Hi all
am soooooo lucky to be here!!
My Oh and me went down to Norfolk yesterday to collect his new 'baby'...motorbike!
I drove the car home (with daughter and 2 dogs in)and when coming up the busy A1 at 70 mph went to slow down and....NO BRAKES!!!The road ahead was chocka and nowhere to go. ...God I was so scared.
I eventually managed to stop using the hand brake...then sat and shook and cried.
Must be the worst experience of my life!
Archer

Crikey Nikki, that's awful!  Thank God you're alright.  How did you get home??

so glad your all ok

Good grief Nikki, what on earth happened. Hope you are feeling better now and why did you not pop in to seee me?

Luckily we're members of the AA so we were recovered all the way home.
Aparently the pressure pipe to the serve system has a hole in ....cars in the garage... but our mechanic doesn't understand how its happened.He's looking into it now.The car had only been in for a pre-mot last week so we weren't expecting any problems!!
I've driven the other car this morning and felt physically sick...I hope I can sort it out cos I can't do without the car!!
Sorry didn't come to see you Jackie...didn't realise you live in Norfolk...what part??
Nikki

That is the stuff of my nightmares, hope you got to the bottom of what happened, and have stopped shaking.

It certainly makes you realise your own mortality!! I could so easily be dead...and my daughter too. I kept the kids up late last night and had lots of hugs!!! Still very tearful...would feel better if I never had to get into another car...never mind drive but I suppose its like getting back on a horse when you fall off.
Nikki

I am not surprised you are really shaken up - what a terrible experience.

I had a similar but not nearlyso bad experience whilst driving in snow once, the brakes just were not there even though i was driving very carefully indeed. The car just glided across the road ahead when i should have given way but luckily there was no-one coming and i was only doing about 15mph!!

You are obviously meant to still be here and your number is not up yet !!! ;)  Think of all the cars and all the drivers who travel safely every day.

Lindsay
X

Thanks Lindsay
I think its the knowledge that at 70 mph the chances of actually surviving if I'd hit something are pretty slim....
I know his probably sounds stupid but I had visions of the cars brakes failing from the time we set off till the time it happened! I had thoughts of having to drive onto the rough ground at the side of the road to slow down or into a field and I also had a voice in my head telling me to put Kimmi on the bike with Shane because she would be safer.I know its pretty unbelievable but I swear its true...and its never happened before.
Nikki

Nikki,

Glad you and you family were safe and sound.  Very quick reality check. Bet you feel a completely different person today.

BFn Pam

Crumbs, that's awful - you must have been terrified! I hope they find out the cause of it, cos that's a real worry. Thank God you're all alright.

my god. Glad your all ok, your gardian angel must have been watching out for you :)

Heidi

This happened to me last year the day after my car had a service!

Fortunately I managed to slow down by changing gears and using the handbrake whilst putting my hazards and made it to a slip road and limped into work; the breakdown lorry driver (woman) who came to pick up the car and saw the brakes working when I started said that something had got caught somewhere and making the brake fluid evaporate!  I think the mechanic left a bit of j cloth or something around one of the pipes or whatever (I am a woman, car maintenance is my preferred area of non competence) :D

It was definitely a change of underwear moment!

A similar thing happened to me in '98.
I only passed my test in the May.
I was driving to Avimore in January, to the sled dog meet.
I had just crossed over the Forth bridge and was picking up speed.
There was an Escort in front that was being a bit of a prat so I chose to get back in the inside lane.
As I indicated to get back into the inside lane a van pulled out in front of me.
Suddenly there was a 'sheep trailer' in front of me.
I pushed the brake pedal and there was nothing there.
I ended up on the hard shoulder where there were some 'very thin' reeds.
The kids, who are now 15 & 17 insist they were trees to this day.
I was driving an old Astra van so speed was nominal.
I've had one accident since, where I was stationary, but I will never forget the one where my brakes failed.
As you say the van had had a 'service' the day before because I wanted to be sure it was safe.
The engine froze after a week 'cos the temp went down to -15.
It cost £130 to put right before we could get home.
Never again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nikki I do believe in these things - what do you call it, cant think of the word.....premonition? It's always hard to prove but I'm sure its there in many of us. A sort of extension of "gut feeling" :)

Lindsay
X

it happened to me a couple of years ago,i was about 4mins from home after two hour drive from cornwall,coming out of 60mph bit onto r-A-bout went to touch the brakes & there was nothing,luckily got round ok,slowing down using gears,& decided to take it to kwick fit which was about 3mins away! drove in 2nd gear ...very scared...stopping on hand brake,got to Kwick fit,told them my car had no brakes......& they said they couldnt see it for 3weeks!(this was somewhat confusing for me,as this was kwick fit-although that branch has since closed...not suprised!)
so anyway decided to take it home,just 2mins away,got there ok although it was abit hilly!!& phoned my local garage that i normally use & ended up driving it there,only about 4/5minutes away!-but scary in 2nd gear!!!
id had a leak in my break fluid,none left!
it was funny cos after the motorway i was going to come back over the back way which was hilly winding country roads,where i would have breaked more often & probaley ended up in a hedge or under another car,but something told me to go along the A road!glad i did!

Frightening thought that there are so many of us on here who have had similar problems!!
Got back in the 'old bag' this morning and drove the kids to school...felt better than I'd expected.
Glad everyone survived there experiences...whats that old saying...ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG!!!...ohhhhwhat a wicked bunch we are. LOL
Nikki

nikki,do you know Briony who has some of brainless' elkies? next time you see her ask her about the time with the horse box & failed brakes!