Last weekend whilst towing my Caravan back from holiday, I got stuck behind some muppet who stopped on a very steep entrance to a roundabout when nothing was coming, I took quite a lot of effort to get going and at lot of rev's on the clutch, I fear I have slipped the clutch to much as a week later now I am getting clutch judder every time I set of in first gear, also when I stop there is always a burning clutch smell, I had hoped that the clutch would wear back in and the smell with eventually go, Is this likely or does this as I fear point to more damage?

Whats even more annoying is this clucth is less than a year old and done 11K and we all know how much they cost!

I had thought of trying to blag the clutch installers but I'm sure any clutch expert worth his wait would recognise damage through driving than poor installation.

Have I any hope of this clutch still being OK and it just needs wearing in?

Edited 12 June, 201016 yr by bryanp

I tow a very heavy trailer with my AWX Superb and have had no clutch problems. This includes quite a few hill starts when fully loaded.

The clutch on the B5.5 is a strange beast - it never feels absolutely right and it is prone to juddering when cold, when condensation forms on the cold flywheel face in the Autumn and also when lightly used. Heavier use always seems to make it feel better - I have been towing a lot recently and the clutch is absolutely smooth at the moment. Sometimes the release bearing feels rough through the pedal - possibly due to poor centering of the DMF - but all is well at the moment.

I always drive considerately (as I pay for replacement parts) and I've never had any clutch smell despite heavy use. Was your replacement clutch an OE spare (LuK or Sachs) and was it fitted properly - if necessary with a new flywheel?

When I changed the cambelt on my AWX I thought at the time it would be far easier to take the engine out to fit a new clutch rather than grovel around with gearboxes and driveshafts. The access is good once that stupid front panel is out of the way. Anyone tried it? This is a job I'll almost certainly have to do in the future...

rotodiesel.

I tow a very heavy trailer with my AWX Superb and have had no clutch problems. This includes quite a few hill starts when fully loaded.

The clutch on the B5.5 is a strange beast - it never feels absolutely right and it is prone to juddering when cold, when condensation forms on the cold flywheel face in the Autumn and also when lightly used. Heavier use always seems to make it feel better - I have been towing a lot recently and the clutch is absolutely smooth at the moment. Sometimes the release bearing feels rough through the pedal - possibly due to poor centering of the DMF - but all is well at the moment.

I always drive considerately (as I pay for replacement parts) and I've never had any clutch smell despite heavy use. Was your replacement clutch an OE spare (LuK or Sachs) and was it fitted properly - if necessary with a new flywheel?

When I changed the cambelt on my AWX I thought at the time it would be far easier to take the engine out to fit a new clutch rather than grovel around with gearboxes and driveshafts. The access is good once that stupid front panel is out of the way. Anyone tried it? This is a job I'll almost certainly have to do in the future...

rotodiesel.

It was a LUK full repalcement including flywheel, done by a highly recommended clutch specialist

I used to test automotive components and had problems with some LuK clutch pressure plates. The diaphragm springs did not flip overcentre properly and consequently the pedal pressure rose almost linearly with travel giving a very poor pedal feel. Sachs clutches were a lot better. None of this testing was done on VAG platforms.

How many miles did your first clutch survive before replacement?

If your present clutch has only done 11k miles, I'd take it back. A decent clutch with good applications engineering (which probably doesn't apply to the B5.5) should do 150k miles.

rotodiesel.

I used to test automotive components and had problems with some LuK clutch pressure plates. The diaphragm springs did not flip overcentre properly and consequently the pedal pressure rose almost linearly with travel giving a very poor pedal feel. Sachs clutches were a lot better. None of this testing was done on VAG platforms.

How many miles did your first clutch survive before replacement?

If your present clutch has only done 11k miles, I'd take it back. A decent clutch with good applications engineering (which probably doesn't apply to the B5.5) should do 150k miles.

rotodiesel.

Smell gone, judder gone and car driving lovely again, think I panicked and only had to wait for the clutch to bed in again, I only got worried about the clutch still smelling so long after slipping it because someone at work with a different car thought it was a bit odd but looking on a VW forum some have said that this clutch is notorious for the smell to linger for a while after slipping it and and from my experience I fully agree. Panic over (for now)

Edited 15 June, 201015 yr by bryanp