Please help, can i still drive if clutch is about to fail?

Kapolski · Post by **Kapolski** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 9:12 pm

I think my clutch and/or clutch cable and/or pedal box is about to go, how dangerous is it to drive, is there a chance of me damaging my car? I really need it, but if it means killing it then i'll cycle or something : )
it's a 2000 W reg with 77k on the clock if that helps and i've just been through a gearbox in october....

garnier · Post by **garnier** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:41 pm

It's pretty unlikely you'll cause damage. If the clutch fails, the car won't move and you'll be stranded.

A good test for a weak clutch is to try and take off from standing in 4th gear with the handbrake on.

Handbrake on firmly
start engine
Depress cluth
Select 4th gear
release clutch (don't give it any revs)

If the car stalls, your clutch is ok.

Ian_R · Post by **Ian_R** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 11:43 pm

Well my clutch box went, and i managed to drive it to my garage to get the new one put in fine, on problem was junctions lol, start it in first and it will go, take it as far as you can in first knock the gear into netrul, and then rev to 2k and it should go into gear, and you can drive.

Kapolski · Post by **Kapolski** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 4:58 pm

thx for your replies guys i'll try the 4th gear thingy and see what happens
Â£85 for a diagnostic at VW

i'm not gonna pay that for them to unscrew a couple of bolts and stick em back in...
Does anyone know if i can diagnose the actual problem myself?

garnier · Post by **garnier** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 5:46 pm

What makes you think the clutch/gearbox is about to go, what problems have you got? Maybe you've just got a bad does of the paranoises!

Kapolski · Post by **Kapolski** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 3:07 pm

Well a couple of things have led me to think clutch is going:

car makes all sorts of cracking/creaking sounds when you depress the clutch

it is so stiff my gf can hardly drive it,

11 people have driven my car and said check your clutch out,

went to some random garage and dude told me my clutch is screwed...

The most worrying thing is it's been uber stiff since i've had the car (sept 2006) but no wierd whirring noise and now; very loud whirring noise as soon as i even skim the clutch pedal

i have no choice but to get it properly checked, so i'll see what Â£85 @ VW will tell me about car

Redline · Post by **Redline** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 6:22 pm

Kapolski wrote:i have no choice but to get it properly checked, so i'll see what Â£85 @ VW will tell me about car

Why not take it to an independent VW garage if you can find one, rather than paying the excessive main dealer charges?

Kapolski · Post by **Kapolski** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 4:24 pm

i went to see a friend of my dad's who works at VW and he said he'll try and help out so the car is going in on monday for a check up and hopefully a fix