Hi guys been a while but the car has been a dream of reliability. Last 3 - 4 weeks she has been a bit clunky sounding with the clutch dissengaged, im assuming from what i read that its the DMF.

After reading through I have decided that an SMF upgrade is for me but I dont want to do it prematurely. In order to get the most time out of both i was hoping to leave it until it really needs done, for now it doesnt drive any differently (apart from juddery hard acceleration in 1st and second, but i dont usually drive like that).

So is it worth waiting? how long could i get? i am very easy on the clutch and box.

I am going to buy a kit and keep it in boot then when it goes, get rac to tow me to my mates garage who has a ramp, unless someone advises differently.

One last thing :- this is the kit I was thinking of http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250885371099?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_1731wt_1272

Would this be ok for my 2003 octavia 1.9tdi ALH 90bhp?

Thanks in anticipation

Carl

SMF on diesel is not the same like on the petrol

Petrol engine is running smooth ,and a single mass flw will not change that,but on the diesel you'll fell more noticeable and nasty vibrations.

My friend has a golf mk4 1.9 AHL and 4 months ago made the conversion to SMF,is not happy at all.The car shakes like hell at idle,and runs horrible

Edited 24 May, 201214 yr by IulianE

Thanks for the rep[ly i hadnt thought about that. ill search for a dmf kit. Ill run mine to failure though as its not bad, i just noticed it the other day, not discernable whilst driving.

take a search on youtube also....1.9TDI with SMF, there are some very relevant videos.

My friend choose the SMF clutch kit because was much cheapper,and now regrets.

I changed mine last week on my 1.9 130hp tdi octavia. I too had felt a 'chatter' for some time, (particularly at idle when cold) and a clutch judder in reverse up hill. I let mine run for some 6 months after the initial symptoms were felt. I decided to go for a conventional DMF.

When the old one was removed, it only had slight play (much less than some of the ones shown on youtube). The clutch friction plate was in perfect condition (car has done 90k).

I doubt, (by the sound of your symptoms), that your flywheel is about to disintigrate, but it was the fact that this was clearly possible which made me bite the bullet and order up a kit sooner rather than later.

Also get a primary gearbox shaft oil seal, this costs only a couple of quid and takes minutes to fit for the mechanic, you may as well whilst its accessible.

My car runs lovely now!

Cheers, Terry

Mine has been knocking its rocks off for a year now but it only does it when its cold. I have another ready to fit but cant seem to get round to it.

Thanks for the advice guys, i pulled the rubber plug above the flywheel, and got a mate to depress the clutch and levered the plate and wheel, then with clutch released, there aint hardly and play (there is plenty access to get to it) so ill just leave it, my driving is very gentle on the clutch, and should yield a few more months yet or years. Been running on veg oil for over a year now btw and she loves it. 20litres veg mixed with £2 unleaded and aside from an extra turn on a cold morning its running really well on it.

You can still hear an smf on a 1.8t but its around 10% of thr clatter of a derv

Is the clatter detrimental to the car? i assume not. i also assume that a solid clutch will be more reliable and tough????? Its a work car and gets worked hard mileage wise etc. Is it noisy or rough whilst driving? basically i live in scotland, and dont get traffic (or not much) and if the car is stationary its usually parked.

So im less fussy about the tick over noise, more concerned with longevity. Thanks so far chaps, a decision is forming, looked on youtube and found a few vids etc, doesnt seem toooooo bad.

Well I came across a wee bargain. A taxi driver where i live had a valeo smf conversion done and went to road test it and ended up getting rear ended and his car written off, so i gave him £30 and took all the kit out, its going in mine on sunday afternoon, i recon 6 or 7 hours work with holdups. Will let you know how it affects the running once its done. He said it was very smooth on his......... briefly.

i had the smf conversion on my a3 tdi. couldnt tell the difference to be honest, no noise or vibrations whatsoever. i could have been lucky i suppose

I think for the most part it can be down to light flywheel. cheap kits have a correctly sized flywheel but very light gauge, the valeo one i have is heavy flywheel conversion, it apparently dampens the vibration alot as its less influenced by minor imperfections. I have the advantage of knowing that his ran fine with it on 343k miles, mines just rolling around 170k, a mere youngster by comparison. Cheers for the input, its not all bad news in all cases at least.