ABS, is it necessary?

Hello, All!

I just finished paying $700 for a repair to a ABS on a 96 Cabrio. I
couldn't afford new $1200 regulator, so went for the cheaper used part.
Well it failed 3 weeks later and the ABS light is on. So, question is, the
car brakes just fine, do I really need to worry about not having ABS, or can
I just wait till I can afford a new part.

Thanks.

With best regards, dukecola. E-mail:

rebuilt one? is this what you need the module?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VW-Go...spagenameZWDVW
If not contact the seller and ask for what you need!

getting your money back on that used one?



"dukecola" > wrote in message
...
> Hello, All!
>
> I just finished paying $700 for a repair to a ABS on a 96 Cabrio. I
> couldn't afford new $1200 regulator, so went for the cheaper used part.
> Well it failed 3 weeks later and the ABS light is on. So, question is,
> the car brakes just fine, do I really need to worry about not having ABS,
> or can I just wait till I can afford a new part.
>
> Thanks.
>
> With best regards, dukecola. E-mail:
>

dukecola wrote:
> Hello, All!
>
> I just finished paying $700 for a repair to a ABS on a 96 Cabrio. I
> couldn't afford new $1200 regulator, so went for the cheaper used
> part. Well it failed 3 weeks later and the ABS light is on. So,
> question is, the car brakes just fine, do I really need to worry
> about not having ABS, or can I just wait till I can afford a new part.
>
> Thanks.
>
> With best regards, dukecola. E-mail:

ABS does nothing most of the time. It only comes into play when you are
breaking on a slippery surface. It is there to help keep your car going in
the direction you want it to go. It does not stop the car or stop it
faster. In some conditions it can even increase the stopping distance.
However without it, you can easily find yourself looking where you have been
and not where you are going in an emergency. That is not good at all.
Having the ability to steer the car in a panic stop is very desirable.

I wonder if it could be claimed that if someone had knowingly failed to
repair an ABS and had an accident that might have been otherwise avoided due
to the ABS if they could be found responsible?

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

My '88 Cabbie does not have ABS, and it stops just fine. However, if there
is a safety issue involved with your ABS, then you should get it fixed
immediately, or park it. Hopefully someone will answer that question in this
thread.

Papa wrote:
> My '88 Cabbie does not have ABS, and it stops just fine. However, if
> there is a safety issue involved with your ABS, then you should get
> it fixed immediately, or park it. Hopefully someone will answer that
> question in this thread.

ABS defaults to standard brakes when it fails.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

"Joseph Meehan" > wrote in message
. ..
> dukecola wrote:
>> Hello, All!
>>
>> I just finished paying $700 for a repair to a ABS on a 96 Cabrio. I
>> couldn't afford new $1200 regulator, so went for the cheaper used
>> part. Well it failed 3 weeks later and the ABS light is on. So,
>> question is, the car brakes just fine, do I really need to worry
>> about not having ABS, or can I just wait till I can afford a new part.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> With best regards, dukecola. E-mail:
>
> ABS does nothing most of the time. It only comes into play when you
> are breaking on a slippery surface. It is there to help keep your car
> going in the direction you want it to go. It does not stop the car or
> stop it faster. In some conditions it can even increase the stopping
> distance. However without it, you can easily find yourself looking where
> you have been and not where you are going in an emergency. That is not
> good at all. Having the ability to steer the car in a panic stop is very
> desirable.
>
> I wonder if it could be claimed that if someone had knowingly failed to
> repair an ABS and had an accident that might have been otherwise avoided
> due to the ABS if they could be found responsible?
>
> --
> Joseph Meehan
>
being from Minnesota - is ABS necessary? Between end of October and
(sometimes) the end of April - Oh, Lordy, YES!! Saved my butt more than
once from sliding right through an intersection or re-arranging the
sheetmetal/plastic on the nose of my Passat - good tread on the tires is
also part of the combination too!

Ed

> I just finished paying $700 for a repair to a ABS on a 96 Cabrio. I
> couldn't afford new $1200 regulator, so went for the cheaper used part.
> Well it failed 3 weeks later and the ABS light is on. So, question is, the
> car brakes just fine, do I really need to worry about not having ABS, or can
> I just wait till I can afford a new part.

ABS is not necessary, of course. We did just fine without it for a long
time. The only thing it does for you is to allow you to be able to turn
while stopping the car. It lengthens your stopping distance, or at very
best, equals non-ABS stopping distances. The best way to stop a car as
fast as possible is to lock up all four wheels.

I'd be cautious about brakes -- ABS is not necessary, but brakes are.
I'd want to be very certain that the removal of the ABS function does
not compromise the normal operation of the brakes.

Brian Running wrote:
>> I just finished paying $700 for a repair to a ABS on a 96 Cabrio. I
>> couldn't afford new $1200 regulator, so went for the cheaper used
>> part. Well it failed 3 weeks later and the ABS light is on. So,
>> question is, the car brakes just fine, do I really need to worry
>> about not having ABS, or can I just wait till I can afford a new
>> part.
>
> ABS is not necessary, of course. We did just fine without it for a
> long time. The only thing it does for you is to allow you to be able
> to turn while stopping the car. It lengthens your stopping distance,
> or at very best, equals non-ABS stopping distances.

> The best way to
> stop a car as fast as possible is to lock up all four wheels.
>

Well sort of. For most of us in real life (without ABS) I would agree.
If you have the touch (I know no one that has it, and a few that think they
do) to stay on the edge, just before the skidding begins, you will stop
faster.

In real life ABS is better, in that it helps maintain some control, but
it is likely to very slightly increase the stopping distance.

> I'd be cautious about brakes -- ABS is not necessary, but brakes are.
> I'd want to be very certain that the removal of the ABS function does
> not compromise the normal operation of the brakes.



--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Brian Running wrote:

> ABS is not necessary, of course. We did just fine without it for a long
> time. The only thing it does for you is to allow you to be able to turn
> while stopping the car. It lengthens your stopping distance, or at very
> best, equals non-ABS stopping distances. The best way to stop a car as
> fast as possible is to lock up all four wheels.

No, it isn't. The maximum stopping effect is when the
tires are just starting to break loose. A skilled driver can
keep the tires on this threshold - they'll squeal, but are
still rotating. ABS will start pumping frantically about
this time, negating what the driver is trying to do.

The biggest issues with ABS is overconfidence: stopping
distances on slippery roads are greater than stopping
distances on dry roads, even with ABS.

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Que les nuages soient notre
Grid: CN89mg pied a terre..."
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - Hospital/Shafte

>> The best way to stop a car as
>> fast as possible is to lock up all four wheels.
>
> No, it isn't. The maximum stopping effect is when the
> tires are just starting to break loose.

Theoretically, static friction is greater than sliding friction, yes --
but in the real world, when it's time to stop a car now -- in the
shortest possible distance -- the most effective way to do it is to
stomp that brake pedal hard enough to squash an armadillo and lock 'em
all up.