Hi everyone, we are having a nightmare with a 2016 octavia estate VRS diesel clutch issue.  Back in November 2018 the clutch peddle was stuck to the floor, a local garage suggested it was more than likely a new clutch that was needed.  So the clutch was changed.  A week or so later the peddle was stuck to the floor again.  The garage bled the clutch for free and said it should be fine.  Three times the car went back for bleeding and still it kept coming back.  Bleed the clutch, a few days later or less the peddle goes to floor.

 

The mystery of all this was the brake fluid level wasn't dropping at all ... not one bit.   The garage suggested it could be the master cylinder, perhaps letting air in ... the other day that was changed too.  So far we have spent £630 on a new clutch and master cylinder ... low and behold after a 30 mile motorway and only 2 days later run the clutch peddle was stuck to the floor AGAIN!

 

I'm at a loss to know what it is and the garage is scratching their head too, they normally only do clutches so they are really stummped.  Has anyone any ideas what this could be ... the car is only a few years old and at 130k miles isn't that bad for a diesel.

 

I had a Mk1 Octavia for 198,000 miles and for 15 years and never ever had these problems.  I currently have a VW Touran 2005 and no problems with that either - new clutch all is great.

 

Any ideas would be very gratefully received ... puzzled from Wigan

Slave cylinder would be my guess, now your garage has wrongly guessed the other possibilities.

Thank you for your suggestion, is this cheaper than a master given it's a slave

1 minute ago, deeuk said:

Thank you for your suggestion, is this cheaper than a master given it's a slave

The slave should of been replaced with the clutch as its a gearbox off job to replace it.

 

I would presume they have changed it as only a complete moron wouldn't

 

 

Hmm .. just looked at the receipt and guarantee.  I have 12 months on the clutch and 6 months on the slave so they already changed the slave.  Even more puzzled

13 minutes ago, deeuk said:

Thank you for your suggestion, is this cheaper than a master given it's a slave

It’s a cheaper part but as SuperbTWM says it’s a gearbox out job to do it, then it’ll be a big job.

I don’t know if it is gearbox out or not.

I don’t have the workshop manual for the gearbox, but there may well be a special bleeding procedure using a vag tool. Normal bleeding might not be good enough.

Someone else hopefully  knows better than me.

Edited 27 March, 20197 yr by classic

Funny...my Octavia Mk3 clutch has just done this, but it had lost fluid and there was evidence of drips from the slave area.  When the AA man came he did what I should have known to do and pumped really hard on the pedal with his hand for about ten to fifteen cycles. I had already topped up the fluid, and lo and behold the clutch gained pressure again and was OK to drive to the garage for further investigation..

 

Yours seems a mystery, but don;t be surprised if a new component has failed as I'm less than impressed with quality as there seem to be quite a few doing it....and on Superbs as well.

I'm willing to bet that they never changed the slave, or the new slave is faulty, or the new master is faulty.

 

It can't really be anything else as its such a simple system with very few components

Bit if a nigtmare for you. It could be the master cylinder at the pedal thats sticking. 

It's all a bit odd.  Thank you for the comments thought.  The master cylinder they changed was at the peddle ... they may or may not have changed the slave but why give me a guarantee.

 

I'm interested to hear if there's a right and a wrong way to bleed the system .. and of course any other ideas

14 hours ago, deeuk said:

Hmm .. just looked at the receipt and guarantee.  I have 12 months on the clutch and 6 months on the slave so they already changed the slave.  Even more puzzled

Seems to be a rabbit away here.....Why give 6 months on the slave cylinder and 12 months on the clutch,  which is classed as a consumable item. Even main dealers only give 6 months guarantee from new

Just been phoned by the garage. Job done, yes it was the slave cylinder......and now the cruncher.....£696..........Ouch !  That really hurts.

Hope it fixes your issue that's for sure.

You usually get a new slave in the same box as a clutch, in modern cars.

 

Clueless whether that's what's happens with Skodas, but put a LUK clutch in a mini last week, and an Audi a few weeks back, and both had it in the box. 

