2003 Fabia saloon, 33,000. Annual service due end of the month. Brake fluid is to be changed (This is the second time of doing). To my knowledge clutch fluid has never been changed.

Service book indicates that it should be - when asked, local dealer said no.

Strikes me that if it has the same constituents as brake fluid, it will have absorbed water, Coincidentally, I have noticed recently that the bite/release point fo the clutch seems to be a bit inconsistent.

Is there any downside to this, apart from the extra cost ?

Nick,

14/02/08

brakes and clutch use the same resrvoir, so once they have renewed the fluid in the brake lines, it's a 2 minute job to bleed the clutch line. Although the fluid will have absorbed moisture, it is nowhere near as critical in the clutch line as the brakes. The only downside is that eventually corrosion may start in the clutch slave cylinder and knacker the seal. The reason that brake fluid is hygroscopic is to prevent corrosion in the system. Personally I would insist that they do it if you can't/don't want to.

Is there not a little surprise in store - like the clutch bleed valve being made of plastic? If that is the case then maybe it might snap off if you are not gentle enough with it - I've bottled out of changing the fluid in the clutch line in both the 2000MY Passat and 2003MY Polo - please tell me I'm a wimp and it will be okay. Of course the new brake fluid will be "dry" and the trend will be for the moisture to equalise across the fluid in both systems (well that's my best excuse).

never seen a plastic bleed n1pple, never ever

Not on the clutch cylinder? I don't know where I got idea from then (maybe the Passat has one and I've read tales of woe on clubB5).