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vauxhall vectra brakes binding - alan40
Hi,
i have a 2002 vectra 1.8 sxi, lovely car, but the brakes have started to bind. The offside front is worse, tho it`s still affecting the nearside front. This is an intermittent problem, when get in car first thing, the brake pedal will travel to near the floor, after a couple of pumps, you can hardly touch it before having to peel your face off the windscreen.

As you go along a few miles, you can feel the brakes binding, which loses performance for one thing, and when you disengage clutch, the car will come to a stop, even down a hill. Eventually, the brakes will ease off slightly for a few miles, before happening again. Very frustrating.

It`s baffled my mechanic, who has narrowed it down to either the abs pump, the servo unit, or the master cylinder. I put new discs and pads on the front, to no avail. Took it into vauxhall dealer, who did a diagnostics check on it, left me £72 lighter, and told me that there were no fault codes showing anywhere, that the car had been serviced recently (i know), and that new discs and pads fitted to front (i know), other than that, nothing, did`nt even take it for a test drive, like i had asked them to do, because the problem was intermittent. Felt like saying, why not tell me the car is blue, and i will give you another tenner??

Anyone out there got any clues? A new abs pump is £550, nearer £800 fitted i imagine, which will hurt, and many people would prob say get rid of car, but it is a lovely car otherwise.

Alan.