Violent Brakes

[Studs]

Hello All

I am new to the sight and had a quick look through and could not see anything about the problem I am having with my brakes if it has been asked before please forgive me.

I bought a C4 Mk2 61 plate with only 5440 miles on clock I have put another 1000 miles since then. about 4 weeks ago with and have had it back to garage I bought it from and a citroen dealer both say my brakes are normal.

The problem I am having is when applying brakes the car slows ok but if I apply it a little bit further they come on violently.

This is at slower speeds like round the streets and the pedal only travels about 25-35mm before this happens.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as wife is starting to get a sore nose after hitting windscreen lol

Maybe need to buy her a cushion lol

Thanks in advance Studs.

[Johndouglas]

Hello & welcome to the forum. If two garages, one of them being a Citroen dealer says the brakes are OK then there can't be much wrong with them. Maybe you just need to get used to this car after driving your old one.

[Studs]

Just back in from a drive in another C4 the same year (61plate VTR) same as mine and the brakes are ok.

Don't know what to do now. ?????

[coastline taxis]

hello and welcome to the forums.

 

this is problem weve come across twice this year you will have no warning lights on the dash and you will have electronic brakeforce distribution.   And youl also have a knackered brake pedal switch.  Its a dual purpose switch that operatesboth  the rear brake lights and the ebd. the lights still work so people asume the switch is fine when its not

[paul.h]

We have a 2011 1.6 hdi C4 and the brakes on it are keen, needing little pedal effort to stop it and if pushed quickly the car will stop quickly. However, since you have tried another similar car there may be something not right, possibly a brake service would help (remove/clean everything/check the discs). If not doing the work yourself I would go back to the garage/dealer and tell them you have tried another car.

 

You could look at the brake discs through the wheels and from the back to see if they are rusty/corroded which may be causing them to bite more than usual - noting your car is a low mileage it may be the discs need replacing due to not being used much and corroding. It is also likely the brakes will not have been serviced/cleaned so the pads may have seized and not be able to move freely/smoothly when applying the brakes. I recently serviced the brakes on our car - the rears were cleaned (had been squeaking a bit before indicating sticking a bit) but the fronts needed new pads and discs since they had worn out (44K miles).

[Studs]

Thanks for the replies I am will take it back to garage and let them know I have tried another car.

Great site to be on and once again thanks for the prompt replies.

[coastline taxis]

Just a little follow up that the brake fluid on any car with brakeforce distribution should be replaced every 2 years regardless so check your service records

[YOG]

I own a 2014 C4 II Exclusive 1.6 e-Hdi manual, and have now done 4,000+ miles. Whilst gentle, steady braking is fine, firmer pressure on the pedal seems to give a disproportionate increase in retardation, resulting in excessive "nose-dive".  In my opinion, either the brake servo gives too much assistance, or the pads are too "soft". It may be that a "harder" pad would improve the brake feel.

Having driven many Makes/Models of cars in the last 50 years, I can honestly say these are the most unprogressive brakes I have experienced (and that includes owning a new Citroen GS Pallas years ago and our current C5 for the last 100.000 miles!).

Having said that, I think smoother braking has improved a little over the 4,000 miles, either by the pads bedding in, or, more likely, getting used to/making allowances for them.

[paul.h]

I would agree with the comparison with the C5. Our 2007 C5 requires a firmer push on the brake pedal compared to the C4 (and our C3). The C4 and C5 servos are the same diameter as well as the front brake pistons and master cylinders (depending on the model), so maybe there is more leverage on the C4 brake pedal as well as the car weighing less or the electronics in the brakes help more.

[Studs]

Quick update car is going in next week to Citroen dealer they think that one of the pads might be sticking.

They are going to check and see.

I will keep you all up to date.

Cheers Studs

[Studs]

Hi All

Car now sorted.

The rear brakes were stuck in th off position.

Garage done complete overhaul of brakes freed off rear cleaned and tested brakes now working as they should.

I am a happy C4 owner

[paul.h]

Thanks for getting back to us. Good job you did not believe the dealer initially. I guess the handbrake did not work that well either.

[Studs]

Now that you mention it I don't the handbrake was to great but as a bad habit I always leave the car in gear when I park it.