[M.Acorn]

Having brake probs now in the van,had been getting progressivly worse over the last week or so,so got it booked into ats for new shoes,and poss new drums,on Monday.Went back a couple of hours later,they had checked it over,and said it didn`t need new shoes !! sure i can here them binding,they said it`s prob the M/C or the servo,and it would amount to hundreds ! So bought a new m/c £46,not put it on yet.
What are the symptoms of a bust servo ? Have put my foot hard on the brake,and started it up,pedal didn`t change ? Van also has a vac pump,so i suppose it could be either,but does that sound like the servo ?

[Joe H]

The servo will make the effort of your right foot so much easier.
To get the same braking effect if the servo has gone would mean you really really have to press hard, and I mean hard.

[jonnyald]

sounds like the vac pump on the engine - easy to test ,all you do is pull the air pipe off the servo when engine is running and put your thumb over the end to see if its sucking


 if youve no vac ,the effort needed to stop is incredibly high , and the pedal is hard ,doesnt move hardly at all

a duff servo on the other hand  usually results in a lot of pedal travel  and you can hear them hissing when theyre duff ,air leaking noise

[M.Acorn]

Pedal just feels soft,foot going most of the way down,just to stop it .Will go put my thumb over the pipe 

[M.Acorn]

Just tested the vac pump,it`s sucking ok,so looks like i will be spending tomorrow putting the new m/c on,and crossing everything it sorts it.

[CARPET KNIGHTS]

just get a new van, yours is proving more trouble than it is worth!

Cheers Goron

[Matt Lindus]

Old fluid with Air/Water contamination, renew brake fluid and bleed.

Matt

[M.Acorn]

Will be using the ezi bleed once i get the new m/c on,wish i had the £ for a new one.

[M.Acorn]

Well i had the van booked in today to sort my non existant pedal out + leaking rear cylinder,just drove 10 mile to collect it after i was told it would be ready.
He had the cap off the master cylinder ready to start bleeding them,called me over and asked if i had topped the fluid up at all,nope not touched it ! He said stick your finger in there and feel it,i did and it was water not brake fluid !
I explained it had been overheating and the matrix blew last week,must have been getting hot and water condensed in the fluid res,gotta re book my jobs now as i wont be ready until lunchtime 
Darn it !
Had also bought a new master cylinder as ats assured me it was that that was causing the non existant pedal,but the mechanic said he had never ever heard of one going on an astravan,well that was a waste of money too then,cheers ats ! How am i going to sell it on if they never go 

[clinton]

Might be time to upgrade mate as its letting you own and you have to rearange with clients also with the winter months to come

[M.Acorn]

Yeah i know , it`s worrying !
Bloke at the garage said it`s a good van ! prob as they keep seeing it,trouble is i could only really afford to spend a grand on one,and i could be in the same position all over again !
It`s had new turbo,new shocks,new matrix,4 new tyres,new brakes now.
It needs asap a new water pump and cambelt change,and have been advised on last mot,about front struts,and hoses,and ats said wishbones are getting a bit ropey,not that i will listen to another word anyone from there says !

[Matt Lindus]

I know where you are coming from. When I first started out I was running a heap.

Get yourself a Haynes manual on the van. And devote your weekends to slowly rectifying all the faults. Don’t go in hammer and tong striping things down without first taking pictures and cataloging the stages of dismantle, this will aid reassembly.
Go for genuine Vauxhall part as they are not a lot more expensive than the cheaper quality pattern parts.
Get that unused part on ebay.

Matt

[M.Acorn]

Cheers for the input Matt  It`s not that much of a heap  Just a bit unloved.i spend my spare time tinkering with the roc,don`t really know that much about the oil burners,and can claim back all the garage bills on my tax,so would rather just let them do it,well brakes anyway,did the matrix myself,which was a pig.have changed the cam and cam belt on the roc,but that is a non interference engine,so wouldn`t have done damage if i had timed it up wrong.
Just a bit annoying,as i know how long it takes to change a couple of cylinders and a few pipes,but then on the flip side i have spent hours just trying to get a single bolt out.
Yeah will try and recoup the £46 i spent on the m/c on the bay

[Joe H]

What earns the money so you can spend it on the roc?

Got to look after tools of the business.
Mess the customers around too much and no repeat business.

[M.Acorn]

£££ jobs for the roc  cheques for the business.
But yeah i get where your coming from Joe,if it`s not the machine packing up it`s the van ! Happy that i am healthy really

[derek west]

think its time the roc went mark, you can always buy another one when your mint from all the jobs you don't have to cancel.
family first
business second
pleasure third

all in that order, its the law
derek

[CARPET KNIGHTS]

sorry to be blunt but you have been running for long enough now that you should have enough work to pay finance on a van! it doesn't have to be a new one.

we just bought a 56 plate citreon berlingo 2.0 hdi with side loading door and just 35000 on the clock in mint condition for 3500 plus the vat.

you could put a grand down and finance the rest prob work out at about £90 a month for 3 years!

get it signed with something striking and memorable and watch your business grow!

Cheers Goron

[M.Acorn]

Don`t have family / dependants,only a wife and 2 cats,and my wife earns her own money 
Don`t really spend that much money on the roc,get stuff from the forums,not like its flash or owt !
I don`t do finance,i got in trouble with a loan when i was 18 guess what i took out a 3 grand bank loan to buy a mk 1 scirocco gti,could only afford the 3rd party ins at £980.Samcked it up after 3 months,was paying for it for 3 more years ,went from that to a mk 4 cortina  So i vowed that i would never ever get a loan again.

Didn`t cancel any jobs,just moved it back a couple of hours,the 2nd job is an empty 3 story for the letting agy,so not too bothered when i start that one

[Ricky M]

Mark the guys are right bout getting a new van , its an investment in the future of your biz

[jonnyald]

mk.1 sciroccco  gti  eh, happy days !!!