Hi Iv had my 07 Octy Scout two weeks and over the last few days while driving in the snow Im experiencing somthing that doesent feel right while braking on the ice and snow.

Normally the brakes are fine but on three seperate occasions while braking on ice and snow the brakes have juddered pretty violently, im guessing the wheels are locking up and the abs is going daft or somthng similar? the worrying thing is I could smell some kind of burning after one juddering episode, he car has done only 19,000 miles and is supposed to have had a pre delivery inspection, I spoke to the previous owner too who said the car had been great for him, any ideas?

thanks

Does the brake pedal judder also?

mine does that on snow and ice. not had any smells though

there is a judder when the ABS kicks in, that sounds normal

the burning smell is a not right, did you get the smell every time the ABS cut in?

As a general reply I cant remember the pedal juddering but I cant say for sure, i`ll keep that in mind next time it happens, the smell is a sort of metallic type smell rather than electrical but not a smell iv experienced before in any situation although that happened only once and im pretty certain the smell wasnt coming from me! the judder has a metallic feel / sound to it also, the judder is VERY rapid though,

thanks for the replies

ABS causes a judder when it works. A burning smell is not normal. A pre-delivery inspection is only carried out before initial comissioning from new.

If you bought the car from a dealer take it back. You sound a bit confused about things. :(

I agree, the judder is normal with ABS, I have had it a couple of times at very low speeds on icy roads.

The smell is odd, though, unless you have been sitting on the brakes for a long time, although metallic noise sounds like worn brake pads.

Thinking about it, could worn brake pads cause the back plate to snag on the disc, and cause the ABS to cut in?

The burning smell would be a worry to me :(

Are your brakes overheating? It says in the manual to turn the ESP off in slippery conditions to prevent this.

Just bringing this back to the top, the judder happened again today but only briefly, I did notice that the judder does feed back through the brake pedal and is very sharp and rapid sensation.

Confused? you bet I am Iv had loads of cars mostly VW / Audi with ABS and drove in slippery, icy, wet conditions but have never experienced this sort of thing, just to repeat this only happens on the iciest of conditions and is very brief, no smells this time either.

Iv had loads of cars mostly VW / Audi with ABS and drove in slippery, icy, wet conditions but have never experienced this sort of thing,

I've had several VWs over the years. The ABS worked as it should.

I drive my Octavia on ice and snow for 6 months of the year - the brake juddering is quite normal. It is the ABS doing it's job and it helps you stop quicker

WaveyDaveyGravy, I don't recall the manual suggesting you turn off ESP in slippery conditions, in fact "slippery conditions" is exactly the the time you WANT your ESP to be ON!!! As far as I remember, the manual does say that you can turn ESP off if you're struggling to get moving in, e.g. deep snow. (I'm sure someone will confirm?)

Burning smell - last week I was driving up a forest track, up a steep slope, in about 6cm of fresh snow. I got stuck half way up, and when I got out of the car, there was a burning smell in the air. I think it is something to do with the ESP system being very active.

I have had a clutch/brake lining smell in the snow with the Scout coming from under the bonnet, perfectly normal for the brakes to judder as this is the ABS cutting in and doing its job.

WaveyDaveyGravy, I don't recall the manual suggesting you turn off ESP in slippery conditions, in fact "slippery conditions" is exactly the the time you WANT your ESP to be ON!!! As far as I remember, the manual does say that you can turn ESP off if you're struggling to get moving in, e.g. deep snow. (I'm sure someone will confirm?)

Owner's Manual; Page 214 (ESP) and 216 (TCS) same advice for both systems:

"The TCS should normally always be switched on. It may be good practice

in certain exceptional cases, such as when you wish to have wheel slip,

to switch off the system.

Examples:

• when driving with snow chains

• when driving in deep snow or on a loose surface

• when it is necessary to rock a car free when it has become stuck

then you should switch on the TCS again."

If you are driving on really slippy surfaces you might have the engine output cut to nothing by these systems. If so, perhaps a reason to switch them off?

Thanks Friendly Fire for hunting out the manual

Yes as I understand it:

Scenario One

Driving slowly in deep snow, or you're stuck and need to get moving, or driving on gravel roads where it's often easier to be sliding a bit. Then it helps to turn off ESP

Scenario Two

You have got moving and you're driving at "normal" speeds on surfaces that may be slippery. Then ESP should be on. I know when I have found myself in a skid on ice or packed snow, the ESP reacts much much quicker than I can.

I think it's good to clarify this point because if someone reads, "in slippery conditions turn off ESP", then they might find themselves driving at 80 Km/h and then getting in a bad skid > ditch, when ESP could have saved the situation for them :(

I think it's good to clarify this point because if someone reads, "in slippery conditions turn off ESP", then they might find themselves driving at 80 Km/h and then getting in a bad skid > ditch, when ESP could have saved the situation for them :(

You can put it even simpler:

Always keep ESP on, except if you get so stuck that you cannot get free without disabling it. And even then - re-enable ESP at the first opportunity.

Besides, cornering with ESP on in slippery conditions is just plain fun

there is a judder when the ABS kicks in, that sounds normal

the burning smell is a not right, did you get the smell every time the ABS cut in?

Guess the smell might relate to how hard hes had to brake and how quickly hes bearing down on the car in front