Well I happily bought a 23 plate 1litre SE scala TSI EVO from a skoda dealer in March 2024. In August I packed up the car to go on holiday to West Wales. After 100 miles the car completely stopped and my daughter, the dog and I had to climb into a farmers field on a terrifying bend on the A483 and await the AA. The patrolman said he could see the clutch had disintegrated into pieces.

The car is now back in the dealership and the guy there has told me it’s all my fault. The total mileage on the car is just over 8000 miles, only 2000 of which have been driven by me. The dealership guy told me, in an attempt to gaslight me I believe that he had another “lady” who has ruined her clutch 4 times over in a car with only 11000 miles.  Apparently the repairs to my car will now cost £2300 as the work is definitely not covered by warranty as they can detect a clutch smell, no other diagnostics. Apparently there is zero possibility that the clutch had a pre- existing mechanical fault which could have been picked up through any pre-sale checks before I collected it… surely this is not a credible argument.? I have driven for more than 20 years and never had any “driving style” issues of any kind. Aren’t skoda clutches designed to last more than 8000 miles? 
 

Would anyone please have any good advice on how to respond on this? I had hoped the era of dealing with female customers like they are idiots had passed,  but Perhaps that’s wishful thinking …

2 hours ago, Scalagal said:

Apparently there is zero possibility that the clutch had a pre- existing mechanical fault which could have been picked up through any pre-sale checks before I collected it… surely this is not a credible argument.?

 

A credible argument against you suggesting that it had a pre-existing fault which they should have picked up?

 

It seems a reasonable response although I would have simply said it was operating normally when sold so were there to have been a fault we would have been unaware like yourself.

 

Othe than taking it elsewhere for dismantling and paying for an independant engineers inspection of the clutch and flywheel and taking legal action if it is favorable there is not a lot you can do, a clutch is a wear and tear item and its life aside from defects is a function of how the vehicle is driven, I have replaced many worn clutches but never ever worn one out myself, yours could have been abused by the previous owner.

 

£2300 sounds like a rip off though, I bet the parts are well under £300, get a quote from a clutch specialist.

11 hours ago, Scalagal said:

The dealership guy told me, in an attempt to gaslight me I believe that he had another “lady” who has ruined her clutch 4 times over in a car with only 11000 miles.

I actually believe this. Where I presently live these was one elderly lady who did burn through 4 clutches in as many years and about 8_000 miles. Her driving "technique" involved revving the engine to 4_000rpm, clutch slipping acceleration for about 30s, change into 2nd gear and repeat.

@Scalagal  Welcome.

 

Did you try an internet search?

 

 

4 hours ago, Paws4Thot said:

I actually believe this. Where I presently live these was one elderly lady who did burn through 4 clutches in as many years and about 8_000 miles. Her driving "technique" involved revving the engine to 4_000rpm, clutch slipping acceleration for about 30s, change into 2nd gear and repeat.

 

It can also happen to the hard of hearing, I recall my uncle saying that my grandad had visited in his Split Screen VW Camper saying the engine was lacking power and struggling to go up hills, it was the clutch slipping but without a revcounter and hearing would any of us know especially with the engine so far behind?

 

My grandfather was a good driver, I'm surprised that he wore out a clutch but it was a 61 vehicle and he did go all over the world in it, he had a high level of mechanical sympathy but was hard of hearing in his later years.

 

My father used to ride the clutch a lot and would often slip the clutch rather than downchange for a short period, I do it myself if I have come to a rolling halt in second gear, see a gap and decide to take it but am concerned if the diesel engine stalled at low revs it would be a hazard, I momentarily slip the clutch.

 

If the garage are telling the truth about the sickly smell of burnt organic friction material then the OP would have been driving some distance with a slipping clutch albeit perhaps unknowingly, the words

16 hours ago, Scalagal said:

After 100 miles the car completely stopped

certainly resonated with me and probably the garage as well.