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My GF's little runabout has got the most awful judder on the brakes as you brake. When you get below 20mph it's dreadful, it's not a quick pulsing sensation but more of a slow judder. I've had the wheels off and it's got plenty of meat on the pads and the discs are barely worn. It's a 2007 Chevrolet Kalos (yes I wouldn't have bought one either 😆 ) but it's only done 30K and is actually in tip top condition. It's service history is poor but it runs fine and will be given full service soon but need to get the brakes sorted first.
I doubt the brake fluid has been changed at the 3 year recommended interval but I've driven plenty of older cars with manky brake fluid.
something like a worn track rod end or wheel bearing?
Its usually warped disc's that cause judder in the brake when they were done did they use cheap disc's ?
It's either gonna be warped discs or something else out of line in the suspension. If it were a wheel bearing you'd probably be able to hear it rumbling, get it up on ramps and have a looksee, from your description it's probably not abs/abs sensor related, but that's worth checking if it's all straight.
And of course 'warped discs' are nothing of the sort. What has actually happened is pad material has been transferred unevenly to the disc surface (you can often see a pad shaped mark on the disc where a driver has sat with the brakes on at the lights after a period of heavy breaking).
fire a pair of new discs on up front to see how it feels.They will only cost about 60 quid.Each year my cheapy discs on one of the cars decide to pack in and although they arent badly worn.. they develop a nasty pulsating as you brake from around 20mph to a stop.New discs always cures my prob.
what about removing the wheels and discs to clean behind them so that the faces are spotless? Nothing like a free fix.. although i would guess its going to be a part or 2 needing replaced.
Do you have anywhere local who will skim your brake discs? Can usually be done on the vehicle and will be cheaper than buying new.
We skim several sets of discs a month from our local Chevvy dealer, usually done under warranty on the vehicles first service. It's a fairly common problem due to cheaper materials used in the manufacture of the disc.
Also, make sure when she's driving that she isn't holding the brakes on whilst stationary at lights, etc - repeated braking heats them up, then holding the brakes on helps warp the discs a little bit.
As Dave says, bigger problem with autos for obvious reasons.