I've got a 64-plate MK3 2.0TD CR with 96K on the clock.

 

On new year's day, when I depressed the clutch to start it, the pedal hit the floor and stayed there.  The hydraulic fluid reservoir was empty but there's no sign of leakage in the engine bay under the reservoir or as far down as you can see underneath and there's no fluid on the clutch pedal.

 

I filled up the brake fluid, pumped the clutch a few times and could select gears OK.  A mechanic friend of mine then bled the clutch and the pedal feel/position was restored although he needed to bleed it again shortly after as there was more air in the system.  Given the lack of visible fluid, he thinks the likely culprit is the slave cylinder and has said it would make sense to change the slave cylinder (obviously) along with the clutch & flywheel.

 

A couple of other points..... in the 3 years I've owned it, a handful of time the clutch has made loud clunking noises when depressed, more of a plastic noise rather than metal but with 3-4 quick depressions, this would go away.  Also, for a long time, when changing gears and letting the clutch out quickly, there's a very slight pause before the things get going again.  It's no clutch slip as the revs drop, pause and a fraction of a second later it picks up again.  Could these be a symptom of the slave cylinder failing or perhaps something else?

 

I've obtained some quotes with vastly varying prices (all inclusive of parts & labour):

 

Skoda Dealership - £1824

Local VAG Specialist - £1080

Local Garage - £1141 + £60 to cover the hire of a "special tool" to set/reset the clutch (is this really a thing?)

Local mechanic - £670 (he's a friend of my brothers who's worked on my wife's car, giving me parts at cost (£500) and charging me £170 to fit them

 

I know cheapest isn't always best, I don't doubt my mechanic's ability and he's going to be using LUK parts but is there anything that could bite a one-man-band mechanic in the ar5e and on this type of job and cost me more in the long run?

 

I appreciate that's quite a lot to process and TBH I thought I'd get it all down for my own sanity (the wife's completely bored of this already lol)

 

Cheers

 

Russ

 

12 hours ago, Russ77 said:

I've got a 64-plate MK3 2.0TD CR with 96K on the clock.

 

On new year's day, when I depressed the clutch to start it, the pedal hit the floor and stayed there.  The hydraulic fluid reservoir was empty but there's no sign of leakage in the engine bay under the reservoir or as far down as you can see underneath and there's no fluid on the clutch pedal.

 

I filled up the brake fluid, pumped the clutch a few times and could select gears OK.  A mechanic friend of mine then bled the clutch and the pedal feel/position was restored although he needed to bleed it again shortly after as there was more air in the system.  Given the lack of visible fluid, he thinks the likely culprit is the slave cylinder and has said it would make sense to change the slave cylinder (obviously) along with the clutch & flywheel.

 

A couple of other points..... in the 3 years I've owned it, a handful of time the clutch has made loud clunking noises when depressed, more of a plastic noise rather than metal but with 3-4 quick depressions, this would go away.  Also, for a long time, when changing gears and letting the clutch out quickly, there's a very slight pause before the things get going again.  It's no clutch slip as the revs drop, pause and a fraction of a second later it picks up again.  Could these be a symptom of the slave cylinder failing or perhaps something else?

 

I've obtained some quotes with vastly varying prices (all inclusive of parts & labour):

 

Skoda Dealership - £1824

Local VAG Specialist - £1080

Local Garage - £1141 + £60 to cover the hire of a "special tool" to set/reset the clutch (is this really a thing?)

Local mechanic - £670 (he's a friend of my brothers who's worked on my wife's car, giving me parts at cost (£500) and charging me £170 to fit them

 

I know cheapest isn't always best, I don't doubt my mechanic's ability and he's going to be using LUK parts but is there anything that could bite a one-man-band mechanic in the ar5e and on this type of job and cost me more in the long run?

 

I appreciate that's quite a lot to process and TBH I thought I'd get it all down for my own sanity (the wife's completely bored of this already lol)

 

Cheers

 

Russ

Sorry to hear about your clutch problems.  Turns out this is a growing issues as the MK3's get older.

 

Yes, Slave Cylinder problems are realitvely well known.  It sounds like you've had a slowly leaking hydralic slave cylinder for a while now - and this may have compromised the clutch and its operation.

