Help - BUrning smell!!!

[chrisball666]

Evenin all

Has anyone come accross this problem before?

My wife was in the car and phoned me to say that it smelled like hot cabbage and the little yellowy orange light in the rev counter nearest the centre was on.

I went to meet her in our other car and I could smell burnt friction material. A quick check of the wheels and all were cool. Turn on ignition and no abnormal warning lights. She showed me that it was the ESP light that had been on. I started thge car and drove it home. No apparent problems. I opened the bonnet at home and could smell the burnt friction material stronger on the off side of the engine bay.

Any ideas/assistance gratefully accepted.

Thanks Chris

[adamss24]

That would be the clutch then ! Does your wife knows how to drive a manual g'box propperly or has a habbit of riding the clutch ?

[chrisball666]

Thanks for that.

I suspected the clutch but was being misled by the ESP light. Questioning her further she says that she may have pushed the ESP button trying to put the AC off thinking the smell was coming from there. Of course if she switched the ESP off the light would come on.

She does know how to drive a manual but I suspect that it is the clutch and will have to fork out for a new one!

[adamss24]

I sugest you scan the car for fault codes just in case as to make shure there is nothing wrong with the abs/esp unit. The clutch might need changing only if the car has high mileage or its been abused-they should last about 300 k miles with normal use.

[chrisball666]

ONly had the car 4 months and very p[lease with it. 112k miles. I always quiz the taxi drivers over their chosen cars and any problems they've had etc. I have heard on more than one occassion of Passat clutches lasting 300k.

We had a Focus before this Passat and I had to change the clutch in it. That'll make the second clutch this year after years of motoring without changing a clutch.

It's a very touchy subject with my new wife, as both the Focus and Passat, are/were predomininantly her cars. I suspect it's her riding the clutch but how do you get somebody to admit it and more difficult change the habit of a lifetime. (Old dog new tricks!).

I've got her car today and it's working faultlessly. Of course that means she's got mine so there could be another clutch needed soon!!!! LOL