Technical bulletins (general)

10 Brake test procedures for specific vehicles

With new vehicle technologies, testing some vehicles’ brakes, especially on roller brake machines, can be slightly tricky. If the correct process is not followed, there is an increased risk of damaging the vehicle or even the roller brake machine.

This bulletin contains information supplied to the NZTA by vehicle manufacturers about vehicles for which specific brake test procedures need to be followed to reduce the risk of damaging them during the test. It will be updated as the NZTA becomes aware of further specific test procedures supplied by vehicle manufacturers.

If you are not sure about how to test a specific vehicle, check with the local vehicle manufacturer’s agent in the first instance. The roller brake machine manufacturer may also be able to supply information, or refer to the machine’s operating manual.

BMW

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – READ BEFORE TESTING THE BRAKES:

  • DO NOT open any doors during the test or while the vehicle is in motion as the transmission will select Park.
  • Maximum roller speed must not exceed 5km/h.
  • The complete roller brake machine test must not exceed 3 minutes. If the test has not been completed at the 3 minute mark, stop the test immediately and drive the vehicle for at least 1 km to achieve sufficient lubrication in the transfer case.
Testing the electro-mechanical parking brake (EMF) found on most BMW vehicles

You can recognise EMF by the existence of a pull or push electrical button to apply the hand brake rather than a hand brake lever. To test the EMF parking brake, you must carry out the following procedure:

  1. Place the vehicle on the 1/5 slope or roller brake machine (do not use a Tapley meter or other decelerometer for this test).
  2. Put the vehicle into Neutral.
  3. Switch off the engine (if engine is running, the vehicle will apply the service brakes and not the parking brake).
  4. Turn ignition on but do not start the engine (do not touch the foot brake pedal as doing so will switch the engine on again).
  5. Carry out the parking brake test as usual by applying the parking brake button and also releasing the parking brake via the button.
  6. Apply the foot brake pedal and re-start the engine.
Testing the service brakes on all BMW X-drive 4x4 vehicles

As a precaution, treat all BMW 4x4 vehicles as X-drive vehicles. To test the service brakes on a roller brake machine (which must have 4WD mode), carry out the following procedure:

  1. Make sure HDC (Hill Descent Control) is switched off (the HDC light will be off).
  2. Put the vehicle into Neutral.
  3. DO NOT touch the accelerator pedal and DO NOT select a gear while the rollers are turning to avoid damaging the vehicle or rollers.
  4. Carry out brake test as usual using the roller brake machine’s 4WD mode.
  5. When the rollers have stopped turning, lock the rollers, select a gear and drive forward slowly.

Page added 14 October 2013 (see amendment details).

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