The car has 3 years warranty so it is up to the SELLER to prove that it is faulty and not the 'consumer'.

Sorry, warranty/insurance only pay out when a fault is confirmed as with an accident.

Interesting that the garage did not send the original clutch off to Skoda for testing. All the warranty parts from my car (Engine, on new engine three injectors and exhaust sensor) were sent to Skoda to check.

The claim through warranty or law all depends on proving the clutch was not warn out by driving style.

Thank you to everyone for your replies. I have to say I think I am relying on Skoda being reasonable and, after my previous experience, I don't feel optimistic.

I shall try my best to get the dealership to help but- especially after reading your replies- I think they sold me down the river last time. I was quite ill at the time, was having surgery and had a one year old daughter. It was just too much, my mother gave me the money and told me just to pay it as it wasn't good for me to have this hanging. Can't quite believe I let it go so easily, they should have helped me I think, they knew it wasn't a worn out due to driving case but they didn't care enough.

Do any of you mechanical sorts know if the way my clutch has gone each time would mean anything. No problems at all, witnessed by the dealership itself, then completely broken the next day? Also can anyone suggest a way we can show that there is something more going on than driver abuse.

Thanks in advance,

On to customer care tomorrow :'(

I would contact Skoda customer services and explain the fault, time frames and your personal problems at the time of the first breakdown resulting you paid the bill - they fixed another members clutch problem on here.

I would also reference the service persons comment on the clutch.

I have no mechanical background as a job but back in the distant past in metal work I seem to remember blue metal was a sign of tempering and dug this out of the web "When a polished piece of steel, hardened or unhardened, is exposed to heat in the presence of air, (it’s surface) assumes different colors as the heat increases. First will be noted a faint straw color, which changes to a deeper straw, then to dark brown with purple spots, then to a dark blue, and finally to a light blue. These colors are due to a thin film of oxide that forms as the heat progresses.

Edited 4 December, 201114 yr by Dempsek

Sorry, warranty/insurance only pay out when a fault is confirmed as with an accident.

Interesting that the garage did not send the original clutch off to Skoda for testing. All the warranty parts from my car (Engine, on new engine three injectors and exhaust sensor) were sent to Skoda to check.

The claim through warranty or law all depends on proving the clutch was not warn out by driving style.

eh what?

SOGA and 3 years warranty means that Skoda have to do all the leg work and not the customer....

eh what?

SOGA and 3 years warranty means that Skoda have to do all the leg work and not the customer....

Xman posted this in the clutch judder thread VW Warranty.

An extract "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 Volkswagen 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"

I suspect the reason for 6 months in the UK is under the Supply of goods act any fault found in the first six months is deemed to be there at point of manufacture.

First fault 9000 miles, second fault 20,000+

Xman posted this in the clutch judder thread VW Warranty.

An extract "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 Volkswagen 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"

I suspect the reason for 6 months in the UK is under the Supply of goods act any fault found in the first six months is deemed to be there at point of manufacture.

First fault 9000 miles, second fault 20,000+

But the clutch was never proved to be at fault....just blue. Up until the point it is proved that the clutch plate is at fault and was caused by driving style the onus would be on Skoda, only after that would it THEN be up to the customer to foot the bill etc.....

I know people that have had clutches replaced under warranty due to other factors at fault such as DMF, gearbox etc.....

Xman posted this in the clutch judder thread VW Warranty.

An extract "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 Volkswagen 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"

I suspect the reason for 6 months in the UK is under the Supply of goods act any fault found in the first six months is deemed to be there at point of manufacture.

First fault 9000 miles, second fault 20,000+

I quite understand that under the standard warranty this would not be covered but my thoughts are that this is definitely not caused by wear and tear in this case. The clutch hasn't worn out as a clutch would, the usual clues for a clutch wearing havent been there. Last time Skoda serviced my car 2 days before the problem without any clue that there would be a problem. It just doesn't add up to it being a standard wear and tear item running out (regardless of the fact that,warranty aside 9000 miles on a clutch, is not an acceptable time scale)

I said last time that this must have been caused by something being wrong in the first place and therefore I was very worried that it'd happen again but the service manager said no way that it'd happen again as it's just not a fault they see. Well it has happened again and if I pay out then I have every reason to think it'll happen a third time. It just is wrong but I have to prove what is causing it for Skoda to be interested and I'm not the mechanic.

But the clutch was never proved to be at fault....just blue. Up until the point it is proved that the clutch plate is at fault and was caused by driving style the onus would be on Skoda, only after that would it THEN be up to the customer to foot the bill etc.....

I know people that have had clutches replaced under warranty due to other factors at fault such as DMF, gearbox etc.....

