A few times in the last month I've noticed if I hit a bump when braking moderately hard, I hear a very loud juddering/grating noise from around the front and the brake pedal vibrates very severely. Surely the ABS system in action but should it really make this much noise? Never ever heard anything like this or felt the brake pedal go in this way during the first 11 months of ownership. Not sure if it's my imagination but I feel braking performance (unmodified 4x4 estate) is not what it was. Car is going to the dealer tomorrow anyway due to a knocking in the steering, but wondered if any of the local experts might have a view.

thanks

Adam.

Sounds normal - what sort of speed were you doing?

I bet it's been juddering alot with the present road conditions - mine's been working overtime on the hardpacked snow/ice even driving moderately sensibly.

the few occasions where it happened before today I was braking from around 30-40 mph to zero for a turn (on one occasion on a bone-dry road. This evening it went crazy on the ice, forced me to go real slow as the ABS juddering seemed so bad. What puzzles me is that I never noticed it during the first 11 months, not even once. But since this is my first ABS car, I've no idea how noisy the systems tend to be.

Don't worry - it's meant to be feel like that (lets you know it's working). On ice, you will find all wheels will be locking so the ABS will be pulsing all four brakes at once. On dry tarmac, it's likely to be just the rears that lock unless you are really going for it, so it doesn't feel as bad.

Dont worry about the noises - i was in the same boat yesterday. I actually took it down to my dealer convinced that the wheels were gonna fall off, as ive never had a car with ABS/ASR etc before, and i figured that the horrendous grinding gnashing noise couldnt be normal, but after wasting the head mechanics 1/2 hr, during which time he took me on demo in the snow filled car park to point out what each noise was, im no longer worried.

BTW, many thanks again to Turners of Sedgefield, who must be sick of ****wits like me, but just get on with the job.

Even on the lesser Octavia models (I've a 1.6 GLX) the ABS and traction control is noisy. Today its been going haywire. Every time I use the throttle or brakes there is a grunch or grind as the systems do their stuff.

AndyC

Good thing I read this yesterday otherwise I would have thought my brakes were duff... Felt awful when ABS kicked in.

Must admit I was very surprised with how violent the ABS was yesterday on the ice - felt like a pneumatic drill attacking my foot. It does make you think a lot about the conditions though which can't be bad