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Lar-Dawg · 08-13-2014, 11:58 AM

Update: Roadmaster told Camping World to seal the diode connectors with silicon. I also call tech support at Roadmaster and was very disappointed with their reaction, saying this was an installation problem and not a problem with their design. I told them that any installation that is this easy to mess up implies it is a bad design. The diode connections need to be waterproof!
On my next RV tip, the Invisibrake stopped working altogether. I stopped at another out of town Camping World and they replaced the unit. They also told me that, for safety, they tell all of their customers to pull the 20A fuse when not being towed.
Since then the product has worked OK, but only if we pump the brakes after first connecting it. Otherwise, I don't get a light in the RV saying the brakes are working.
There are problems with this product and Roadmaster won't admit it!

brabono · 08-13-2014, 01:37 PM

We are going through that right now with Camping Working and Our CRV . We bought a two year warranty and still having trouble getting it fixed. Brakes locking up, lights blinking, alert light not working in motor home. Our car been disabled for a week. Too dangerous to drive. It is Invisbrake.

brabono · 08-16-2014, 02:59 PM

CW has been trying to find the cause our CRV will brake when not connected to Invisbrake. Without our car now for 11 days

walt2137 · 08-17-2014, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasEd

DON:
In addition to the waterproofing and now that we're safely back home...not towing....I have removed the 20A fuse and won't put it back til we're ready to tow again.

RE the Brake Buddy: It engaged itself while we were driving about 30MPH and locked the brakes....we dragged the car just long enough to ruin the tires.... it could have been worse I guess as we were just about to get on the freeway!

Did brake buddy pay for the tires? Or offer any help.

TexasEd · 08-18-2014, 09:30 AM

No, and didn't even go there as the BB was purchased used on EBay and we had used it for at least five years. Should probably have retired it but you know...penny wise pound foolish!

brabono · 10-12-2014, 10:25 PM

Invisbrake and camping world is driving us crazy. Thinking they had finally fixed the problem,started on a trip. No running lights on MH or CRV . Manually turned on lights in CRV . The alarm light on dash quit working, the aux brake wasn't braking and when we arrived and turned off CRV , car would not start. We have this brake 18 months with a 2 year warranty and have not had a trip without electrical problems or brake problems. Scared to let them near it, but hate spending $1500 and can't use it

YC1 · 10-13-2014, 07:14 AM

The invisibrake charges a bit from the running lights. Since those were not on you were not charging. Sometimes you will just get an annoying thing like a blown fuse and assume it is all part of the original issue. Could be as simple as trying to plug the toad in while the RV lights were on and you turned the plug upside down. That has never happened to me and I'm an ET. GRRR. Done it plenty of times in 40 yrs.

IF your brake lights on the RV were also not working there is no way the invisibrake would work either. It senses the voltage on the brake light circuit.

Running the car lights off the battery is a sure way to run the battery down.

And yes, my brake has caused some problems. That moisture issue could be easily solved and probably has been in later units.

The small charge current is really not sufficient in my bells and whistles Limited Ford Edge so I added a charge line that delivers up to 20 amps.

PDXDisco · 04-07-2015, 08:23 AM

We bought an Invisibrake from Roadmaster in 2012 for our new Jeep Grand Cherokee, and had them install it in Vancouver, WA. In 2013, after disconnecting from my RV, I was driving home (luckily not on the freeway) when the brakes on my Jeep applied themselves. I pulled over, perplexed at what had just happened. I checked to make sure my floor mat was in place, then drove away. It happened again. I ended up unplugging the Invisibrake box, and it didn't happen again.

I just took my Jeep into Roadmaster in Vancouver yesterday, and the tech said he had replaced the connector, and made sure it was well sealed. He told me he was going to remove my tail lights, but wouldn't tell me why. I asked him if there was a problem with the diodes interacting with the Invisibrake, but said there was not.