Thank you,

This gives me some hope!

I did say last time that I wanted to keep the clutch but it was going to cost an extra £50. As i felt beaten I let it go, felt like throwing good money after bad. So mad at myself for so many things! It isn't like me either, I'm not usually a quitter!

Thank you,

This gives me some hope!

I did say last time that I wanted to keep the clutch but it was going to cost an extra £50. As i felt beaten I let it go, felt like throwing good money after bad. So mad at myself for so many things! It isn't like me either, I'm not usually a quitter!

Hmmm major alarm bells - why would it cost you £50 to keep a clutch that you own?

Hmmm major alarm bells - why would it cost you £50 to keep a clutch that you own?

I agree.

Quick synopsis I bought a Greenline II last October and its done nothing but be in the dealers getting its regular fix, I have no reason to support Skoda or their dealers - awaiting a replacement. The warranty and law are the warranty and law and it is better to know what they mean, you can then use them to your advantage as I have.

I nave dug this out of the web.

Satisfactory quality is defined as what a ‘reasonable person’ would regard as acceptable, and takes into account factors such as price paid, fitness for purpose specified, appearance and finish, freedom from minor blemishes, safety and durability. If it becomes apparent that an item is not of the quality you were led to expect, you were not aware of any such defect when you bought it, and you bought from a seller acting ‘in the course of a business’ (i.e. not an informal sale), you are quite within your rights to go back to the retailer, even after some months of use. If a product develops a fault within the first 6 months, the assumption will be that this defect was present at the time of purchase and you will not have to prove anything. If you are returning an item after this 6 month time period, this automatic assumption does not apply, and it may be up to you to prove the fault did not occur through misuse. You should also consider aspect of durability and acceptance.

Contact Skoda customer services and tell them what has happened and the £50 for your clutch. Then hopefully they will apply pressure on the dealer or help with a replacement. Forgot this if the car is off the road for more than a day Skoda will provide a car while yours is being sorted.

Edited 4 December, 201114 yr by Dempsek

The problem with all of this is the time factor.., whatever happens it will take MONTHS (and potentially, many months) to get it paid for by VW, and since it clearly doesn't work you're left with no car in the interim. Plus as said you will need to prove the fault most likely, which will mean (to be blunt) good money after bad. And meanwhile the car is depreciating.

I'd focus on the outcomes. If you eventually get warantee then you end up with a car you have no confidence in, £600 back, but most likely more than that spent in depreciation in the mean time, no car in the interim, and buckets of stress too (at least, this is my experience). So real cost is likely to be £500 at least (depreciation).

If you take that route an don't get a pay-out, you end up £000's in diagnostics down, £600 down for another clutch, probably at least the same again down in depreciation, still end up with a car you have no confidence in and of course the stress too. Real cost could easily be £2k+.

If you make it the dealers problem by just trading it in, you could have a brand-new car by the weekend and zero stress. You may or may not need to swallow the cost of the immediate repair, depending on how good you are at negotiating, so cost could be £0 to £600. If you finance the balance, you'll get three-years servicing included at no cost as well. Could minimise capital spend by going for TSi/85.

Food for thought anyway.

Edited 5 December, 201114 yr by pearce_jj

No disrespect to anyone but I think several people are jumping the gun somewhat with talking about legal action when we don't know what the official response will be. Legal action is the last thing that is needed at the moment, but I'm sure the advice will be valued later if needed. However, I doubt it will be needed as dealers and manufacturers are not intent on deliberately jerking there customers about and contrary to popular folk law do actually want you to be happy with your car. I can understand how Karrie was forced to pay for her repair in the first instance, but now It just needs a new assessment of the problem which any good dealer will be able to take charge of, but in consultation with SUK. It need to be more indepth this time. Karrie will need to speak with SUK first and then visit her dealer. If it's a given that Karrie has been driving it correctly, then it's clear there is a fault. When the dealer said her clutch was 'blue' they mean the friction parts of the cover assembly and almost certainly the disc itself will be blue and dark from the heat. When they get to that stage they cannot be reused. There are several things that can cause this problem but only one in my view that fit the bill fully and is outlined in my first post on page one. I may be wrong but I've seen this many time on other makes in the last 30 years. It's not unheard of and it is solvable.

Indeed I owned a brand new Transit diesel with the same fault. The dealer failed to pick the fault up and I ended up telling them what the problem was, how it was caused and how to fix it. They did! Their problem was all the technicians were very young and although qualified, hadn't come across this problem before.

If Karrie approaches it right and speaks with the right people in SUK and at her dealership then all should be well.

