Clutch/DMF (2010 VRS)

[Mat-Manchester]

Hi,

 

I've just recovered from spending £850 on a revised tensioner/chain/guide rails on my VRS and it's on to the next job!

 

I've had a grinding noise when pulling away for around a year now. It's intermittent but seems worse now the cold weather has set in. It comes just as the clutch hits the biting point in first gear and lasts for probably around 10ft of movement, its also sometimes audible in 2nd when bringing the clutch up at a very slow speed although not as loud. It's more than noticeable when in the car though, its an awful sound! A garage looked at it some time ago and said it certainly seems to be clutch related, possibly a release bearing but advised that if I was having it done I may as well do the whole clutch at the same time (makes sense).

 

I understand the car also has a DMF (it's a 2.0 TSi, Petrol) and I just wondered how much I should expect to pay to get the clutch and DMF done? Is this a known weakness etc??

 

Thanks,

Mat

[silver1011]

How many miles has the car done? Has it been mapped?

 

The DMF is definitely a weak point on older / higher mileage cars, or those with excessive non-factory performance gains.

 

It's life is very much dependent on the driver.

 

Driving in too high a gear (fuel economy), or lazy driving (not changing down often or soon enough) puts excessive load on the DMF and after a while it begins to wear.

 

Some drivers have worn their DMF's in as little as 30,000 miles, although there may be manufacturing issues at play here too, unfortunately its far easier for Skoda to blame wear and tear than it is to accept responsibility.

 

Any how, if the car is a keeper, the mileage is high and you are going to replace the clutch anyway I would also do the DMF too.

 

See here...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/160805-dual-mass-flywheels-dmf/

[Mat-Manchester]

Thanks for the info..

 

Car is currently on 58k and I'll be keeping it for another 2 years at which point it will be on 108k so it's going to need doing either way. I bought the car on 29k and it started to make the noise within 6 months. I used to race cars when I was younger so I like to think I know about mechanical sympathy, generally heal and toe on down changes as well not pulling away too harshly or doing rapid gear changes. Most of my driving is sedate motorway stuff, hence the 25k a year but it does get 'driven' quite a lot (that's why I bought it).

 

It doesn't seem to be getting louder but after reading that now I'm worried about 'catastrophic failure'!

[Mat-Manchester]

Is this the sound of a mad midget trying to hammer his way out of hell????  (3 seconds in, ignore the rest). Only get this noise when pulling away the first few times on a cold day - garage diagnosed as "clutch related". 2010 Petrol, manual, VRS with the TSI engine, 58k.

 

https://vimeo.com/149035227

[ahenners]

Hi Mat, your symptoms and noise sound similar to what my VRS TSI had. Also on similar mileage to yours. Took it to my dealer who had to take off the Gearbox and found the Clutch Release Bearing had failed and caused damage to the Clutch plate. New release bearing and clutch appears to have solved the issue. Glad it was under warranty though, it would have cost a few quid otherwise!

[Mat-Manchester]

Thanks very much for that. Another garage had indicated it was probably the release bearing but I kind of got the impression they hadn't really checked so I wasn't 100% confident with their diagnosis.

 

Might look at just getting a new clutch then rather than changing the DMF as well and see what happens.

[bigjohn]

Thanks very much for that. Another garage had indicated it was probably the release bearing but I kind of got the impression they hadn't really checked so I wasn't 100% confident with their diagnosis.

 

Might look at just getting a new clutch then rather than changing the DMF as well and see what happens.

 

A lot of the labour involved with changing a clutch is also required to change a DMF. Whilst gearbox off the car change the lot DMF, clutch kit(not Sachs) ..  I think this engine may also have a concentric slave cylinder/release bearing - if so replace as it's another gearbox if this fails (and it will!) - If fitted with an external slave cylinder then change the release bearing

[dakar]

Mine does that and am planning on a clutch in the new year,mines on 90k