There are things that actually don't exist. For example, wearing parts that wear out even when they are not in use. Just like the brake from mein-auto-blog reader Jens Maurer. We couldn't believe what he wrote to us at first, we thought of a clear case of “DAU *” - but after umpteen emails and inquiries from Volkswagen, it now seems to be the case - the brakes on Jens Maurer's Touran wore out too much if you don't use them at all. Or little. Or just with care.
It has now become 20 emails - and one thing is certain, VW has confirmed it to us:
Corrosion on the brake discs and the contamination of brake pads are promoted by long service lives, low mileage and low stress. For this reason, it is recommended to clean the brake discs and brake linings when the brake pads are not used or when there is little stress or when there is corrosion from repeated heavy braking at higher speeds. To carry out the braking, we recommend that you choose an adequate section of the route so that there is no risk to you or other road users.
30.000 km in 3 years - too little for the rear axle brakes at Volkswagen?
Reader Maurer owns a VW Touran from the year of construction 2012. After 3 years and 30.000 km, the brake discs and pads on the rear axle have to be replaced during service in the VW workshop. The reason for this sounds like a mockery: You drive too “foresight” - and therefore not hard enough for the brakes on your VW.
We talked for a long time with reader Maurer about his driving habits. He drives “normally”, he takes care of his car, he drives - as we would say - just completely normal. Long pauses, such as those experienced with logged off vehicles, could now be part of this form of wear and tear. However, at 10.000 km per year this does not seem to be the case either. Reader Maurer confirms the longest time the Touran has been parked was 14 days while on vacation. Otherwise the van is driven every day.
Does a Volkswagen have to be driven hard, braked hard? Is Volkswagen penalizing VW owners who are circumspect with their vehicles?
If you read the answers from the VW dealership and the service department of VW and the answer is from the VW press department, then would have to fight the thousands of VW drivers with the same problems:
... both the intensity of wear of the brake system and the type of wear depend on the operating conditions. Corrosion due to dirt, flying sand, service life, road salt and the like also leads to wear on the brake disc and pads - in extreme cases, even scoring on the brake discs. A particularly gentle driving style can, for example, result in a so-called sticking of rust film or particles carried in the air. Corrosion and wear and tear are unavoidable under the driving conditions described, unless occasional braking with moderate to severe deceleration is prevented. This is especially true after long periods of inactivity and in winter with the influence of road salt ...
But that is not the case. Rather, it is the “gentle” driving style.
So how can it be that a new car owner who treats his vehicle with care is punished by the VW service department? A VW Touran is not a small and light car. We don't believe that Mr. Maurer always drives the car alone and lets it roll out without using the brakes. No, the problems that VW had with the brake of the customer Maurer sound too unusual to be normal. At mein-auto-blog we are currently driving a Mitsubishi Plug-In Hybrid Outlander, which thanks to its powerful recuperation performance hardly needs the use of its brakes. But despite winter, despite low mileage, such problems are completely unknown to us.
As a trained car mechanic, the author is also familiar with the use of a brake system and its care and maintenance - so, like reader Maurer, we can only be amazed at the behavior of Volkswagen.
The fact that reader Maurer also feels that the hotline, his local VW partner and the Volkswagen service department are neither taken seriously nor in good hands - fits into the picture of this case.
Since the case has already been “closed” at VW, the problem seems to simply remain in the wallet of reader Maurer. And for that he was careful with his Touran.
[=” ” ]Do you also have problems with an automobile manufacturer? Does your workshop annoy you? Do you break down where there shouldn't be a breakdown? Write us! info@autohub.de
* DAU = stupid to be accepted user
I have the same problem
At 80000 I needed new brake discs on my touran today, after seven years