Hi all, 

I am the proud new owner of a (new to me) Octavia vRS estate. I am pretty happy with it, it ticks most, if not all of my boxes. One issue though, and I'm not exactly sure whether to worry or not.

 

So, where I live, is an enormous roundabout, where people cross going full tilt. It was the first time I'd really had to pull out with any vigour, but had no choice but to go for it. I pulled off and floored it, but and here's the issue, when I shifted to second, engaged second, let the clutch out, and .....nothing. The engine was revving, the clutch pedal came out, but something hadn't happened, it was as if the clutch pedal was still down. Luckily I had momentum so avoided an accident, but it took a couple of pumps of the pedal for the clutch to release and be controlled by the pedal.

 

At the time, I noticed an odd smell which hung around, a bit like scorched hair or something,  bit hard to describe (I don't have much hair, but if I scorched it, that's how I imagine it would smell). Whilst it's not happened again, I have today noticed the same smell.

 

Points worth of note:

 

1. I have done some tests to see if the clutch is slipping, all to no avail

2. During normal driving, I am not noticing anything untoward

 

I have done some research and obviously searches, and from what I can see most people experiencing clutch problems find that the pedal sticks in, and doesn't come out. What I appear to have experienced is the clutch sticking but not the pedal.

 

If anyone has any thoughts on this, please feel happy to share them.

 

 

 

The scorched hair small is a burning clutch. If you've just bought the car then easiest solution is return it to the dealer (assuming of course you didn't buy privately or at auction).

Edited 20 July, 20196 yr by Guest

Thank you for the reply. I feared that would be the case. I don't do anything odd when driving I don't think, certainly didn't today. Considering I've had cars with 130k miles on them with the original clutch, I don't think I have a particularly poor driving technique.

 

I assume that it suggests that the clutch is knackered already, and will only continue to degrade?

 

That sounds just like what happened to my good lady driving my  previous Octavia VRS  one day a couple of years ago. I had told her a couple of times, when she sets off in Ist gear, take her foot fully off the clutch before selecting second. However, one day with the car fairly loaded, she had to join a motorway, just after we had changed drivers on our long journey. What did she do, set off fast in first gear with her foot still resting on the clutch. As it was slipping and she put it into second and floored it again, lots of revs but the car was not gaining speed. She had heated the clutch up so much with her foot partly on the pedal instead of fully off, the clutch plates would not grip together in second, so all noise and no go. I asked her to pull into the next services, not too far away and let the cars clutch cool down for the next 10mins. What we were smelling and what you were smelling at the time, was the clutch burning. I was a bit annoyed, so took back the driving again for a while. The car however, was okay after that for the next 25k miles until I sold it. She used to be a driving instructor for 15 years as well!!! Sounds like you might have done the same thing. 

 

 

Hi, it does sound similar. I don't ride the clutch, although did I at the time? Well I can't say for sure. Could have been the fact that the clutch in the scooby needs two feet to press it down, and this one is so light, I am not used to it, but as I say, difficult to say after the event. Will be something I keep an eye on though.

If you have really floored the fast pedal since without mishap, it might just have been the problem on that particular day. Just try a couple of quick starts making sure your foot is fully off the clutch in first gear and then into second, if it does not happen again, you should be in the clear. 

I don't do a whole lot of flooring, as like everyone else I am just following the car in front. I guess I will give it a test, although perhaps not on a busy roundabout. Thanks.