Car won't move and makes funny noises when turn engine on

I've had a good Google and can't work this out. If my car is out in the cold or hasn't been driven in a few days, the engine turns on fiNE, but then when I put it in first gear, it feels like there is resistance and the car is straining to go but something holds it back and it doesn't move at all. Eventually after a little rev something clunks and the resistance is lost and I can drive as normal. Any ideas what this may be or how I can fix it?
Many thanks. It's a 1.2 litre 2008 vw polo.

Reply 1

username239687

Handbrake stuck on for a few feet or your brake calipers have frozen solid and then "break free" and clunk when they do.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 2

danty

Certainly sounds like your brakes are binding when cold. Other option could be an automatic choke issue where the engine isn't regulating it's revs properly when cold (typically, the car should rev higher when cold and as such, requires even more revs to move off)

~Matt

Reply 3

Nuffles

Almost certainly the handbrake getting stuck on. I used to get it on my old '94 mk3 Golf a couple of winters ago. Option 1 is to deal with it, or option 2 is to leave it on a flat surface in gear with the handbrake off.

Reply 4

instamatic

Original post by Nuffles

Thanks. Could this be the case even if to me the handbrake physically goes down as normal? Just wondering cos it doesn't seem stiff or anything.

Reply 5

username239687

Original post by instamatic

Thanks. Could this be the case even if to me the handbrake physically goes down as normal? Just wondering cos it doesn't seem stiff or anything.

It's not a problem. It's just frozen.

Reply 6

instamatic

Original post by ToastyCoke

It's not a problem. It's just frozen.

Ok, so I don't have to get it fixed? This doesn't seem to happen to my boyfriend's ford fiesta at all and it's parked in the same place.

Thanks all for your advice.

Reply 7

danty

Your drums are locking on when parked up. There's little to be done because paying to fix it would be pointless. Your brakes seize up, and giving it a bit of a rev frees them up. You're doing the car no harm by doing this.

I'm not saying it's normal or that every car does it, just that it's nothing to worry about and to continue as you are. Get your brake shoes checked for wear if you haven't in a while, as it could be the metal binding to metal (though you'd hear grinding when braking at speed)

~Matt

Reply 8

username239687

Original post by instamatic

Ok, so I don't have to get it fixed? This doesn't seem to happen to my boyfriend's ford fiesta at all and it's parked in the same place.

Thanks all for your advice.

Nope.

I once had a car in my garage for a week as I was working on it and had to use a hammer to free the brakes.

Reply 9

InArduisFouette

Original post by ToastyCoke

Handbrake stuck on for a few feet or your brake calipers have frozen solid and then "break free" and clunk when they do.

sounds about right

the way to 'solve' it is to do a few little back and forward shunts until the brakes free off

probably worth getting the (rear) brakes cheecked