Brake Failure

[mirandct]

Greetings, first time to post but have been in the background getting great info on the spyder for some time. I had my dealer send me the front brake pads for my spyder and installed them myself, went back on ok no problems with the install, when I started the spyder I recieved a Brake Failure message that I have not been able to remove, has anyone else encountered this problem? any suggestions would help Thanks!

[tnfleming]

I adjusted my parking break and now i AlWAYS have the break failure message which i ignore.

[Trickie Dick]

Greetings, first time to post but have been in the background getting great info on the spyder for some time. I had my dealer send me the front brake pads for my spyder and installed them myself, went back on ok no problems with the install, when I started the spyder I recieved a Brake Failure message that I have not been able to remove, has anyone else encountered this problem? any suggestions would help Thanks!

Can't help you but welcome

[Longlegs]

My light came on when fluid was low. Check that.

[Firefly]

Greetings, first time to post but have been in the background getting great info on the spyder for some time. I had my dealer send me the front brake pads for my spyder and installed them myself, went back on ok no problems with the install, when I started the spyder I recieved a Brake Failure message that I have not been able to remove, has anyone else encountered this problem? any suggestions would help Thanks!

You didn't press the brakes or have the parking brake on when you changed the pads did you?

[Big Arm]

mirandct welcome

[bone crusher]

Two things you NEVER mess with on a vehicle...brakes and steering...get the bike looked at and fixed. If you have a problem while on the road, it could be life-threatening...

[Firefly]

Two things you NEVER mess with on a vehicle...brakes and steering...get the bike looked at and fixed. If you have a problem while on the road, it could be life-threatening...

I can't tell you how many times I've lectured people about this on cars. If a brake shop screws up your brakes - you've got someone to blame - and sue. Do it yourself - well - you know.

[Wheelz]

This is what I've done in the past with success...Usually the warning comes on when it senses low brake pressure in the ABS unit. With the bike off...build pressure in the lever and squeeze as hard as you can until you get significant pressure return in the lever...Turn the key back on and see if the light goes away, if not, repeat. I've had to do this a couple of times and it always works. But by the third time, I needed a brake flush/bleed and took it in the dealer so it can be connected to the BUDs system.

I've seen it done with the bike connected to the BUDs system. They pump the lever until significant pressure build and it resets it self. There is somekind of low pressure switch that trips if it senses either low brake fluid in the ABS unit/modulator or if the system is air bound.

[fastfraser]

Greetings, first time to post but have been in the background getting great info on the spyder for some time. I had my dealer send me the front brake pads for my spyder and installed them myself, went back on ok no problems with the install, when I started the spyder I recieved a Brake Failure message that I have not been able to remove, has anyone else encountered this problem? any suggestions would help Thanks!

welcome and thanks for comming out----- of the background happy ering.

[bone crusher]

I can't tell you how many times I've lectured people about this on cars. If a brake shop screws up your brakes - you've got someone to blame - and sue. Do it yourself - well - you know.

The problem with the Spyder is that it appears as if many of the dealerships don't know what they're doing...unless you're a Lamonster, Scotty, or some of the other brainies here, it is probably still better to have the dealership do it...if the bike shows an error message, I wouldn't ride it until the problem was identified and resolved...who knows what else can go wrong!

[bellyacre]

Once you pushed the pistons on the brake caliper back (i use a C clamp) and install the new pads you need to step on the brake pedal 3 or 4 time to push the piston and pads back in contact with the rotor.

You should now feel the same Firm pedal as before. You dont need to open the brake fluid tank because you never opened any brake hoses ( say you didn't). just pump it back it place

[mirandct]

Thanks for all the replys, in the end I ended taking my spyder back to the dealer and they hooked it up to their computer system and reset the error
Brake Failure message, the tech also topped off the brake fluid reservoir, he informed me that the brake fluid needs to be filled to the very top of the reservoir, if it is not it can set off the Failure message. The mistake I made was when I completed the brake job I should have pumped the brakes to set the pistons on the disk, I turned the key on first before pumping the brakes and right away the failure message appeared. In the end I paid 34.75 for the message reset plus the 240 mile rountrip to get to the closest dealer. Thanks for the Help!

[MetroAsian]

Anyone else experience this Brake Failure error code?

I took my Spyder into the dealership. It has 4,000 miles so well within warranty. The folks at dealership said that they had to bleed to brake lines and that it was convered under warranty. However, this caused secondary damage to both my front and rear brake pads. They had to replace the brake pads even though I only had 4,000 miles. The dealership charged me $85 and they told me that they would not cover it fully since I was over 2,000 miles. What do you people think? Is it just Can Am being crappy to its owners or the dealship is pocketing the money.

[bjt]

MetroAsian, how did that cause secondary damage to the brake pads? By them bleeding the brakes? If they bled the brakes and got brake fluid on the pad surface, causing the problem, I don't know why they would charge you for what I would classify as their mistake.

[mike3069]

Any "secondary damage" is their fault.

[MetroAsian]

The dealership told me that by having air in the brake lines and that it needed to be bleeded, this caused premature wear to the brake pads by providing inadequate braking pressure and at 4,000 miles, they needed to be replaced.

BRP would cover the brake pads, but I still had to pay their "discounted" labor rate. If I had only 2,000 miles on the Spyder, they said everything would have been covered.

Has anyone else experienced the same type of warranty coverage?

[NancysToy]

BRP would cover the brake pads, but I still had to pay their "discounted" labor rate. If I had only 2,000 miles on the Spyder, they said everything would have been covered.

Has anyone else experienced the same type of warranty coverage?

This is the same policy they use for replacing noisy brake pads. Below a certain mileage they pay for everything, above that they pay for the pads only, and beyond another point they cover nothing. On the other hand they do not prorate the replacement cost for the replacement at any point below a certain mileage, as some manufacturers do. Considering that brake pads are one of the items specifically excluded in the warranty, I find this an acceptable compromise. Others may see it differently, but they could have offered to cover none of the cost at all.

[bjt]

The dealership told me that by having air in the brake lines and that it needed to be bleeded, this caused premature wear to the brake pads by providing inadequate braking pressure and at 4,000 miles, they needed to be replaced.

So too low of pressure caused the pads to wear more? The pads aren't pressing hard enough so they get worn out faster? I guess I'm not understanding how that could happen unless he is claiming the brake pad faces glazed so badly from the light pressure that they were unusable. I wonder if someone with more knowledge on brakes can explain this to me.