HELP - CLUTCH has gone.Any advice and tips welcome!

JDism · Post by **JDism** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:15 pm

Hi all

,

Well couldnt believe it.........had my GTi(2000) 4 weeks and the clutch has gone on it allready....only done 39K.

Have gone to stealer and they quoted me about Â£600, went to my local machnic who said he can get a genuine VW clutch and fully fitted for just under Â£400!!
My car has an extended warranty and the stealers werent even intrested.....DONT GET ONE,THEY ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY (WARRANTY).

Was just after some friendly help, advice and any tips you may all have.

Many thanks,

Justin

PS - My gear box seems fine...no problems as yet and my GTi did have the pedal box recall done by the previous owner!!

Mouse_GTI · Post by **Mouse_GTI** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:20 pm

You can get a SACHS clutch for Â£100 which is much better. Fitment wouldn't be more than Â£100 I'd of thought

oscar olop gti · Post by **oscar olop gti** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:20 pm

I'm getting my clutch replaced next week, Â£ 354.03 including VAT.

The clutch will not be covered under your warranty as it is a wear & tear item.

Mouse_GTI

You can get a SACHS clutch for Â£100 which is much better. Fitment wouldn't be more than Â£100 I'd of thought

I agree that the clutch kits are around Â£ 100, but the fitting requires the gearbox & drive shafts out ( i was told by a couple of garages ). A little more than Â£100 labour costs i would say, good 4 hours at least.

JDism · Post by **JDism** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:24 pm

How good is the SACHS clutch or am I better off staying with genuine??
Will genuine one last or will it just go again in another 30K??
Thanks for your help so far guys!!

shantybeater · Post by **shantybeater** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:28 pm

Was there anything noticable happening before it went? I assume it started slipping, I only realised the other day my biting point is literally just before I take my foot off the pedal, doesn't this mean its game over for my clutch soon or are gti clutches naturally high

MaxZ · Post by **MaxZ** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:31 pm

Really glad I had my clutch replaced with the new engine, fitment should cost about 150-200 quid. Should pay cash in hand, save yourself some VAT

oscar olop gti · Post by **oscar olop gti** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:36 pm

My biting point was about half way up the peddle, then i started have problems selecting gears & the biting point was virtually just off the floor.
Have been told the clutch cable is fine, have changed the gearbox oil last Friday, still grinding some of the gears.

Have no whining from gearbox & have been told by several people ( one was my girlfriend's cousins husband, who owns a garage ) its the release bearing on the clutch.

JDism · Post by **JDism** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:36 pm

SHANTYBEATER - Hi mate. When I bought my GTi about 4 weeks ago the bitting point on the clutch was very high and the clutch itself was very stiff...it also felt very notchy when I depressed the clutch...if that makes any sense.
I put my foot down on the way to work yesterday and didnt notice a thing untill I slowed down and went through the gears in a village....the clutch became very,very light and the biting point was now right at the bottom...with my foot almost fully extended.When I pulled away in first gear the entire car shuddered, but once I got going it was ok.
I then took it to the stealer and my local mechanic straight away.

But yes,your sympyoms sound similar to mine....hope that helps buddy!

shantybeater · Post by **shantybeater** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:44 pm

oh wait so the clutch wasnt engaging until you had your foot almost flat to the floor??? (the same as flooring it with the accelarator?)

Mine is the opposite if you get me, i literally gently push the clutch & it engages?

oscar olop gti · Post by **oscar olop gti** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:47 pm

Just try have the clutch cable adjusted see if that sorts it out, before shelling out a few hunderd quid

JDism · Post by **JDism** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:49 pm

SHANTYBEATER - Thats how mine started...the bitting point was very high like yours...the slightests pressure would engage the clutch.The clutch was also very stiff and notchy.
When it actually went,or was on its way...it was the opposite. The clutch was very light,the bitting point was right at the bottom and it was very hard to get the car into gear!!

Hope that helps!

Si_GTi · Post by **Si_GTi** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:49 pm

I replaced my clutch with the OEM item. My mechanic did a superb job and it just needed a minor alteration after about 6 weeks when it started to make trouble getting into 1st and reverse. He *did* tell me this would happen, I can't have been listening at the time

I forget how much it cost me to have him fit the clutch but it wasn't massively expensive, under Â£200 all in including refurbished OEM clutch (they are never brand new, old ones get refurbished with fresh plates apparently) and new clutch cable.

VW dealership wanted over Â£400 for the same job, thieving so-and-so's!!

Cheers

shantybeater · Post by **shantybeater** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:03 pm

cheers matey, i'll try getting it adjusted if it plays up, it doesnt bother me as such at the mo as there is a small amount of leway & its never slipped on me

garnier · Post by **garnier** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:10 pm

There's a simple test for wether a clutch is gubbed or not.

Engine running, car at standstill, clutch pressed down.
Engage 4th gear and release the clutch.

If the engine stalls, the clutch is fine. If the engine doesn't stall, your clutch has slipped.

Often a pretty worn clucth will not slip, but the bearning can getr noisy.
When you buy a clutch you normally get a bearing with it. Since it's a fair bit of work to get a clutch (or clucth bearing) out of the gearbox, you normally replace the whole lot at the same time.

With my old clutch, it made a spinning/whirring noise when the clucth was up (stopped when I pressed the clucth), sometimes sounded like a scratchy noise when I pump the clutch. The beairng was gone, and the clutch was close to going.

Silva_B!tch_Owner · Post by **Silva_B!tch_Owner** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:29 pm

Had mine replaced recently costing Â£220 inc VAT. Most garages quoted that so I just took it to one my friend recommended.

VW would charge much more, just much cheaper to go to another garage.

The clutch began to make a loud whirling noise, which was the clutch release bearing as mentioned above. Also the clutch had been slipping anyway so I just got it all sorted.