Anyone had a similar experience to this?

 

My VRs car is just over a year old now (Nov 13) and done just under 12,000 miles.  It had its first service the other month and the main dealer identified a noise coming from the gearbox so suggested some investigation work.  Hadnt notice the noise myself but happy for them to look.  They had it then for about 2 weeks while a dodgy bearing was identified, all the bearings then replaced (some took a while to arrive) and then the car was returned.

 

I noticed after a day or two that the clutch pedal was quite stiff.  I thought it may be my imagination but after a week went back to the dealer to ask them to look at it.  We compared the clutch 'feel' with another VRs and mine was noticeably stiffer (no giggling in the back rows!).  The dealer agreed to look at it. 

 

I have just had a call from them saying they have sent thier findings to SKODA UK who recommend the next stage is to remove the gearbox and look at the clutch, but if the problem is with the clutch it could be classed as fair wear and tear and I would have to foot the bill for the removal and clutch !!!  WTF springs to mind.  They apologised and suggested I call SKODA cust services which I have done, but got a similar story from them.  I stated how unhappy I was and they have opened a customer case for me but are unlikely to get back to me before Monday.

 

Your views?

12k for a clutch would not be normal wear and tear time so stick to your guns and get stroppy.

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Neighbour of mine had their clutch go on a '13 plate Yeti with around 20k miles. Skoda said it was wear and tear and charged over £1k. They complained but Skoda wouldn't budge and blamed it on my neighbours driving style...

Good luck!

A clutch should last more that 12k.  I sued Ford successfully when my dual mas flywheel and clutch failed at 28k so stick to your guns! Good luck

Despite what others say I think you would normally have difficulties claiming for clutch wear at 12k miles. But in your case you say that there has recently been rectification work done on bearings. Gearbox, clutch thrust bearings or what? I would major on that aspect - did the faulty bearings cause the wear in the first place or did the dealer bodge the rectification work which has now contributed to the clutch wear? In those circumstances you may have a good case and I would be inclined to push it with the dealer rather than SUK (at this stage).

Despite what others say I think you would normally have difficulties claiming for clutch wear at 12k miles. But in your case you say that there has recently been rectification work done on bearings. Gearbox, clutch thrust bearings or what? I would major on that aspect - did the faulty bearings cause the wear in the first place or did the dealer bodge the rectification work which has now contributed to the clutch wear? In those circumstances you may have a good case and I would be inclined to push it with the dealer rather than SUK (at this stage).

Also did the dealer not spot any issues with the clutch when they did the rectification work?

Apologies...the edit of my earlier post went badly wrong!

Obvious question, but was it stiff before? If not then clearly it's something the dealer has done so it would be reasonable for you to get it fixed under warrenty and depending on the cause either the dealer or SUK foot the bill.

Obvious question, but was it stiff before? If not then clearly it's something the dealer has done so it would be reasonable for you to get it fixed under warrenty and depending on the cause either the dealer or SUK foot the bill.

Agreed!

So the car goes in for a bearing change which you hadnt noticed but the dealers does. It then is returned with the bearing fixed but with a clutch that the dealer agrees isnt correct but they didnt notice to begin with. What an utter load of b#ll#cks!

Dealers fault. Cant believe they even try this stuff. No common sense involved I guess!

Edited 9 January, 201511 yr by banksie

The other thing in my mind is... How the ***** does a worn clutch cause a stiff pedal?  Well mm mm, it doesn't. So when they pop the box out, whether the clutch plate is worn matters not (normal practice would be to shove a new one back as it's cheap and the labour to get to it is the pain).

I wouldn't worry too much, there is something else wrong

Ask them to dismantle and then you are sending in an independent expert to inspect before they replace or touch anything. If it is a worn clutch then tell them you will pay for the clutch but not the labour as they should have identified it the first time round when they had it all in bits.

Which dealer is this?

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Sounds like they buggered up something to do with the release bearing actuator or slave cylinder when they had the box off previously.

I agree sounds like they done something when the box was out. Also yes all wear and tear items covered for 6 months or 6500 miles then it's only manufacturer defects.

A clutch should not fail at that mileage unless the car has been subjected to a clutch BBQ from new.

Its without doubt faultybor has occures as part of the gearbox work so Id kick up a stink if I were you.

When your dealing with SUK Customer Services next, ask them how a clutch works? They probably will have no idea and are just looking at the piece of paper in front that states, "clutches are wear and tear items"!

Again, no common sense! It's the generation we've produced! Could go into a whole rant but I'll stop myself!,,

Here here. Good point.

And next time a dealer or SUK state it was a one off problem tell them to join this forum and read first hand about all of the problems these 'reliable' cars have.

When your dealing with SUK Customer Services next, ask them how a clutch works? They probably will have no idea and are just looking at the piece of paper in front that states, "clutches are wear and tear items"!

Again, no common sense! It's the generation we've produced! Could go into a whole rant but I'll stop myself!,,

You didn't have this before the work was done so it's clearly there fault. Stand your ground and don't take no BS from them.

Good luck [emoji106]

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I had a clutch-related problem with my DSG7. I heard a noise myself and took the car to the dealer. After some investigation they confirmed the noise, and found out that the clutches were worn. The final verdict: change both clutches, do something else with the gearbox (as my girlfriend picked the car up, I don't know it myself, and she forgot), and update the firmware. Fortunately, as the problem appeared only after ~6000 km, it was done fully under warranty.

 

Although the conditions say that the clutch(es) are under a warranty of 6 months / 10 000 km, I think you should pursue that they were not worn because of your driving style but due to the bearing problem.

My Volvo V50 clutch juddered ever so slightly when cold and damp but only very occasionally. 20000m and 1 year old Volvo replaced it with no arguments.

This clutch thread could cause FRICTION. [emoji12]

It had its first service the other month and the main dealer identified a noise coming from the gearbox so suggested some investigation work.

Any idea what the noise was? My gearbox (I'm assuming it's a gearbox) makes a strange fairly quiet knocking noise, particularly when cold. Pointed it out to the dealer when I picked the car up. He called the mechanic in who said it was "normal" and something about a bearing. Reading your tale I'm slightly paranoid now...

This clutch thread could cause FRICTION. [emoji12]

Get ya coat! Taxi for flapperjack ;-)

Could the failed parts already replaced have caused strain on the clutch prematurely wearing it, if so then surely that's a warranty issue?

All manufacturer defects are covered under warranty. Just not wear and tear.

But what if the "wear and tear" is in accelerated state because of some manufacturer defect? It is pretty much semi impossible to tear down clutches in ~10k - be it miles or km...

If that turns out to be the case then yes it would be covered under consequential damage.

If you drive correctly yes I agree would be hard to wear out a clutch in under 10k.

Edited 13 January, 201511 yr by FLAPPERJACK7