One of my rear brake pipes started leaking – tried tightening the bolt and it totally sheared (looking at the routing, it was rubbing on the handbrake cable, so had presumably fatigued due to flex). It’s a short copper pipe with both ends mounted on the end of the suspension arm – the broken end going into the caliper, the other end attached to a flexible hose.

Car’s undriveable due to lack of brakes, so seems a lot easier to do the job myself, and hardly rocket science – just need to bolt on a new pipe, and do a fairly simple bleed job. The question is, where do I source a pipe from? Don’t really want to get into bending pipes and forming ends myself, would rather have something which just plugs in. Will a main dealer be able to supply such a thing ready to fit, or what do you reckon on my chances of the local independent specialist (more convenient to get to – he’s also who I trusat with work rather than the main dealer) selling me a pipe rather than doing the work himself? Alternatively, if I take the old one in, will a parts shop be able to make me one up?

I know I can find all this out phoning around tomorrow, just looking to short circuit that a bit and have a better idea of options, given it’s going to be a hassle anyway dropping off and picking up kids from nursery given I normally drop off in the car in the morning and mrs aracer picks up in the evening – no permutation of cycling to work really helps much with that.

If you go to a decent motor factor they’ll be able to make up a new pipe for you.

Just take the knackered one in to them so they have a pattern to work from.

Best ring round to find one first, could save a lot of travelling tomorrow.

I would check that you can get the full pipe on easily first once it is formed into shape…does it have to soute round imovable objects such as suspension etc…..could save some sewaring later. Anywhere decent will do this for you even a local garage if you take the shape with you.
Can you getto both ends easily and everything in between?

I’ve never had one where you can’t thread an assembled pipe through happily. That said I stick to VW’s because they’re made by relatively sane people 😆

You will break all the clips that hold the pipe off the bodywork. Buy some new ones from the dealer.

And if the copper pipe doesn’t fit quite right when you offer it up, and it’s work hardened (does that very easily), a light waft with a blowtorch will anneal it so you can bend it again.

try a french car 😯

get a quote from your local garage.
By the time you buy the pipe, fluid, bleed kit it might not be that expensive getting it done for you

By the time you buy the pipe, fluid, bleed kit it might not be that expensive getting it done for you

Apart from that it’s sitting on my drive not moving, so I’d need to add on the cost of a tow! Anyway, I already have a bleed kit – though I suspect I’ll not bother using it as designed and just go for the two man job with somebody else pressing the brake pedal, as it’s a lot easier that way (for which you just need a plastic tube and a container). It’s not like the garage won’t charge me for the pipe and fluid if I get it done by them, so the only other difference is the cost of labour – must be much cheaper to DIY, and also actually less hassle.

try a french car

It’s a pug 406! Though as mentioned it’s only a very short length of pipe (part of the unsprung weight on the end of the suspension) which I can easily run my hand along the length of without moving position. Not going to have any problems at all getting the new one in place. The only trouble with getting an exact match is that I’d rather get one which doesn’t touch the handbrake cable – looking at what’s on there it’s longer than the other side and looks like somebody’s done a bit of a bodge job at some point (have my rear brakes worked on every MOT – 406s have notoriously bad handbrakes).

Take the remains of the old one to an independent garage, they will have the pipe and flaring tool to make a new one to replace it.
If you want a slightly different shape to miss the handbrake cable, make a pattern with a bit of wire or an old spoke and get them to match it.

My car failed it’s last MOT due to corroded rear brake pipes , I bought the pipe and flaring kit at http://www.carparts-direct.co.uk/?i=259049 for £47 and did the job myself.

I re-routed the pipework to the nearside as I’d only just brimmed the tank before MOT and ther was no way I could drop the tank with 65 litres of diesel in it, as long as the pipe is secured along it’s length it doesn’t have to take the original routing to pass the test.

Thanks all – went to the local factor, bought a litre of DOT4 there and they pointed me to a garage down the road who made me a pipe. All for less than a litre of DOT4 at Halfords.

Perhaps to avoid any hadbrake cable related wear in future you could sheath the new pipe with some rubber hosing?

Good luck, if its anything like my midget its a horrible job, no space to get spanners in, and lining up the threads, in the dark, upside down and elbows pinned in!

Wrap the master cylinder in cling film to block any breather holes, put your foot on the brake and get a willing helper to open the bleed nipple and let some fluid out (into a suitable pipe/jam jar setup), wedge the bake pedal down and then go to work. This way the fluid stays in the system and doesn’t just drain out onto your garrage floor.

I did this once ( a long time ago) and it was quite easy. Go to a decent car parts shop and either take the old one or measure it. They cut it to lenght and put the fittings on then you bend it to shape yourself as you fit it.

If I could do it, then anyone can!

Perhaps to avoid any hadbrake cable related wear in future you could sheath the new pipe with some rubber hosing?

That wouldn’t help much – it wasn’t worn through by the handbrake cable – the handbrake pushed on the pipe making it flex slightly at the joint. I just need to make sure they don’t touch.

Aaah, i see…..