flexible brake lines

[Bernie Benz]

Getting back to this thread;
This is an unusual thread for this list in that, after being initiated by
Brett's tirade and who then apparently backed away from it, no one excepting
a lurker has been willing to touch it with a 10' pole!  I hate being the
only one that's right and willing to speak up!

Further, I am always suspect of anyone that feels compelled to spend a half
page in justification of his unquestionable expertise and experience and
then must resort to personal attack rather than to fact and logic to justify
his position.

No bias on Tim's part, he was just defending his government mandated
livehood as a hired wrench!  Does a conflict of interest exist when the
State inspector is also the hired wrench?  Another good reason for not
residing in the "Umpire State".

Sure, there is little harm done when all hoses are replaced because of a
superficial crack in the abrasion protection, at least once past the DOA and
infant mortality reliability issues of any new component.  Most industrial
hydraulic hoses that utilize an extruded abrasion protection outer layer are
perforated along the entire length of this material during manufacture such
that, if the pressure conduit leaks, the outer layer will also leak and not
balloon, thus destroying its only purpose, abrasion protection.

But most disturbing to me is his strong put down of the frequent proof
pressure testing of the complete hydraulic system in preference to his
superficial visual inspection of just a few system components, at the
government's mandated annual or biennial intervals.  An invite to
complacency, "not to worry, the government is looking out for me".

FACT: There is no better way to guard against catastrophic failure and
guarantee the leak free performance of any hydraulic system than to proof
pressure test it at pressures several times the maximum system working
pressure and at frequent intervals, always monitoring for leaks.  Get the
habit, guys!

Bernie 



> From: turbotime at webtv.net
> 
> I have been on the list for well over 5 years and this is the first time
> I felt compelled to post. I am a technician at a very respectable
> independent Audi, VW, & Porsche shop in central New York. Some of you
> have met me at Watkins Glen where I have done the tech inspection for
> the NEQ the last 5 years. Some of you have failed the NEQ tech
> inspection and know I will not take any crap when it comes to your
> safety and the safety of the other students and instructors at the
> track. We have the same attitude at the shop, from the owner to all the
> techs, safety comes first. As a certified New York State automobile
> inspector a crack in the covering of a flexible brake hose fails the
> safety portion of your inspection every time. This type of failure
> doesn't fall under "inspectors discretion" the rule is written that way
> so it can not be misinterpreted by anyone. This part of the New York
> State inspection law is written so that we can all be safe from people
> who are too cheap or stupid to know what is right or wrong. If after I
> told a customer that their car failed inspection for a cracked brake
> hose and they laid the "pressure test" bullshit I just read in my e-mail
> box on me, their inspection sticker would be scraped off, their car
> registration would then entered in the New York State inspection
> computer system as having failed for a unsatisfactory braking system.
> They would then be issued a 10 day waver and be nicely asked to never
> bring their car here again. We don't want customers like that in our
> shop nor do we need them. Melvine, in our shop the DOT approved front
> brake hoses would be about $35 a piece, the rears $30 a piece, the shop
> rate is around $60 an hour, it should never take more than 2 to 2 1/2
> hours to do all 4 hoses, bleed and test drive. I'm not sure what your
> shop calls a "brake fluid unit" but the system only holds around 24 oz.
> anything more than that would seem excessive.
>                                       TurboTim