Its driver error Jeff, man up.   :)
Everybody smokes the brakes at least once, don't they?  Even those of us who
grew up on standard gearboxes...

Probably a good idea to bleed the rears to make sure the air is all out but
if the drums didn't warp, no problem.

On Mon, May 25, 2009 at 2:08 PM, Jeffrey Lubin <visionwizard@verizon.net>wrote:

> Last night, while visiting friends for Memorial Day weekend festivities,
> I parked the van on a hill and set the e-brake, which I don't normally
> do when parking in my driveway.
> This morning, I forgot to release the brake before pulling out, and went
> a few miles until:
> a) I started to smell that horrible burning plastic/rubber smell and
> b) The brake pedal went almost all the way to the floor before the
> brakes would engage.
> Evidently, I had boiled some brake fluid, but after I released the
> e-brake and gave it a few minutes of cool-down, everything was back to
> normal:  Brakes were working well, as they had been before the incident,
> and the e-brake itself also worked fine when I tested it in an open
> parking lot.
>
> So the question is, what are the chances I did some permanent damage
> somewhere, other than causing some premature wear on the rear brake pads?
>
> By the way, I blame VW for this whole incident!  Due to poor instrument
> panel design, the steering wheel completely obscures the brake light, at
> least from my driving position.
>

--
Jake

1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"

Crescent Beach, BC

www.thebassspa.com
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27