 

So - to prices.....if we look at a genuine clutch change, the slave cylinder is replaced as part of a clutch change, so you get both fixed.  I had a clutch replaced on my 2017 MY18 VRS recently and for a clutch and slave cylinder, it cost £984 (in Edinburgh)....I know prices down south are higher, but that price also looks like a replacement of Dual Mass Flywheel - which is a nominal 600quid extra, which is getting you close to your £1824 price.

 

Local VAG specialist - this looks like a price for clutch and slave cylinder only.

 

Local Garage - HAHA - Special Tool - all that will be a PLASTIC Clutch centring tool.  Its not resetting anything - other than the position of the clutch plate and thrust bearings.  I wouldn't play nicely on this one.  (goes away and thinks about other meanings for Special Tool)

 

Local mechanic - that price is for clutch plates only.

 

Suggestions:

 

1) Remember, there is a two year warranty applied to work done by a VAG dealer (inc. Skoda).  See if that is something that would make you happier and whether you want to keep the car long term.

2) Ask for a revised price from Skoda Dealer for Clutch and Slave Cylinder replacement only.  Ask them to quote for a DMFW seperately.

 

For the rest of them, ask them all what they are replacing.  Budget around £1000 for Clutch plates and Slave Cylinder work.  Budget for another £600 if the Dual Mass Flywheel needs replacement.

Edited 14 January, 20215 yr by varaderoguy

30 minutes ago, varaderoguy said:

Sorry to hear about your clutch problems.  Turns out this is a growing issues as the MK3's get older.

 

Yes, Slave Cylinder problems are realitvely well known.  It sounds like you've had a slowly leaking hydralic slave cylinder for a while now - and this may have compromised the clutch and its operation.

 

So - to prices.....if we look at a genuine clutch change, the slave cylinder is replaced as part of a clutch change, so you get both fixed.  I had a clutch replaced on my 2017 MY18 VRS recently and for a clutch and slave cylinder, it cost £984 (in Edinburgh)....I know prices down south are higher, but that price also looks like a replacement of Dual Mass Flywheel - which is a nominal 600quid extra, which is getting you close to your £1824 price.

 

Local VAG specialist - this looks like a price for clutch and slave cylinder only.

 

Local Garage - HAHA - Special Tool - all that will be a PLASTIC Clutch centring tool.  Its not resetting anything - other than the position of the clutch plate and thrust bearings.  I wouldn't play nicely on this one.  (goes away and thinks about other meanings for Special Tool)

 

Local mechanic - that price is for clutch plates only.

 

Suggestions:

 

1) Remember, there is a two year warranty applied to work done by a VAG dealer (inc. Skoda).  See if that is something that would make you happier and whether you want to keep the car long term.

2) Ask for a revised price from Skoda Dealer for Clutch and Slave Cylinder replacement only.  Ask them to quote for a DMFW seperately.

 

For the rest of them, ask them all what they are replacing.  Budget around £1000 for Clutch plates and Slave Cylinder work.  Budget for another £600 if the Dual Mass Flywheel needs replacement.

 

Skoda broke down their quote:

 

Flywheel - £778.36

Flywheel bolts - £21.96 

Clutch - £354.91              

Bearing - £56.80

Clutch bolts - £11.36

 

Labour to fit £600

 

Total cost - £1823.39 Inc. vat

 

The independent mechanic has quoted £500 for LUK Clutch, CSC & flywheel from Euro/GSF parts and he's letting me have them at cost.  He's a friend of my brother and is only going to charge me £170 for fitting

Update.....

My local mechanic did the work for me, the slave was weeping and there was fluid in the bellhousing, everything was working absolutely fine until the guy MOT'ing it found the clutch pedal was clunking again so it looks like the Slave & Master cylinders were screwed!

Just waiting on a price to get the master replaced.

The pedal does still work OK but the hesitancy when coming off the clutch when accelerating must have been the master cylinder all along.  

 

Drives lovely now and the much lower biting point nearly caught me out every time I pulled away driving home from the garage lol

Unbelievable some of these prices. I got my clutch replaced, without flywheel, and the gearbox oil changed. Got two litres of oil from Opie oils for £26.00, TPS were £33.00 per litre. Total cost for LUK clutch kit inc. slave cylinder, fitting, and changing the gearbox oil, £380. Didn't take near the 5.5 hours Skoda quote for.

 

Having said that, the local garage I use don't charge VAT but they're the best I've ever used. Quality workmanship. Very lucky.

 

Thank god considering the quoted prices I see here and elsewhere.