.-

Also my injector closes to the firewall is leaking Diesel, do I tighten it? or do I need a new injector? I imagine they were supposed to fix this as well I am not going back to this mechanic, just can't wait to finish paying him for the job and move on. On the flipside, I took my 220 on the 10 fwy yesterday. IT was....amazing. This car was seriously built for the freeway. IT was soooo smooth and I felt 100% in control with no play in steering and everything felt tight. No rattling and pure humming. It felt 100% reliable and I felt 100% safe. It was great. I can't wait to go back on the fwy.

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2007 BMW 328XI

That slowly sinking to the floor is classic Brake booster leaking symptom..

99% of the time it is the skinny fuel return hoses that are leaking. Spray the leaking Injector down with Brake Cleaner to dry it out and run the car and see where it is leaking. (Vacuum line of the correct size will only hold up several weeks. The Dealer sells return hose, VW Dealers sell the hose for the older VW Rabbits and there are some threads on some alternate hose to use.)
Ounce in a while but seldom the Hard Line nuts become loose and leak. Even less often injectors leak in the middle of the body where the Injector nut and upper body come together.
Least often of all of the above the little Nipple that the Fuel Return Hose attaches to come loose in the Injector Body and leaks; this is the only instance where the Injector would need to be pulled out and the upper body part of the Injector (the part the Hard Line screws into) would need to be replace or of course the whole Injector could be exchanged.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

As for the soft brakes i'd suspect a faultly master cylinder.

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

His master cylinder was just replaced...so it is probably procedure having to do with bleeding the system...on the soft brake feel...
But the slow push to the floor is classic Booster leak.. certainly the first item to check on that symptom..

I know, it could be a faultly MC.

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg