Help please - Shudder when breaking

[ntails]

My 01golf gti has started to shudder really badly when the breaks are applied. You can feel it coming through both the pedal and the steering wheel. At its worst when you have been breaking and hit about 60-70 klm Any help would be very greatly appreciated. Cheers

[R36]

My 01golf gti has started to shudder really badly when the breaks are applied. You can feel it coming through both the pedal and the steering wheel. At its worst when you have been breaking and hit about 60-70 klm Any help would be very greatly appreciated. Cheers

It may need new front disc brake rotors.

[Blitzen]

My 01golf gti has started to shudder really badly when the breaks are applied. You can feel it coming through both the pedal and the steering wheel. At its worst when you have been breaking and hit about 60-70 klm Any help would be very greatly appreciated. Cheers

Sounds like your front brake discs are warped. Looks like its time for new brakes pads and either getting your discs machined or replacing them all together. Machining only costs about $30 to $40 each, but it depends on how worn they are, and whether they can be machined without going past the minimum thickness.
If you need to get new discs, don't go through VW, you will pay too much. DBA and RDA do brake discs for the MK4 Golf, and are alot cheaper, but may last a bit longer. And you will need new brake pads too after doing all of this, as the old pads will have bedded to the old discs, and you won't have the same braking efficacy.

[SoVeReIgN]

As above, a disc machining will sort it out aslong as there is enough meat on the discs.

[dubbed]

Are there machines/processes now that can safely machine slotted discs?

[ntails]

Cheers guys! My disc are drilled, will there be any issue like dubbed mentioned for slotted discs? As im a newbie to VW's, is it very tricky to remove the discs?

[BoraV64Msilver]

similar issue

i've got the same symptoms when i slam on the brakes - with ESP turned on.
Then turned off i dont get the shuddering, but i skid.

It's always been like this so i assume thats the way its ment to be.

[DIDZ]

Cheers guys! My disc are drilled, will there be any issue like dubbed mentioned for slotted discs? As im a newbie to VW's, is it very tricky to remove the discs?

Should take you all of 10 mins to get both off.

[ntails]

Arh classic, just noticed my spelling of brakes. Dumb S**T

[Manaz]

i've got the same symptoms when i slam on the brakes - with ESP turned on.
Then turned off i dont get the shuddering, but i skid.

It's always been like this so i assume thats the way its ment to be.

That sounds like ABS!

[Oneofthegreats]

Be careful if your going down the machining road, especially on all German car's with soft disc's.

They will machine up ok & will last for alittle while, but where it was warped, they tend to also get hotspot's right through the material, which leads to the shudder coming back over time

If you just machine or replace the disc's, the pad's also develop hot spot's them & the result will be the same over time

My advice. Replace the pad's & disc's.

[FknDubbin]

Be careful if your going down the machining road, especially on all German car's with soft disc's.

They will machine up ok & will last for alittle while, but where it was warped, they tend to also get hotspot's right through the material, which leads to the shudder coming back over time

If you just machine or replace the disc's, the pad's also develop hot spot's them & the result will be the same over time

My advice. Replace the pad's & disc's.

He speaks the truth. When i was working at VW we never machined discs and as far as i can remember, VW actually specifies no machining of discs.

[Bug_racer]

He speaks the truth. When i was working at VW we never machined discs and as far as i can remember, VW actually specifies no machining of discs.

And Ive seen why , $4k + worth of damage ! and they were lucky

[maca]

My 01golf gti has started to shudder really badly when the breaks are applied. You can feel it coming through both the pedal and the steering wheel. At its worst when you have been breaking and hit about 60-70 klm Any help would be very greatly appreciated. Cheers

I've started to have this problem as well.. Just after I got new brakes!


Have to take them back.. It's gotten better at lower speeds but it's really bad at higher speeds (70km/h +)

[D3bb4]

I've started to have this problem as well.. Just after I got new brakes!


Have to take them back.. It's gotten better at lower speeds but it's really bad at high speeds.

Definately rotors then. I priced them from supercheap today, and it seems a bit steep to me! (and i'm not even sure what model rotors are for mk4 2L... there's a different listing for american 2L Vs. mk4 from 98-01... confusing much?

Either way, standard DBA rotors are about the $90 mark each, give or take $5; slotted are a joke at about $210 each, or x-drilled for $250! Prices for slotted or drilled seem a bit bloody steep to me!