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[terry paget]

2008 Vectra 1.8 manual petrol
As title, judder on pulling away. On earlier cars this was caused by soft or loose engine mountings. I have not known it recently on any other Vauxhall, either FWD or RWD. Any thoughts?

[Doctor Gollum]

Sticky release bearing or faulty clutch hydraulics

What does the brake fluid look like?

[terry paget]

Brake fluid doesn't look too bad, not cloudy. I only bought the car in July, I've not changed it yet. I would not have thought changing the brake fluid would do much for the fluid in the clutch, I have never changed the clutch fluid as a maintenance procedure, I only bleed the clutch after a change of clutch master or slave cylinder.

[Doctor Gollum]

It's the same fluid whether you change it or not

But if it looks pretty reasonable, then it's probably not that. Hydraulics can fail and clutch wear can cause a build up of dust on the splines and release bearing causing stickiness.

Any noise/harshness from the clutch when applied in neutral?

[terry paget]

Come to think of it, I suffered a similar phenomenom on face lift Omegas with electronic throttle. Throttle response was so instantaneous car acceleration would rock me back a bit in my seat lifting my foot off the throttle pedal, so feedback judder. Not felt it on the Astras, though. Thanks Doc, food for thought. Furthermore, the clutch disengages wih the pedal pressed hard on the floor, so might help bleeding the clutch anyway.i

[Keith ABS]

 Could it be the dreaded DMF?

[STEMO]

Or, maybe, it just needs a clutch.

[henryd]

Or, maybe, it just needs a clutch.

Yes,my thoughts too Steve 

[Doctor Gollum]

Could it be the dreaded DMF?

On a 1.8 vectrum... That would be unlucky

[terry paget]

Just to put it in context - this is not a bad judder, I have known worse. When I bought the car last summer I gave it a road test first and noticed nothing wrong with it. Two of my sons have driven it in the last two months, and they liked it, preferring it to their Astras.The clutch does not slip. It does disengage cleanly, but when only with the pedal fully depressed to the floor, more so than the Astras.

50 years ago I had a Ford Escort with a bad judder, but that turned out to be a soft engine mounting. I appreciate that the clutch splines might get sticky with accumulated dust and this could cause judder.

[Doctor Gollum]

Your supposed to fully depress the clutch...

Not doing so would cause judder and accelerated wear. Which might explain your symptoms 

[terry paget]

Your supposed to fully depress the clutch...

Not doing so would cause judder and accelerated wear. Which might explain your symptoms 

You're right, Doc, Now I suspect the problem is how I sit in the car. My left shoe ( I wear wide metal soled and toe-capped shoes for comfort, old feet, corns, etc.) fouls on the body below the heater in the Vectra, causing incompete clutch depression. This does not occur in the Omega or the Astra.

[BazaJT]

Your trouble is you've got one too many pedals in your cars

[dave the builder]

Your trouble is you've got one too many pedals in your cars

No ,Terry's cars have 3 pedals 
as God intended 

[BazaJT]

Clearly God intended cars to have the proper number of two pedals hence only giving us two feet.Some joker then tried to confuse things by fitting a totally unnecessary third pedal

[dave the builder]

Clearly God intended cars to have the proper number of two pedals hence only giving us two feet.Some joker then tried to confuse things by fitting a totally unnecessary third pedal

do you use both feet to drive an auto Mr Baza   
when I drive an auto......
 I use my right foot to accelerate and brake 
I use my left foot to kick the transmission tunnel (to remind the Devil in the auto box to change gear for me) 

[BazaJT]

I must admit Dave that I quite often do drive my autos "double footed".Do have to remind myself sometimes in my V70 that using the wobbly stick in the middle of the car stops the engine screaming its nuts off and someone stuck a third pedal in it

[Nick W]

Your trouble is you've got one too many pedals in your cars

that only applies to large cars. Smallish FWD autos are ghastly things, and are intended for the decrepit.


There are two pedals in auto, and you have two feet. As you should never be using the brake and throttle simultaneously, one pedal per foot is the sensible way to drive them

[dave the builder]

if you swap between auto and manual cars ,as I often do ,I find using the right foot for GO and STOP works for me .
dip the clutch in an auto with your left foot results in a face full of windscreen
because that 'clutch pedal' is in fact the brake 

[VXL V6]

I've always driven autos with a foot per pedal and never had a problem. Only thing I notice is that my right foot isn't quite as sensitive as the left for braking

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I also use one pedal per foot in an auto. Works for mew, although swmbo thinks its "dangerous and the wrong way to drive".

[dave the builder]

I also use one pedal per foot in an auto. Works for mew, although swmbo thinks its "dangerous and the wrong way to drive".

so I drive like a girl then     

[Keith ABS]

 I passed my advanced driving test using both feet with an auto

[dave the builder]

OK,it's official
I'm a weirdo using just one foot 

[aaronjb]

OK,it's official
I'm a weirdo using just one foot 

Don't worry, in the real world you're probably in the majority .. 

[STEMO]

OK,it's official
I'm a weirdo using just one foot 

I drive the proper way too, Dave.

[Doctor Gollum]

OK,it's official
I'm a weirdo using just one foot 

I drive the proper way too, Dave.

So do I...

With a clutch