Brakes

The brakes on a golf buggy are cable-operated drums on most models, with hydraulic discs on some newer vehicles, and this category covers the faults they develop: a long or spongy pedal, gradual fade, worn shoes, brakes that drag and hold the vehicle back, squealing, a parking brake that will not hold on a slope or will not release, cable replacement, and bleeding on hydraulic systems. Drum brakes lose performance slowly as the shoes wear, so the usual fix is adjustment rather than parts. The standard method is to tighten the adjuster until the shoes just lock the raised wheel, then back it off until the wheel spins freely with no more than a light rub, and both sides must be set evenly or the buggy pulls under braking. Drag is the opposite fault and is easy to confirm: after a short drive without using the brakes, hold a hand near each hub, and one that is noticeably warm points to an over-adjusted or seized mechanism on that wheel. A parking brake that creeps on a slope usually needs cable adjustment before anything else. Brakes are a safety system, so the standard here is different from the rest of the vehicle. Adjustment and inspection are reasonable owner jobs with the vehicle properly supported on stands; if adjustment does not restore firm, even braking, or the fault involves hydraulics, fluid loss or metal-on-metal grinding, stop driving and book a Hawke engineer.