VW Passat Brakes

[Peter Edward]

My daughter recently bought a 53 plate Passat TDI 130 Estate Tip Auto with approx. 86,000 miles recorded (confirmed by service records). It suffers from extremely sharp brakes in that however gently she brakes the car always stops with a jerk which throws her forward slightly against the seat belt. We know that for its last MOT done shortly before its sale to her that new pads were fitted to the rear discs. The front ones were not in need of replacement. The car was a very well priced deal for which we had to travel some 130 miles each way and so it is not practical to try and return the vehicle to the garage who carried out the work. About 2,000 miles have been covered which should have bedded the pads in by now. Does anyone have a similar experience or know what may be causing the problem and how to cure it?

[Hymie]

More years ago than I care to remember, I suffered a similar problem with a new car.
But I very quickly realised the reason my new car appeared to stop so quickly � it had servo ABS brakes (with discs all round), whereas my old car had spongy non-assisted braking.
It took some time for me to adjust to the light touch, required for progressive braking on my new car.

While this might not be the reason that your daughter thinks the brakes are very sharp on her Passat � it is worth considering.

[Peter Edward]

Thanks Hymie for a brilliant piece of lateral thinking! After all there is a world of difference between a 1992 Astra 1.4 and a 2003 Passat. I am most grateful for your interest in solving the problem. Regards, Peter Edward

[Playbill]

My girlfriend has an 06 Jetta auto diesel with about 6000 miles on the clock. I often use it, but after driving my older Mondeo manual it takes a few minutes to get used to the power and sensitivity of the brakes. Maybe it is a VW thing!

[currob]

I have a Passat and the first thing i noted were how effective the brakes were. I agree with Hymie - it has assisted disc brakes front and rear - the first car I'd driven without rear drum brakes.

I have an idea - your daughter could go to a local car dealer pretending to be interested in buying and test drive a similar passat to see if the brakes are the same? Bit cheeky I know but worth a try!

[Peter Edward]

Thanks Playbill and currob for your input. We have a consensus of opinion here. Much obliged. Regards Peter Edward