i was driving in the snow the other day, and when i went to brake there was a nasty grinding noise (a lot like grinding gears). it only happened when i would brake hard. if i slowed down slowly, it didn't happen. it also happened on wet leaves when only one of my wheels was on them as i was parking. I'm assuming that the wheels are locking up. is this a problem with the ABS system? or does anyone know what it could be? all comments are appreciated, thanks.

 

and the condition of the rotors are fine?

 

I would assume that you have at least one shot rotor,one set of bad pads and to top it all off theres a decent possibility if the brakes made no noise b4 squealing a seized piston. .02

 

the pads look fine, with plenty of life left in them, and the rotors look fine too...is there anything specific i should look for to tell if either the pads or rotors are bad? also...i dont know how to be more specific about the noise other than it sounds like gears grinding, not like the sound that pads and rotors would make (from my experience at least). what would grind if the wheels lock up?

 

i would check the pads and rotors again. also (when the car is cold) rub your hands on the back of the rotors to make sure they're not griding back there since you wont be able to see.