Edit: I'm sure SUK will refund the cost of the original repair too once they see it's a fault. It's not rocket science we are dealing with here it should be easy to sort.

Edited 5 December, 201114 yr by Estate Man

No disrespect to anyone but I think several people are jumping the gun somewhat with talking about legal action when we don't know what the official response will be. Legal action is the last thing that is needed at the moment, but I'm sure the advice will be valued later if needed. However, I doubt it will be needed as dealers and manufacturers are not intent on deliberately jerking there customers about and contrary to popular folk law do actually want you to be happy with your car. I can understand how Karrie was forced to pay for her repair in the first instance, but now It just needs a new assessment of the problem which any good dealer will be able to take charge of, but in consultation with SUK. It need to be more indepth this time. Karrie will need to speak with SUK first and then visit her dealer. If it's a given that Karrie has been driving it correctly, then it's clear there is a fault. When the dealer said her clutch was 'blue' they mean the friction parts of the cover assembly and almost certainly the disc itself will be blue and dark from the heat. When they get to that stage they cannot be reused. There are several things that can cause this problem but only one in my view that fit the bill fully and is outlined in my first post on page one. I may be wrong but I've seen this many time on other makes in the last 30 years. It's not unheard of and it is solvable.

Indeed I owned a brand new Transit diesel with the same fault. The dealer failed to pick the fault up and I ended up telling them what the problem was, how it was caused and how to fix it. They did! Their problem was all the technicians were very young and although qualified, hadn't come across this problem before.

If Karrie approaches it right and speaks with the right people in SUK and at her dealership then all should be well.

Edit: I'm sure SUK will refund the cost of the original repair too once they see it's a fault. It's not rocket science we are dealing with here it should be easy to sort.

Hi Estate man,

Thank you for all your help. You are absolutely right I don't want to have to seek any legal or consumer advice (and I don't think I'd have any real case). I just want Skoda to be fair and reasonable and look at the facts which don't add up at the moment. It's very frustrating to know something is not right and not be listened to.

Anyway, it gets even stranger....

I phoned SUK this morning who got in touch with dealership. Standard line of having to investigate before they could say anything.

I then got a phone call at 12.30 saying that there didn't appear to be anytime to look at car today but they'd do it tomorrow and get back to me. At 4pm got a call from SUK saying that the dealership have driven the vehicle and can find no fault!

I was to phone dealership who advised they'd had it driving for an hour and there was no problem with it at all and I should go and pick it up. I asked if there were any signs of clutch wearing and they said absolutely none.

I picke dthe car up and, right enough, it is running beautifully (tonight!) Bear in mind that the problem occurred with me on Thursday, was driven by me to local independent garage who confirmed it was clutch related then driven by my husband who agreed. Finally on Sat as we were about to drive to dealership to drop it off it wouldn't go into any gear. Skoda assist sent RAC who also couldn't select a gear and towed it on back of truck.

Any clues to what is happening? Seems mighty odd to me.

Thanks

Hi Karrie, couple of questions. Have you owned it from new? Have you made your dealership and Skoda Uk fully aware the vehicle was recovered by Skoda Assist who also could not select any gear and had mentioned it was definitely clutch related and that also an independent garage had also found it clutch related? The vehicle is now unreliabel due to this fault, after all it would not have been recovered for nothing on the back of a truck! I can understand the dealer and Skoda not being able to proceed with a diagnosis if they cannot experience the fault as those are the rules and if they have nothing to go on that they can see for themselves then they just cannot go forth and strip the engine. But I now feel you must move forward in another way.

I suggest you speak with SUK and advise them you are going to write to them (in detail) concerning this problem outlining everything that has happened and also ensuring you tell them your driving credentials are impecable concerning your own driving technique. Ask them for a formal written reply to enable you to proceed further down a more formal line should you need to. Be sure to ask them to reconsider what they should do about your problem and appeal to them to investigate as something is definitely wrong and it has been witnessed by Skoda Assist. Outline in writing the vehicle has had to be recovered and that Skoda Assist found the car undrivable as did another garage. Outline the original problem and the current one. Tell them what has so far been done. It's worth mentioning that one or two people have told you there probably is a gearbox output shaft tolerance fault, and/or a flywheel specification fault. In the case of Ford who also had this problem on Fiestas and Transits, the shims on the crankshaft where the flywheel bolts on, were undersize and this meant the clutch could not fully use it's full travel. This meant under high load the clutch would slip and get hot. This was not easy to notice at first. In addition some gearboxes were found to have oversize output shafts which prevented the clutch discs sliding correctly on the input shaft when the engines became hot and when the vehicles had covered some 10-15k miles.

