{ Think I've Solved this one now after going back at nearly midnight to look at the road where it happened! }

Hi,

Ok. having yet more problems since the car came back from its 2nd yr service. Today the car has been starting first time (rare since the service - see earlier post), but then.....

I was driving up to a roundabout, slowing from about 20mph to -15mph, just dropped down a gear from 3rd, to 2nd. As i was releasing the clutch, with my other foot pressing lightly on the brake, there was an almighty bang from the front, the clutch pedal felt like it moved, and the brake pedal seemed to go soft. Then I wasn't sure if the car was still braking or not. A fraction of a second later, the brake and clutch pedal returned to normal, and the car stopped. Needless to say it was almost a brown trouser moment.

Now then, no bumps in the road (I'm walking back there in 5 mins to have a double check). EDIT - COLLAPSED MAN-HOLE COVER!! What the hell was the bang??? and more to the point what the hell happened?? Was the bang the clucth somehow slipping and therefore I lost engine braking, hence the brakes needing to be pressed harder, or was it something more serious/dangerous?? Any ideas?

Needless to say I'll be on the phone to the garage ASAP, but in the meantime it would be nice to know things are ok.

{ See My Last Post - Probably ABS kicking in for a second as the front left locked}

Edited 8 October, 200817 yr by PGuk

Possibly a clutch cylinder that threw a load of air into the system or let the pressure out as a complete guess.

Either way I'd be getting doing as you are and getting it to the garage before driving it anywhere.

Feck me - scary stuff. Glad you and the car survived intact.

With clutch and brakes going funny together momentarily, I would suspect something in the hydraulics department, as they share a common fluid reservoir - but I'm no expert.

Any sign of leakages underneath the car?

crosse with cheezewmonkai.....

I've just been back and had a look at the road. There's a really shiny and worn man-hole cover that appears to have sunk by about 3+ inches, right were the front left wheel would be when the problem occurred.

I'm guessing that the bang was the wheel going down the bump (the back wheel probably didn't go over it so it was just at the front of the car), and then possibly the locking of that wheel as it lost contact with the ground and reduced friction on the shiny metal. Thinking about it, the way the brake pedal felt was exactly the same as the one and only time the ABS kicked it. That seems logical doesn't it - a pulsing sensation in the pedals for a fraction of a second. I guess the car probably was still braking - it just felt different.

I probably felt the bump through the pedals since the cover appears sunk by quite a way. I've just done a few emergency stops on some empty road outside my office, and the car seemed fine. I'm guessing that was it. I had a similar thing happen before about 2 months back, and thinking about it, it was at the same junction! It just scared me a bit this time, especially with the other problem the car is having. I think I've put 2 and 2 together and made 5!

Thanks for the advice though.

To play it safe mate take the car up the garage and ask them to give it a once over.

If the dealer is the one you got the car from they should be more than happy to do this FOC and if not a lot of places will do.

Get onto the council and complain about that manhole cover.

Mine does it too if your breaking and you hit a pot hole/man hole cover then the ABS will come on as it senses the wheel has locked.

Mine did the exact same thing the other week, tis very scary