Father-in-law (FIL) calls last night at 9PM with the following condition:
Red brake warning light with a big exclamation point lit up on my dashboard. The book says when this happens, you are supposed to pull over immediately. I drove home, now what do I do?
I drive over to his house - note a few good sized puddles of fluid under the car. It smells like brake fluid.
His brake reservoir is empty. As he has been using his brakes, he now has air in his brake lines.
I refill his reservoir with brake fluid. I have him pump the brakes. Fluid is squirting out of a cracked metal brake fluid line which each pump of the pedal.
Advise FIL that truck is NOT safe to drive under any circumstances. The brakes may work now, but they may fail at ANY time, and you can be certain that they WILL fail.
FIL then asks if the car is safe to drive to work, then to the repair shop
NO NO NO a thousand times NO!!!!!!!
"If they went bad, I could just use the emergency brake"
I reply at that point, that he would risk his life, as well as anyone else who happens to be on the road.
I will avoid that part of town today.....