I suspect this will be sorted but SUK, bless them, do need everything to be spelled out very very clearly, as does the dealer. It's pretty much the same with all dealers and manufacturers not just SUK. Repeat and repeat yourself to everyone and it often works. I spent 30 years in the trade and that is how it works, don't rely on everyone remembering what you say and repeat yourself over and over again to make your point. Keep coming back to this thread, many of us are interested in your plight and as you can see there's some good legal guys on here who will help you. I only know about the technical side (I'm ex tech and an engineer).

Good luck, let us know whats going on!

Look on the bright side... no fault = book value against trade-in, no question

Hi Karrie, couple of questions. Have you owned it from new? Have you made your dealership and Skoda Uk fully aware the vehicle was recovered by Skoda Assist who also could not select any gear and had mentioned it was definitely clutch related and that also an independent garage had also found it clutch related? The vehicle is now unreliabel due to this fault, after all it would not have been recovered for nothing on the back of a truck! I can understand the dealer and Skoda not being able to proceed with a diagnosis if they cannot experience the fault as those are the rules and if they have nothing to go on that they can see for themselves then they just cannot go forth and strip the engine. But I now feel you must move forward in another way.

I suggest you speak with SUK and advise them you are going to write to them (in detail) concerning this problem outlining everything that has happened and also ensuring you tell them your driving credentials are impecable concerning your own driving technique. Ask them for a formal written reply to enable you to proceed further down a more formal line should you need to. Be sure to ask them to reconsider what they should do about your problem and appeal to them to investigate as something is definitely wrong and it has been witnessed by Skoda Assist. Outline in writing the vehicle has had to be recovered and that Skoda Assist found the car undrivable as did another garage. Outline the original problem and the current one. Tell them what has so far been done. It's worth mentioning that one or two people have told you there probably is a gearbox output shaft tolerance fault, and/or a flywheel specification fault. In the case of Ford who also had this problem on Fiestas and Transits, the shims on the crankshaft where the flywheel bolts on, were undersize and this meant the clutch could not fully use it's full travel. This meant under high load the clutch would slip and get hot. This was not easy to notice at first. In addition some gearboxes were found to have oversize output shafts which prevented the clutch discs sliding correctly on the input shaft when the engines became hot and when the vehicles had covered some 10-15k miles.

I suspect this will be sorted but SUK, bless them, do need everything to be spelled out very very clearly, as does the dealer. It's pretty much the same with all dealers and manufacturers not just SUK. Repeat and repeat yourself to everyone and it often works. I spent 30 years in the trade and that is how it works, don't rely on everyone remembering what you say and repeat yourself over and over again to make your point. Keep coming back to this thread, many of us are interested in your plight and as you can see there's some good legal guys on here who will help you. I only know about the technical side (I'm ex tech and an engineer).

Good luck, let us know whats going on!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

You really have been so helpful.

I have spent the entire evening composing a letter to SUK and I feel so much better. I have included everything and I am very pleased with how it reads, couldn't have done it without your technical help

Will let you know how I get on.

Yes, I have owned it from new and they do know that Skoda assist recovered the car.

Edited 5 December, 201114 yr by Karrie

Look on the bright side... no fault = book value against trade-in, no question

I admire your perseverance!

However if Skoda won't help me with this I wouldn't want another one.

It will be a loss I know but I'd trade it in against something else I'm afraid. Certainly won't keep it either.

if this ever happens again, when it wont go into gear, leave it in neutral and pump the clutch, after the clutch has been pumped a few times see if it will go into gear then, if it will then the problem is more than likely hydraulic, ask a mechanic to check the gear linkage for signs of fluid leakage. . had same problem myself before was a hydraulic leak , only problem is if it is then gear box has to come out ect, whilst all this is out i was told it would be worth while to get a new clutch as well.

hope this makes sense.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

You really have been so helpful.

I have spent the entire evening composing a letter to SUK and I feel so much better. I have included everything and I am very pleased with how it reads, couldn't have done it without your technical help

Will let you know how I get on.

Yes, I have owned it from new and they do know that Skoda assist recovered the car.

Great! Experience shows that if you are persistent, it normally pays off. Putting everything in writing in a case like this is always the thing to do and usually it works better than just a phone call. Of course, make sure you keep a copy of your letter and then wait for a some contact. Skoda have a very good record generally at looking after their customers but they do need some evidence and a bit of a push sometimes. They are also, as you would expect, guided by what the dealer says and finds. If he finds nothing and/or doesn't believe there is a problem because he hasn't seen it for himself, then it's more problematic to solve. I believe in your case a fault is self evident due to the fact it has had to be recovered again and due to it's previous history. But the garage has to find it. It should be dealt with under warranty. Zach above makes a good point about hydraulics but in your case these are not the problem. This would have been picked up straight away by your dealership and Skoda Assist. Bear in mind, as I said in a previous post that it might not be what I think it is, but there is definitely a fault of that kind somewhere and I believe my suggestions are the most likely problem/s. It's always difficult to make a proper diagnosis without seeing the car and feel what's going on, as you husband will know from his work on bikes.

