Scirocco Central

As per thread title.
*To moderators, please move or close this thread if I happened to post it in the wrong place or have been discussed before respectively.

Hello fellow proud owners of Scirocco all over the world, I have this warning on Brake Servo Defect for quite sometime, comes and go sometimes. Have send in to a couple of workshop in my area, they find nothing wrong with the brake vacuum/booster nor brake pedal harder to press. All of the mechanics told me could be a fault in the brake servo sensor or change my brake fluid.

I have checked with the local VW dealership here to replace the sensor and it would cost me somewhere around USD$1200 inclusive of parts and labour.

I was wondering if there is any other alternative in solving this issue. Just that it gets on my nerve when the warning message comes on and off.

Many thanks in advance!

This is a common problem - happens during start up when the vacuum pressure is low and the ecu intermittently reports this fault and then it clears almost as fast as it reports it.

If it happens only on start up and then clears straight away I would not worry about it.
I believe there was a software update to fix it - although I still get it occasionally on my 1.4 tsi, well I say occasionally - I've seen it 3 times in the past 2 years. You could check with VW to ensure you have the latest engine ECU firmware, which for a 1.4 TSI CAVD with DSG is 9660.


You could try not pressing the brake pedal until after you have started it up, will probably stop the error.

froudeg wrote:This is a common problem - happens during start up when the vacuum pressure is low and the ecu intermittently reports this fault and then it clears almost as fast as it reports it.

If it happens only on start up and then clears straight away I would not worry about it.
I believe there was a software update to fix it - although I still get it occasionally on my 1.4 tsi, well I say occasionally - I've seen it 3 times in the past 2 years. You could check with VW to ensure you have the latest engine ECU firmware, which for a 1.4 TSI CAVD with DSG is 9660.


You could try not pressing the brake pedal until after you have started it up, will probably stop the error.

Thanks froudeg,

Mine happened pretty occasionally during when I drive. It happens when I'm in low rev or while low rev changing to next lower gear, but will disappear if I tap or step on the brakes during traffic jam. Some told me to try topping up me brake fluid but haven't yet had the time to try it.

Does your error light accompanied by ABS warning light for a brief moment when start up and disappear the moment you are on the move?

Same thing happened to me and it turned out to be loose wiring with the oxygen sensor at the exhaust.

VW workshop took trials and errors to get the problem sorted out. They changed my mechatronics and clutch plates but problem still persisted. No one would expected it was just a small connection issue.

I'm driving a 1.4 TSI 160PS.

Same thing happened to me and it turned out to be loose wiring with the oxygen sensor at the exhaust.

That doesn't make any sense - no way an oxygen sensor would be putting out Defect Brake Servo errors, one system has nothing to do with the other!

Not that i'm saying that's not what you been told - i'm saying if that's what you were told they told you some complete BS.

Mine happened pretty occasionally during when I drive. It happens when I'm in low rev or while low rev changing to next lower gear, but will disappear if I tap or step on the brakes during traffic jam. Some told me to try topping up me brake fluid but haven't yet had the time to try it.
Does your error light accompanied by ABS warning light for a brief moment when start up and disappear the moment you are on the move?

I get no ABS warning light - when it has happened the message has flashed up for 1 second and disappeared.
Do you find the brake pedal is stiff in the morning before you start the car? - you should be able to get some presses out of it before it becomes stiff.
If its stiff straight away (again before you start) then you are leaking off vacuum and there is a vacuum leak somewhere.

froudeg wrote:

Mine happened pretty occasionally during when I drive. It happens when I'm in low rev or while low rev changing to next lower gear, but will disappear if I tap or step on the brakes during traffic jam. Some told me to try topping up me brake fluid but haven't yet had the time to try it.
Does your error light accompanied by ABS warning light for a brief moment when start up and disappear the moment you are on the move?

I get no ABS warning light - when it has happened the message has flashed up for 1 second and disappeared.
Do you find the brake pedal is stiff in the morning before you start the car? - you should be able to get some presses out of it before it becomes stiff.
If its stiff straight away (again before you start) then you are leaking off vacuum and there is a vacuum leak somewhere.

Nope. The brake pedal doesn't feel stiff in the morning. In fact I still can depress prior starting the car up

Well no vacuum leaks then...

There is a thread here about the error (although as previiously indicatd this only relates to startup)

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/ ... 38782.html

As per the late and great RW1's recommendations:

1) This indication should only be ignored if it is on start-up and lasts for no more than 2 to 3 seconds otherwise consider it to be a fault and discuss with the dealers/garage. Also, if on the move and it appears, consider it to be a hard fault and take precautions because the efficiency of the brakes may be affected.

2) The reason it appears is ECU software timing. The Brake Servo Vacuum sensor is checked on start up before the engine has had time to fully build up the brake vacuum assistance circuit. If the vacuum hasn't dissipated enough since shutting down the engine the last time, the check passes and no indication is seen by the owner. Hence why on start-up it only appears randomly.

For you though, it's beginning to look more like a sensor/wiring fault.

Thanks froudeg!

During start up it doesn't disappear until I move off. Otherwise, if it doesn't appear during start up, some time later while driving, it will just appear randomly, but braking still feels the same.

I'm guessing it could be a sensor fault, but wiring have never occur to me, guess I can look into it.

Just a quick question, does brake fluid plays a part too?

Quick update people, after a series of check, diagnostic trial and error by my friend's uncle garage the other week, they couldn't find any fault.

But just so happened, after topping up the brake fluid, the warning is gone. So far its been two weeks, no sign of Defect Brake Servo warning.

Well sometimes its just the simple things! - typical of VW to throw errors saying the world is ending, when all it needed was a bit of brake fluid.