Where is the clutch fluid reservoir for

my car for me to top up/check?

It is integral with the master cylinder reservoir, usually this symptom means the concentric release bearing is failing, we always do the master cylinder first and when that fails to rectify it, the return damper and after that doesn’t work, give up and pull the box.

@Crasher

 

Sounds like you have done many Crasher, myself only the one after doing all you said and persevering for a long time bleeding until I believed I had found the cause which necessitated the gearbox removal and replacement of the concentric slave cylinder + clutch & DMF while there.

 

My belief and theory based on my autopsy and comments from others is that the failures are exclusively happening to the later 2 piece all plastic slave cylinders, that they are not leaking fluid but instead drawing in air, I speculate that this is being drawn in via the O ring seal between the plastic cylinder and the plastic feed pipe that comes out of the bellhousing, this being exacerbated by vibration movement (the pipe comes through a much bigger hole in the bellhousing) and possibly failure or removal of the clutch peak torque limiter (the return flow restrictor).

 

Does this concur with the failed cylinders that you have removed and what are your observations or comments?

Mine has started doing this, but only when in reverse and pushing our caravan. Light revs on a flat surface and very little slipping of the clutch often results in smoke, smell and a spongy pedal.

 

A little research suggests quite a few other 1.4 TSI manual gearbox owners have suffered with clutch issues.

 

The problem being, it’s very difficult to prove a manufacturing defect on something like a clutch, it’s far easier to blame the operator.