Anyone have this problem? I HAVE an 8month old fabia that has clutch judder when pulling away in first gear.No problem after changing thro the gears only on initial start.Have had this fault for a few months now and thought it was a bedding in issue.Only done 3000 miles.Took the car to local dealer and have been advised I could be responsible for repair bill depending on what they discover when striped down.Car was purchased new with 3yr warranty and needles to say I am livid about this situation.Any advice on this situation urgently required.

Anyone have this problem? I HAVE an 8month old fabia that has clutch judder when pulling away in first gear.No problem after changing thro the gears only on initial start.Have had this fault for a few months now and thought it was a bedding in issue.Only done 3000 miles.Took the car to local dealer and have been advised I could be responsible for repair bill depending on what they discover when striped down.Car was purchased new with 3yr warranty and needles to say I am livid about this situation.Any advice on this situation urgently required.

My car must have been built about the same time as yours ( delivery was in March ) and I've got the same. It started within 100 miles of delivery and I've now done over 5000 miles.

My dealer says not bad enough to change and that because the removed part(s) will not show any abnormalities Skoda will not pay the bill.

Unfortunately clutch, brakes, wipers etc are considered wear and tear items and a lot of dealers and manufacturers duck out of their responsibility. I also remember reading somewhere about a 6 month limit.

If it were mine I would give the clutch some deliberate slippage at moderate revs for several seconds and see if that cures the problem.

Alternatively contact Skoda customer services and complain.

If it were mine I would give the clutch some deliberate slippage at moderate revs for several seconds and see if that cures the problem.

I tried that soon after it started and judder went away but was back after a couple of days.

I tried again recently and the judder remained .....

I tried that soon after it started and judder went away but was back after a couple of days.

I tried again recently and the judder remained .....

have you tried switching the traction control off, then rev the *******s and drop the clutch?, then putting it back to traction on there has been some problems with the traction control give it a go, i don't understand however skoda can duck out of their warranty, i understand the wear n tear but on a vehicle so young?, i would fight that one in the small claims and get trading standards involved "un-fit for purpose" the parts you have mentioned should have more than 6 months cover especially the clutch, i have the same model as you elegance 105bhp i have no problems so far 3,500k on the clock and 8 months old

John, Delta...a small amount of judder developing after a few miles from new is often not something to worry about. Usually it goes away as the clutch continues to bed in. But at the mileage you are both at now it is doubtful if your judder will go away and it will often continue to get worse. This is due to the extra heat and stress the judder tends to cause which in turn makes the distortion in the clutch drive plate and/or cover assembly get worse. My advice is not to be too concerned at this stage as it will get to a point where Skoda and your dealer will be able to change the clutch at no cost to yourselves. Just make sure your dealer has recorded the fact you have already complained about the existing judder. There is not time limit on warranty for clutches other than the 3years manufacturers warranty time although some manufacturers don't like touching brakes after 6months or so unless there is a clear cut case of a fault as xman says.

there you go clutch is no problem "the man with the answer has arrived"

Hi Seb, your suggestion is a good one and can often influence the situation or in some cases speed up the bedding in process. It's a good way of burning off contaminants too that can sometime cause judder. Glad you motor is going ok. Speak soon! :yes:

Hi Seb, your suggestion is a good one and can often influence the situation or in some cases speed up the bedding in process. It's a good way of burning off contaminants too that can sometime cause judder. Glad you motor is going ok. Speak soon! :yes:

car is great seems to be going much better day by day, Oh this maybe because I've lost a stone in three weeks

have you tried switching the traction control off, then rev the *******s and drop the clutch?, then putting it back to traction on there has been some problems with the traction control give it a go, i don't understand however skoda can duck out of their warranty, i understand the wear n tear but on a vehicle so young?, i would fight that one in the small claims and get trading standards involved "un-fit for purpose" the parts you have mentioned should have more than 6 months cover especially the clutch, i have the same model as you elegance 105bhp i have no problems so far 3,500k on the clock and 8 months old

6500 miles/6 month time limit applies to clutch.

VW UK Terms and Conditions

Skoda UK Terms and Conditions (PDF file - conditions identical to VW)

Items where the lifetime of the component is or can be influenced by driving style and external factors will only be considered under the terms of the warranty for a period of six months or 6,500 miles (whichever is soonest).Beyond that limit, the defects must be classified as wear and tear and will not be covered by the Skoda warranty.

Components subject to wear and tear include, but are not limited to:

Brake linings and disc pads

Clutch release bearings

Clutch pressure plates and centre plates

Tyres

Wiper blades (wiper rubbers have no warranty owing to their conditions of use)

Seat and backrest covers

Floor coverings

Spark plugs

Batteries for key fobs and alarms

Light bulbs

Shock Absorbers

Mechanical adjustments after six months or 6,500 miles (whichever is soonest) are also excluded from warranty cover such as:

Adjustments to doors, flaps, boot lids, bonnets, sunroof

Brake adjustment

Clutch adjustment

V belt adjustment

Ignition adjustment

Headlight adjustment

Steering geometry adjustments

Wheel balancing

Edited 21 November, 201114 yr by xman

HI xman,

Yeah...that's normal stuff on warranty but although they are wear and tear items they have to be fit for purpose. No manufacturer can escape that. So if when taking the clutch assembly apart they find loose rivets on the cover assembly for example, something that is unlikely to have been done by a customer, then the manufacturer will cover that. That's why a few on here have been able to report that their clutches have been replaced under warranty even in the second year. I've also replaced clutches under warranty later than that. The key is proving the problem. So dealers will tell you that it's not normally covered and you will have to cover the cost yourself but they are willing to send a report and photo's of the parts or even send the parts to Skoda for examination and if you are lucky they will refund the cost. That's normally how it works in my experience.

