Technical Advice needed after nearly getting killed this morning!

[minirib]

On the way back from doing the school run this morning. My Punto suffered total and sudden brake failure. Causing me to go straight over a junction into the path of a lorry. Somehow god only knows how I narrowly got away with it.
I checked the brake fluid and it was all the way down to the minimum mark. Very slowly made the rest of the way home with just the handbrake. Topped up the brake fluid and gave the brake pedal a good few presses. Had a look underneath to find the fluid had gushed out from the nearside front. Wheel off and found the flexi pipe looking like this.
It really doesn't look like it's just suddenly failed there is damage to the outer rubber and the fabric braid underneath.
Surely this would have been evident last month when it passed it's mot with no faults! And should have been an mot failure. I'd much rather have failed the mot than had a car that was potentially life threatening.

 

[Jamiec18]

Do not bloody use it! I certainly wouldn't use it with kids in the car either. Get it replaced and then drive it. You are putting your life and others lifes at risk each time you drive it.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Looks like it's gotten trapped and squashed rather than just failed over time, in any case it would be very hard to claim it looked anything like that a month ago and I'm sure the garage would say the same.

Count you're self very lucky indeed, get it fixed and check the condition of p the other brake pipes and hoses

 

[Brendan W]

https://www.fiatforum.com/punto-ii/309810-brake-pipe-burst.html

Read through this thread and have a look at the way the hose should be routed. Was yours done the wrong way i.e. horizontal at the bracket on the shock. It looks as if incorrect fitting of the hose caused this.

 

[joncoxon]

Although not overly clear on my phone almost looks like the rubber has perished. Perhaps contact with chemical?

 

[minirib]

Do not bloody use it! I certainly wouldn't use it with kids in the car either. Get it replaced and then drive it. You are putting your life and others lifes at risk each time you drive it.

Obviously i wouldn't drive it with kids in the car! As i said I was on the way back and if I had known the condition the flexi pipe was in to start with then they wouldn't have been in the car before hand either. I've already replaced the flexi pipe this morning as soon as I got back I got my sister inlaw to run me down to the autofactors.

 

[Ziggy122]

Loosing a flexipipe is never a nice storey

I too had lost mine once, because it turns out i had the incorrect fitment of the flexihoses - alot of punto's have this when garages dont change the old bracket over to the new shocks (easy as well tbh)

Since you've now got lots of air in the system, it makes 100% sense to have both sides replaced CORRECTLY

and having a full system bleed - inc clutch, as it runs off the same tank

Ziggy

 

[flisko]

almost died cuz of few squid brake hose zigy was just saying yesterday that rusty pipes can go at anytime looks like this rubber **** can fail too

 

[Ziggy122]

almost died cuz of few squid brake hose zigy was just saying yesterday that rusty pipes can go at anytime looks like this rubber **** can fail too

espicially when there is the cold spell about
Rubber becomes more brittle

I'd get both done tho - its the safest way todo it
If 1 has failed, the other will be well on its way, or it'll fail shortly after

Ziggy

 

[SeanW]

Ziggy is right - of one's gone, the other ain't far behind!!

My old Punto pulled the same stunt - as I was approaching a roundabout at 60mph...imagine the look on my passengers faces when I announced that my brakes had just failed
(It's funny now...not so much then lol).

Incorrect routing of the pipes after some work on the suspension. Oops lol

 

[flisko]

Ziggy is right - of one's gone, the other ain't far behind!!

My old Punto pulled the same stunt - as I was approaching a roundabout at 60mph...imagine the look on my passengers faces when I announced that my brakes had just failed
(It's funny now...not so much then lol).

Incorrect routing of the pipes after some work on the suspension. Oops lol

lololo you died?