Re: burst brake line, oh my

[four.rings@mcione.com]

Dylan Jenkins wrote:
> 
> Margaret and I were heading into town (Blacksburg, VA) to our favorite pub
> for dinner on Tuesday night when the brake pedal of my 85 4kqs dropped to
> the the floor. I heard a fairly loud pop just before the pedal took a dive.
> We drove home using the emergency brake

Luckily you were driving a stick shift.

I experienced the brake sys failure three times in my life. The first
time it happened in the summer, in broad daylight, in my manual Lada 2101 -
was pretty scary. Stopped the car very easily doing a textbook downshifting.

The second time it was in the winter, on packed snow, at night, in my manual
Lada 2105 - it was hairy. Still stopped the car without an accident by 
downshifting and counter steering.

The third time it was in the summer and in the broad daylight again but in an
automatic
Firebird - _now_that_ was downright horrifying! Stopped the car with only a help
of God - coz downshifting that 3-speed automatic was about as effective as
braking the car with your own leg, if you put it to the asphalt.

That day I said to myself: no more automatics.
Shortly after I sold the auto Firebird and bought an '85 5cyl 5-speed 5000s and
never looked back.
-- 
Igor Kessel
Two turbo quattros