Fabia VRS clutch - need advice - please can you help?

[Sotosound]

Hi

My wife has an 06 registered VRS in standard tune with 100,000 miles on the clock and the clutch biting point is now very close to the floor.

There is no clutch slip, nor any unusual noise or vibration. Gear change and clutch uptake are nice and smooth, but I get the sense that there is an occasional small amount of binding in first and reverse, and I also get the sense that first and reverse are slightly harder to engage than they should be.

Obviously, we’re now worried that the clutch will go at the wrong moment (is there a right moment?), i.e. somewhere dark and remote out on the road at the worst possible time in the run-up to Christmas, and we’ve therefore asked our local garage to check the clutch out when he does the 100,000 mile service tomorrow.

When asked about the clutch, he said that the average clutch life for the car was around 100,000 miles and that it would be prudent to change the dual mass flywheel at the same time because they tend to need replacement at the same time and because it’s only a quick job whilst changing the clutch.

His quote for the complete job (clutch and DMF) was £600 + VAT, i.e. £720.

Faced with such a possible bill, and faced with the fact that some garages (not this one so far) will opt to do a paid piece of work rather than advise that it actually doesn’t need doing, I’m trying to feel my way around the truth of this before the car goes in. (I like our garage but like all other businesses they have to make money, which is where we customers tend to help out.)

For instance, a cynic might say that the DMF is a nice thing to do from the perspective of a garage because it involves an instant profit margin.

Any advice from other owners would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.

[simmo3187]

Not sure where you're based but I would get in touch with CG Motorsport as they will sort you a cracking deal on a clutch ant flywheel

A lot of garages now will charge a set price for doing the work rather than an hourly rate... Normally around £250-£300 mark

CG are based in Leeds if it helps but if its too far then you could get the items posted to you and get them fitted locally

[giandougl]

Write-up's about your problem on this site.

Seems your garage are on the right track, bearing-in-mind what I have read about this subject.

Charge for work carried-out is about right for a ball-park figure.

Not sure, but suggest there maybe another reason for excessive clutch pedal travel, and not the actual clutch itself,

get your garage to check-it-out ?

[Sotosound]

Write-up's about your problem on this site.

Seems your garage are on the right track, bearing-in-mind what I have read about this subject.

Charge for work carried-out is about right for a ball-park figure.

Not sure, but suggest there maybe another reason for excessive clutch pedal travel, and not the actual clutch itself,

get your garage to check-it-out ?

The clutch travel itself isn't excessive, and there's no play at the top of that travel. It's just that the biting point is very low. In contrast, my daughter's 1.4 16V Y-reg Fabia had a replacement clutch recently and, relatively speaking, my knee nearly touches my chin when using that clutch.

Perhaps my real problem is one of trust....

[gac]

Hi

My wife has an 06 registered VRS in standard tune with 100,000 miles on the clock and the clutch biting point is now very close to the floor.

There is no clutch slip, nor any unusual noise or vibration. Gear change and clutch uptake are nice and smooth, but I get the sense that there is an occasional small amount of binding in first and reverse, and I also get the sense that first and reverse are slightly harder to engage than they should be.

My take on this would be that you might just have minor alignment issues in the cables, and resetting the linkage could fix it (takes about an hour on a Fabia as you have to get the battery and tray out). I always thought a low biting point was better than high as it means the plates are coming into contact sooner, i.e. not so worn. I could be wrong though.

When asked about the clutch, he said that the average clutch life for the car was around 100,000 miles and that it would be prudent to change the dual mass flywheel at the same time because they tend to need replacement at the same time and because it’s only a quick job whilst changing the clutch.

The life entirely depends on how it's been driven. My Leon clutch died on about 110k, 100 standard and 10 mapped with me making the most of it. He's right about the DMF though, it adds a relatively small amount of labour to the job, so your choices boil down to:

1) Replace just the clutch plate and cover for ~4.5 hours labour and cost of clutch. DMF dies later, meaning the entire 4.5 hours needs to be done again. If you're really unlucky, the failed DMF will damage your new clutch, meaning a second new clutch as well as any warranties etc won't cover the issue of a non-replaced related part failing and damaging the new part.

2) Replace the DMF while you're in there for an extra ~£200. You then know that it's all done, the labour will only be done once, and if you suffer any kind of clutch failure then it's almost certainly down to faulty parts or poor fitting, both of which you have a chance of getting done under a warranty.

For instance, a cynic might say that the DMF is a nice thing to do from the perspective of a garage because it involves an instant profit margin.

It does, but equally it has the potential to save you considerable money in the long run.

[softscoop]

When was your brake fluid last changed?

[Sotosound]

Many thanks to all of the responders.

OK. My wife doesn't hammer the car, and a number of forum members have reported much longer clutch life than 100,000 miles in other threads.

(Just seen one mentioning 174.000 miles.)

So....... I So I need my garage to perform some initial checks, including hydraulic fluid levels and any other bits that might need adjusting.

In terms of trust, sadly there's only one way to find out whether or not someone is trustworthy.

[ek4charlie]

to be honest mate if the clutch is faulty . you should change the dual mass . having said tht a low clutch bight would suggest a good clutch

[Sotosound]

Here's how it ended....

I dropped the car in this afternoon and the mechanic took it for a test drive. His opinion was that it would need a clutch at some point in the future but not right now. Had the biting point dropped suddenly then it might have been an issue, but this has been a gradual change over time, so no panic. Perhaps review again at the next service.

So.... decisions, decisions ..... but not this year.

He also advised switching to a solid flywheel on the basis that - once fitted - it would never need changing again. Even it it got scored then all that would be needed would be a skim. (Had that done on my Zephyr V4 Mark IV back in 1977 but never again since.)

His view on DMFs was that cars went for many years without them and that all they seem to bring is trouble.

I therefore think that I'll change careers and start manufacturing DMFs. Obviously loads of money in it.

Once again, many thanks for everyone's input. It shows just how valuable a good forum can be.

[vRSAnt]

The DMF is there to prevent high torque spikes going through to the gearbox and ruining it.

Whilst they are relatively new so are turbo diesels.

It may not lead to nothing and its more about damage over time I am sure, reducing possibility of needing to change the gearbox.

IMO, the clutches need doing anyway, why are people getting out of joint about a small issue of changing a part that is associated with the clutch ? Its not that expensive, its the labour on top that really creeps it up and like I said, the DMF obviously has some purpose. Probably less point on low torque vehicles - but does it have it then ?

Drive the car properly and you don't need to prematurely replace the DMF. Go for all out performance, switch out the DMF. Simples

I think I'd happily go either way but as I won't be pushing past 200hp territory anytime soon and have had the standard design limits only on the car the tolerances are well suited to preserving the DMF.

Still will change mine when its done on mine, 100K, at unit 18 possibly next year but my clutch is still going, just a bit stiff into gear some times. Then I will get a Sachs which will prepare me for increasing the cars BHP past stock

The bite is ok on mine and I am 2006 too. I may have 30K at least left in mine thanks to proper driving miles (avoiding congestion due to luck more than anything I guess due to my commute)

[thePHILosipher]

frankly, just run it until it starts slipping everyday. If the car isnt modified ive seen it reported numerous times by many people that they can last much more than 100k.

for example, mines on 93k, 40k was on a stage 1 map, and the last 2 have been on a custom map and its still going strong. The only time that it has slipped on me is when I was racing at Santa pod and that took 14-15 runs before that started happening and thats on a 2007 Ibiza TDi