Brake compensator (little Audi content)

[Aleksander Mierzwa <alex@matrix.com.pl>]

Hi List!

Sorry this is the low Audi content message, but I have no one but you
guys to help me :-)
I'm currently fightning with my mother's Renault Medallion. The brake
pedal travels long way before the brakes operate. Once they engage, the
car stops very well but it is difficult to dose the brakes, car stops
very well, but pedal is kinda soft ( servo misadjusted? sticking? ).
I've replaced the master cylinder and bled the brakes replacing all the
fluid in the process, but it didn't help. I let my mechanic look at the
brakes. He replaced rear brake shoes and cylinders. The pedal travel did
decrease, but it still doesn't feel as it should and my mother says she
can hardly see any improvement. My mechanic seems to be very confused
about this, he said we should also change the rotors, pads and drums. I
agree the car could use new rotors, but the pads are almost new. I've
driven my Audi with almost no pads and wery worn rotors and it never
caused the pedal travel to increase, so I think my mechanic is just
trying to make us replace every single piece of brake system in hope
that it will cure the problem at some point. Later this day when I was
washing both cars my neighbor, who is an experienced taxi driver came to
talk to me. He said he watched my mechanic test driving the car (we all
have garages in the same garage complex) and that he thinks the brake
compensator is definitely at fault, because even when braking very hard
the rear wheels did not lock. True or not true? Could the faulty
compensator cause the increased brake pedal travel? Is there any simple
test on the compensator I could perform? All my repair manuals say it is
a dealer's job. Again sorry for the unnecessary bandwith, but I don't
want my mother to sink money into this car with no effects!

						Alex
PS. Please don't flame me :-). I tried to make my mother buy an Audi,
but she preferred this,uh, well, a fine piece of French engineering.