I'm sure they fitted a LUK clutch kit at the time, all the same I have taken the lid of the brake fluid reservoir to check no fluid had been lost and it all still there full to the top.  No fluid leaks round the bell housing and nothing at the peddle.  I have however since got pressure back and it all worked fine on a short run last night.  A longer motorway run today should test it, maybe things have settled down now.  I'll up date tomorrow

And so only days since it had a master cylinder it is now coming back via the AA on a truck.  They say the release bearing has gone .... I'm a loss what to think, who's not done what and when and if I can get a free fix or my money back.

 

Any advice would be really appreciated.

22 hours ago, Saints92 said:

You usually get a new slave in the same box as a clutch, in modern cars.

 

Clueless whether that's what's happens with Skodas, but put a LUK clutch in a mini last week, and an Audi a few weeks back, and both had it in the box. 

 

Slave was an extra £85. Clutch kit £250

9 minutes ago, deeuk said:

And so only days since it had a master cylinder it is now coming back via the AA on a truck.  They say the release bearing has gone .... I'm a loss what to think, who's not done what and when and if I can get a free fix or my money back.

 

Any advice would be really appreciated.

 

When I worked for a big company we got paid per job completed and then had to personally guarantee that job for three months. If just about anything happened you went back for free, or if somebody else went back you got pay deducted. The Boss said...and I agreed with him " I only pay to have a job done once " and that included situations where something else had broken. If the release bearing has gone so quickly then somebody didn't check it properly, and given the nature of this job it should  have been replaced anyway. Why leave one component un-replaced when they have replaced everything else on a major gearbox out job ? It makes no sense.

 

I think you would be perfectly within your rights to insist they fix it at their expense. Its a bummer for them, but s*** happens. I'd use that phrase "I only pay for a job to be done once" and you have paid top dollar to have it done right.  I think you need to wear your 'talking tough' shoes.  Be polite but firm about what you want out of it. Any industry body or small claims court would be with you all the way, I assure you.  Three years working in vehicle warranty claims tells me this as well.

 

Good luck, and let us know how you get on. They know the score deep down, but will try and turn it onto your wallet.

1 hour ago, alfalincs said:

talking tough' shoes

 

Thank you so much for the advice without doubt I will be wearing my talking tough shoes on Monday.  I'll let you know how I got on

I was in the exact same situation with a Saab many years ago.

Cost me a LOT of money to rectify.

Hope you are more lucky :(

6 hours ago, deeuk said:

And so only days since it had a master cylinder it is now coming back via the AA on a truck.  They say the release bearing has gone .... I'm a loss what to think, who's not done what and when and if I can get a free fix or my money back.

 

Any advice would be really appreciated.

 

The release bearing is part of the clutch kit so you should be getting it repaired for free.

UPDATE.

 

The car has been to the garage and they have changed some rubbers on some of the pipes.  We have driven it now for 150 miles and no problems at all.  Apprently he was telling me the rubbers are the same a Vauxhall, I have no idea.  Fingers crossed it's fixed now.

 

Thank you to everyone who has pitched in on this

Before switching to my Scout, I had a Hyundai Santa Fe, which at 88k miles had clutch failure. I made the mistake (not knowing at the time) of using a so-called clutch specialist, who replaced the master, slave (as these are now attached to the bell housing), the clutch and the dmf. All for about £1300. Hyundai, for the same job would charge about £2000. I spent the next several months going backwards and forwards with problem after problem which was never fully corrected. One of the issues was to do with rubber fittings on the pipes, some having perished. Despite the whole system being changed, the car never felt right, in fact the new oem clutch was bloody awful. It was the main factor in me deciding to change car. I will never use one of these single specialist centres again, they butchered the underside, keeping their costs down by not removing gearboxes, only forcing them out of the way. Will stick to reputable independent garages for when my scout needs ones, which will likely be fairly soon as I tow and do lots of miles.

It seems I have been stung with this problem this morning.  By the time I got to the garage I could barely change gear. The rub, is that I bought the car off Skoda last year (2nd hand) and it’s less than 3 weeks out of warranty. As you can guess, Skoda don’t want to know with “I don’t know why they’ve referred you to us, you should go to them” etc … 

my local reckons the same as above - either master cylinder or slave/clutch. 6 year old car with less than 60k. Give me back my shogun!! 

So looks like mine is gonna cost £1100 to do and that includes the flywheel while everything is off. In your opinion, do you think it’s worth having done? Without the flywheel is £700 odd. The car has done just shy of 60k miles …