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how hot should my brakes get on my VW Transporter?

Public Comments

1. if you can smell them burning its too hot... disks should not have to much of a problem but take foot off when going down long downgrades...a down shift may help but new brakes are cheaper than clutch or tranny.
2. Well, that depends on how much you use them. The whole principle behind brakes is friction, and friction causes heat. They can quite quickly go above 212 degrees which will cause any water that happens to be in your brake fluid to boil, causing spongy brakes or complete failure in some cases. If they are getting so hot during normal driving that you can smell them burning, you probably have something dragging. In that case have them checked and adjusted. If you are driving in a mountainous area, stay off the brake and downshift to a lower gear instead.
3. Above answers are good, AND... if it's an automatic transmission keep that left foot off the brakes!
4. If you are not using them, they shouldn't get hot at all. If they are getting hot, could be a check valve to release the brake pressure is binding and needs to be fixed. If it is the rear brakes, back off on the parking brake to see it is released. You should be able to push you van on the flat road. If you can't, the breaks are binding.