The Skoda Fabia Mk2 1422cc PD TDI (70 or 80ps unit) is about the most reliable engine/gearbox unit ever made. It can cover huge mileages without the need for spannering. 300,000 miles is not too uncommon! They hardly ever get one go wrong at any dealership. That's why I bought mine and so far I've had no problems after over 3 years of hard use. Oh...and that miles per gallon....just brilliant and on average I get 70% more miles per gallon than my wifes Petrol 1300cc Punto and more power too, and cheaper tax, better resale, cheaper servicing etc etc etc!! could go on and on like I usually do (the blokes know what I'm like!!).

Good luck Karrie, again keep in touch with us all.

Edited 6 December, 201114 yr by Estate Man

I admire your perseverance!

However if Skoda won't help me with this I wouldn't want another one.

It will be a loss I know but I'd trade it in against something else I'm afraid. Certainly won't keep it either.

I didn't necessarily mean against another Skoda. Most garages are part of groups that have many brands, so an arrangement should be easy to come to

I have to say the initial post sounded similar to an issue I had with my fabia diesel at similar mileage:

over about 5 miles the car went from stiff to change gear, to unable to change gear when moving, to unable to change gear with the engine running, and had to be pushed aside to wait for recovery.

I noticed the clutch pedal didn't seem to be coming right up again - the breakdown guy pumped the clutch and it was back to normal - he said something about clutch auto-adjust (this was in France so I couldn't quiz him very well). Since then: no problems.

My research getting home showed that the clutch cylinder should automatically allow extra fluid into the circuit to make up for clutch wear - but this only happens when the pedal is fully raised. This didn't really explain what the problem is, but the rapid loss of clutch travel suggested to me that for some reason the top-up valve wasn't seated right and let some fluid out the wrong way when the clutch was pressed. As the clutch didn't return to fully raised (not enough fluid on clutch side?) the valve didn't shift, until the clutch pedal was firmly pulled up by hand.

I now have to hand over to someone how has actually taken apart a real clutch cylinder to say whether this is blx or not!

But I mention as symptoms sounded similar - especially the second incident where car undrivable then mysteriously absolutely fine the next day.

(I did try and think why this could have happened then particularly - it was a stressful day on way back from A&E - and thought I may well have not adjusted the seat back to my position properly after OH driving and so rested shoe on the clutch pedal - just in the slack bit of movement which is where the top-up valve is opened. I haven't carried out experiments to try and replicate the problem though!)

Hello Alan,

Glad your problem was solved. I doubt resting your foot on the clutch would have been the problem since (although not a good idea as it pressurises the system and loads the release bearing - you prolly know that) as soon as you release the pedal, fluid would flood back into the master chamber to be ready for the next push on the pedal. Your problem sounds as if it was either air trapped in the system or a partially blocked fluid return vent/valve. Easy to fix and something that any tech would pick up straight away. But worth mentioning here. One of the good things about this site is that everyone contributes some information and everyone reads it. This gives a much better insight into how our cars work. Good stuff if I may say.

Karrie You ROCK! let us know the outcome and keep us updated.

The Skoda Fabia Mk2 1422cc PD TDI (70 or 80ps unit) is about the most reliable engine/gearbox unit ever made. It can cover huge mileages without the need for spannering. 300,000 miles is not too uncommon! They hardly ever get one go wrong at any dealership. That's why I bought mine and so far I've had no problems after over 3 years of hard use. Oh...and that miles per gallon....just brilliant and on average I get 70% more miles per gallon than my wifes Petrol 1300cc Punto and more power too, and cheaper tax, better resale, cheaper servicing etc etc etc!! could go on and on like I usually do (the blokes know what I'm like!!).

i recently purchased a 59 plate which my mum is using which has done 150k!! I put a clutch in it at 149k and i know of at least 4 other cars from the same batch which have had clutchs around this mialage.

Not bad! My local taxi firm has one 08 Fabia 1422cc PD TDI estate on the fleet which got to over 183k before he needed the clutch changing. Not bad for a consumable item eh! He now has over 220k on the clock (miles not km's) and it goes like new, still using no noticeable amount of oil either. I'm watching closely to see how many miles it goes before something gives. They all drive it like lunatics.