When I got home, and stopped in front of my garage to wait for the door to roll up, the brakes locked up. Unplugging the box did nothing this time. I ended up leaving my Jeep outside. This morning, after trying several times to move in drive, the brakes slowly released, and I was able to roll my car into the garage. I called Roadmaster, but the tech won't talk to me. He told me to bing it back in, but won't discuss the problem.

I decided to search for people having similar problems, and found this post. It is pretty clear that the problem is with the Invisibrake design, not my vehicle. Something is going on that Roadmaster is not talking about, and people's lives are at risk. Unintentional braking could easily result in a fatal rear end accident. I'm not sure I want to drive my Jeep up to Vancouver tomorrow morning. I may have it towed, even though it will cost me dearly to go from Portland to Vancouver. This situation is unacceptable.

Class-action lawsuit, anyone?

walt2137 · 04-07-2015, 08:46 AM

I would unhook the cable attached to the brake peddle and drive to Roadmaster and you are correct this has happened before and I think they should remove it and refund the cash. Roadmaster has always been a quality company and I would expect them to do the right thing, let us know how it comes out and insist on the whole story!

Lar-Dawg · 04-07-2015, 10:17 PM

When not towing pull the 20 amp fuse under the hood. That totally disables the system

Also have your installer silicon seal the diodes in the rear of your car. That prevents them getting wet and shorting out the electronics that apply the brake

Road master should be ashamed that they have designed a system that water can endanger lives

Mr_D · 04-07-2015, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EngineerMike

I would be worried that the diodes &/or connections were exposed to enough road salt that corrosion will need them up over time under the water proofing.

Not only that but silicone seal will corrode electrical connections due to the chemicals in it.

TwelveVolt · 04-08-2015, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Not only that but silicone seal will corrode electrical connections due to the chemicals in it.

Liquid electrical tape would be a better choice.

tomia3 · 04-08-2015, 03:46 PM

I had been forewarned of the moisture problem and had the diodes for the lights installed the trunk. I have driven in rain and snow with no problems.

PDXDisco · 04-08-2015, 06:13 PM

My Jeep's brakes locked up again before I could get it to Roadmaster. I ended having it towed on a flatbed to them. Yesterday they called and told me they wanted me to come see something with my Jeep. I went there this afternoon, and I was taken upstairs to a room where they had systems set up on a test bench. They tested the diodes from my Jeep right in front of me, showing me that one of them had voltage leakage that was allowing current to travel back up to the Invisibrake box when the brake-lights on my Jeep light up.

Apparently, rather than failing completely, the diode had failed to the point of being out of specification, but still working most of the time. They said they don't use these diodes anymore, but instead use diodes they make in-house. They said the same problem can result from wire insulation being partially stripped off when the control wire bundle is pulled through the firewall during installation, corrosion at the connector if it is not entirely sealed, extensive exposure to salted roads, or the above-mentioned problem with water collecting on top of the diodes.

I can't say that I would ship a product that can be so easily subjected to what I would consider a catastrophic failure condition from so many independent variables, but I don't have to make that call. The only call I had to make was to demand that they remove the Invisibrake system, which they did, without any objection or delay. They agreed to refund my purchase and installation cost, if that was my wish.

They also found a problem with my towbar attachment, due to the installation of a winch kit I had put on. They generously offered to make special brackets to take care of the problem. I have elected to have them install a Brakemaster, which is what I ran when I first bought my coach. The coach is already set up for it, and although it requires a couple of extra steps, I will feel safe with it.

I considered the AirForce system, but I just don't feel like rolling the dice on another complicated, electronics-heavy system, especially since it would cost me $1700 installed! I feel that Roadmaster has made the right response to my complaint, gone out of their way to make sure I understood why the failure occurred, and let me pick my solution without pressure. They claim that they have thousands of these units installed, and that my situation is unique (the partial failure of a diode). I just don't feel comfortable with an auxiliary braking system that can apply the brakes of the towed vehicle when not under tow.