Recently, being in a rush, i stupidly trusted a local branch of a well known autocare centre to replace the front brake pads on my Citroen AX. A week later the brakes failed completely - it turns out that the autocare centre did not fit the pads correctly, they had siezed on which in turn boiled the brake fluid and blew the seals in the Master Cylinder. (A local independant garage informed me). I desperately need to get back on the road - please help me!! How do I repair this damage?! Basically I need to replace the master cylinder myself - I can't pay garage fees. Ideally I'd like pics / diagrams aswell as written info ie: the brake system section from a workshop manual!! Thanks

Tracey Fawcett, April 2008

Hi Tracey you could be stepping into a safety minefield here, but the AX has 4 hydraulic pipes coming from it, a plastic fluid reservoir on top and the whole thing is held into place by two nuts and washers....the trouble is you'll let a certain amount of air into the system that will need to be bled out which can also cause difficulties if you're not sure how to go about it. I think you should go back to the original fitting centre, speak to the manager in charge and say that your life was put into danger by them - which indeed it was - and see what they are going to do about it. Personally I fail to see how they got the job wrong in the first place - it ain't rocket science.

John, April 2008