6500 miles/6 month time limit applies to clutch.

VW UK Terms and Conditions

Skoda UK Terms and Conditions (PDF file - conditions identical to VW)

This is why after initial contact with dealer when told to allow time to bed in I reported within 6 months the judder still existed and insisted that the service manager drove the car. He acknowledged there was judder but as I've said in his view not serious enough for Skoda to pay for replacement. I asked this was formally recorded on their computer. I can only hope it was done. His comment also was that judder is not wear and tear so if it got significantly worse clutch replacement would still be covered under warranty so long as once the parts were returned they were deemed to have a manufacturing fault.

I can only trust that they keep to their word should the judder get worse. I wish either it would or gradually disappear sooner rather than later.

have you tried switching the traction control off, then rev the *******s and drop the clutch?, then putting it back to traction on there has been some problems with the traction control give it a go

I'll be proved wrong but I don't think what I am experiencing is related to traction control as it occurs nowhere near the limits of traction.

Also if it was it wouldn't be back after a couple of days when I did briefly clear the judder by putting handbrake on hard, revving to about 2000rpm then holding throttle and bringing in the clutch until revs down and car creeping forward against handbrake for a couple of seconds.

My car must have been built about the same time as yours ( delivery was in March ) and I've got the same. It started within 100 miles of delivery and I've now done over 5000 miles.

My dealer says not bad enough to change and that because the removed part(s) will not show any abnormalities Skoda will not pay the bill.

Hi Delta thanks for your reply I contacted Skoda customer services today and reported fault.They were extremely sympathetic to my problem and re-assured me they would follow up my complaint with local dealer and asist as soon as clutch assembly was striped.I feel more confident that Skoda will allow repair to be completed under warranty.Clutch judder can realy spoil your driving and get on your nerves so I am anxious to get this resolved as soon as possible.This is my second new Skoda last one a 57plate Fabia estate 1.4tdi 80bhp bohemia with no prolems over 3 years and clutch as smooth as silk so this has been a major disapointment.By the way car is an se model with no traction controll.If you are still experiencing dificulty i would urge you to report fault directly to Skoda and follow it thro. till you get satisfied with your quality car.Regards johntj.

That's excellent John, you are doing all the right things. Once the clutch is apart they can nearly always tell if the unit is faulty or it's a customer driving technique that's caused it (usually it isn't) such as holding on steep hills at the traffic lights on the clutch instead of using the brakes etc etc. They'll also check the DMF (dual mass flywheel) which sometimes can also be at fault. Do report back when eventually the problem is sorted to let us know what the problem was.

That's excellent John, you are doing all the right things. Once the clutch is apart they can nearly always tell if the unit is faulty or it's a customer driving technique that's caused it (usually it isn't) such as holding on steep hills at the traffic lights on the clutch instead of using the brakes etc etc. They'll also check the DMF (dual mass flywheel) which sometimes can also be at fault. Do report back when eventually the problem is sorted to let us know what the problem was.

Thanks for your support Estate Man (and all the other members who took the trouble to reply)Car is going to Skoda workshop 1st december so i will have to sweat it out untill then.Will keep in touch when problemn diagnosed.Kind Regards to you all and enjoy your Skodas.

John, Delta...a small amount of judder developing after a few miles from new is often not something to worry about. Usually it goes away as the clutch continues to bed in. But at the mileage you are both at now it is doubtful if your judder will go away and it will often continue to get worse. This is due to the extra heat and stress the judder tends to cause which in turn makes the distortion in the clutch drive plate and/or cover assembly get worse. My advice is not to be too concerned at this stage as it will get to a point where Skoda and your dealer will be able to change the clutch at no cost to yourselves. Just make sure your dealer has recorded the fact you have already complained about the existing judder. There is not time limit on warranty for clutches other than the 3years manufacturers warranty time although some manufacturers don't like touching brakes after 6months or so unless there is a clear cut case of a fault as xman says.

Hi estate man I am one happy bunny this weekend.Fabia now returned aftera 2 day stay in workshop.They stripped down clutch assembly and could not visually detect any fault.RE-BUILT with new clutch plate(is this a new clutch unit?)sleeve and release bearing.Flywheel ok and apparently is a single plate unit.Car now feels like new again with no trace of judder when pulling away and is now a pleasure to drive.Dealer is sorting out bill directly with Scoda under warranty terms so it has all been worth a few sleepless nights.Your comments about warranty on clutch units is spot on and every case is apparently judged on its own merit and not a 6month basis.Must say a big thanks to Specialist Cars Aberdeen and Scoda customer services who contorary to some site coments were extremely helpfull and sympathetic and I would urge any members with a genuine complaint that can not be resolved thro dealer to contact them directly.