Can anyone else shed any light on how likely it is for a standard clutch to last in a Vrs?

I have an '05 plate Vrs that ticked just past 50k last week and have been noticing the tell-tale rev increase, coinciding with speed decrease for about a month now. I'm almost resigned to the fact that its been chewed by my driving style but thought I would see if anyone else has experienced this?

More importantly, since I've already done the 6th gear test and convinced myself, does anyone in the midlands (Nottingham/Derby specifically) know a decent place to get it changed? I'm aware its an **** of a job and that I would be a fool to attempt it without ramps, pits, proper tools, much greater electro-mechanical knowledge etc etc. I was going to ask Farmers in Notts or Clock in Spondon but if there are any non-main dealer specialists around who are more reasonable price-wise....

I've had a look round on the web this evening for some prices and thus far Euro car parts are winning at £92(ex VAT) for a clutch kit. Is this reasonable? It sounds it to me. Or should I keep digging?

:confused:

Also, the clutch is obviously in this state because of the amount of torque that is being forced through it, has anybody on here installed an uprated one? If so, makes, models, performance, prices? I've heard Sachs do a good replacement. Any confirmation?

All information is welcome, I'm gonna have to get it sorted in February before the cambelt and MOT is due (Ouch!) [/b]

Is your car Modded at all? Quite a few run a Sachs organic clutch, 1 or two a spec stage 3+ again depending on mods, IIRC one fabia was running a std clutch after 100K miles with a std remap. Driving style will have a lot to do with it though.

Completely standard.

Theres a PD160 intake is sitting in the shed waiting for the time and I was considering a remap as a birthday present to myself in July, hence the uprated query.

I was told by a VAG owner at work that a remap on his Golf ripped his standard clutch to shreds in 15k and I don't want to be here again next February, I do around 30k a year!

If you are just having a plain remap 170 180 bhp and torque to match, and the clutch needs doing in anycase then a sachs is probably your best bet.

DSB Autocare in Bulwell,Nottingham.0115 977 1004.

Dave and Sara will see you right.

Id recomend going to JabbaSport in Peterborough, Get yourself the Sachs Clutch and SMF kit then give you car some abuse

I used my vRS as a driving school car, and ran to 80k, and the clutch was still "as new" with no problems....

have you tried "the cure" ?

it may have glazed (much as brakes do) try to do a few viscious starts, a few thousand revs, drop the clutch ect..... if its already dead, you won't cause any more problems... if its glazed, you may just cure it....

I'm putting 314lbs/ft through the clutch in my fiat, up to 70k now, and still "as new"

Generally I drive like my Dad, a right foot made of lead and other heavy elements, regardless of revs although I tend to use the low end torque rather than the power from the top end of the turbo. I don't tend to think of the preservation of mechanical components because at the end of the day its only a tool to get me about. If its fun too then its a bonus but I really didn't think that at 50k I would see this. There is of course the distinct possibility that for the 37k it did before I got hold of it, it was absolutely thrashed but I still wouldn't expect this to be a problem just yet.

Last night I drove to Leicester and back and although the outward journey produced the same results, on the way back(3 hour gap, car had cooled down) I noticed that it was doing it much less. This is possibly because I was tired and so took it easier than normal until I hit the M1 but I tried to force the error to illustrate to my girlfriend what the problem was and it wouldn't do it in any gear. Didn't notice it on the way to work this morning either but at 6.30am on Saturday you don't notice much!

I will give it a good pounding on my way to pick her up later and see what the results are. Like you say, I can't really do much more damage to it. If its gone, its gone but if it might 'cure' it then its worth a try

I had a 115bhp PD Golf. Bought it with 32k on the clock and did a few bits to it so it was running around 145-150bhp. The original clutch started slipping at 48k so I replaced it with a genuine VAG one and then used it (including towing, pulling a tree out of the ground, towing a 2wd Saff Cossie out of a ditch after he spun it trying to overtake me down some lanes and several track days) and it still going strong at 146k!!

Having done some research last night I think the standard clutch will have to be a good enough replacement for the time being(assuming its gone). Although the Sachs is tempting, its 6 times the price with the DMF and to be honest, a 312mm brake upgrade and rear ARB is on the cards before any remaps will be done.

Can anyone shed any light as to whether the £92 from Euro car parts is a good deal? Its still the cheapest I've found, but some of the "Willing to offer advice regardless of whether you want it or not" crew at work told me to keep looking.

Thanks to the guys who recommended DSB in Notts, I'll be ringing them on Monday to sort out getting my cambelt done and most likely this too.

Our Fabia lasted until about 50k and it has a remap and the 160 air intake fitted. When last rolling roaded (remap fitment) it was outputting 195bhp and 317lb ft of torque. At the time we couldn't afford the sachs clutch so just got the run of the mill clutch fitted i think all in it cost £350.

The Sachs clutch is nowhere near 3x or 6x standard clutch price? The labour is the expensive bit as you have to drop out a lot to change the clutch.

If you swap the clutch out, I'd go for a Sachs + uprated pressure plate if you can, it is worth it as it will last a lot better and also if you go for a remap it will take it without grief.

As for how long does a clutch last question - give me a standard car and let me abuse it, I bet I can kill your clutch. If you drive it as it was designed to be used, it will still go at some point. It is a wearing item. 50k isnt that bad, although my clutch has done 65k (Sachs one) and is going strong. And that is with a fair bit more power&torque than standard..

Having taken the 'viscous starting' advice from the sharkriders post last night I can report that the problem doesn't seem so bad today. Not that its 'fixed', but the slip is much more difficult to instigate now which might be enough to get me into March's wages...

I'm going to give DSB a call on Monday anyway and will get the service done so I'll ask an opinion from someone who can have a butchers and a drive and see what they say too.

Thanks for your advice guys, if anyone knows of a competitive price for the Sachs clutch, feel free to post me a link or a phone number

The only quick bit of research I did on it was the Jabba website and the Sachs clutch kit was £570 (£885 with the flywheel!) against the £92 standard one. You don't have to be a mathematical genius....

If its available for a few hundred quid then I'd consider it since everyone seems to be of the opinion that its the way forward.

Hmm - might be with fitting included perhaps for that price?

Nope, doesn't include fitting but I have contacted DSB this morning who have booked me in for a cambelt change and they said they're gonna give it a road test and see if they think its a problem.

I have to say though, since giving it the viscous starting treatment for 2 nights now it seemed to be a lot better on the way to work this morning.

Still, if a replacement is needed, a standard one can be done for around £350 all in. That doesn't sound too tragic if I'm honest, given whats involved in the procedure...

, IIRC one fabia was running a std clutch after 100K miles with a std remap.

That will be me.

123k now, original clutch, on a remap.

But it's about to be replaced.

Slips heavily when under load now.

I'm just replacing it with another OEM, because, if it's lasted this long, i'll be just as happy for another OEM to last the same distance again !