Brake lights stay on

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Nuro

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Hi All

We have an old VW fox as secondary car. We keep it around because it's actually very reliable. Out of the blue, the brake light won't switch off. I know the brakes are ok, they were serviced not long ago. Apparently there is a brake switch close to the brake pedal. Is this easy to replace? Are they expensive?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
 
Nuro said:
Hi All

We have an old VW fox as secondary car. We keep it around because it's actually very reliable. Out of the blue, the brake light won't switch off. I know the brakes are ok, they were serviced not long ago. Apparently there is a brake switch close to the brake pedal. Is this easy to replace? Are they expensive?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

I had the same thing on an old Ford. It was the switch. Cheap and easy to replace. You should be able to find it just by moving your hand all around the top of the pedal. Just go to a scrapyard and get one second hand, they will probably even fit it for you.
 
Phoned midas. Going for R30, so at least it's cheap. I will have a look this afternoon to see if I can find it and replace it myself.
 
LOL - when I read the title of the thread I was like "omg...I hope it aint an ALFA..."
 
This is a common problem with most Golf Mk1's. I ended up having my car push started almost every weekend. When you park the car just tap on the brakes before exiting the vehicle.
 
marco79 said:
This is a common problem with most Golf Mk1's. I ended up having my car push started almost every weekend. When you park the car just tap on the brakes before exiting the vehicle.
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Cool. Will hopefully fix it this afternoon still. Only started this morning luckily.
 
Not sure what VW uses but on a Corsa the brake light is operated by a simple push switch. It is located on the brake pedal sub frame and when the brake pedal is at rest the button is pushed in. When you depress the brake (slightly) it breaks contact, the switch moves outward and the break lights illuminate.

Worth a check.
 
On a fox it should be a hydraulic switch mounted on the brake booster in the engine bay
 
I'm sure other car manufacturers also do it, but seriously overcomplicated for something so simple!
 
I'm having a hard time finding it. I'll try syrrano's advice and check the engine bay.
 
Nuro said:
I'm having a hard time finding it. I'll try syrrano's advice and check the engine bay.
Click to expand...

The hydraulic switch is on the master-cylinder and sometimes they had one on either side of the cylinder but only one was connected. If that's the case just swap them around.
 
So, umm, if I remove it from the master-cylinder, will brake fluid start spewing out? If that is the case, maybe I should take it to a brake specialist?
 
Nuro said:
So, umm, if I remove it from the master-cylinder, will brake fluid start spewing out? If that is the case, maybe I should take it to a brake specialist?
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If the cable is long enough just plug them into the other switch if your car has two.
 
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