Clutches - how quickly do they fail?

[stripped fred]

The wife's 1.6 beetle (new shape) had a new clutch fitted by a local garage about 3 years and 40k miles ago. I drove it at the weekend and the clutch is slipping again. I think she slips the clutch a bit when driving but nothing too terrible. It might have been a cheap make but shouldn't it last a bit longer than that? Now she hasn't noticed any difference in how it drives but I did, when in a high gear and under load. I've booked it in with the garage I usually use as they're pretty good. My thoughts are that once it's started slipping it will likely fail soon but is there an argument for leaving it as it could go on for a while yet? Could do without the expense this month but I don't want her stranded by the side of the road if I can help it.

[adw1977]

I had a clutch that was slipping in the higher gears for months. It gradually got worse, but nothing sudden, I got used to eeking it out.

[sierraman]

Could go for a long time, I've nursed them thousands, but when it gets really bad then it gets worse quite quick, then it likely fucks off the DMF or scores the fly.

[red5]

Slipping a clutch when driving , other than pulling away, will wear it out faster - irrespective of cost/make of clutch. If she continues to slip it/use clutch pedal as footrest it'll very rapidly deteriorate and leave her stuck ...

 

Paint pedal rubber red and give her a dead leg everytime she rests foot on it.  

[Dirk Diggler]

40k is probably not bad going with an unsympathetic driver; It happens in less

[colnerov]

 Hi, Mechanical warranty's won't cover brake and clutch linings because they are subject to driver use and abuse. It's probably down to the way she drives, as you say, so you will have to grin and bear the cost or get her an automatic.

 

 Colin

[Alusilber]

It does depend a lot on how much the driver abuses it. The (original AFAIK) clutch on my A3 was still fine at 173k miles, but then I tend to use the handbrake a lot rather than riding the clutch on slopes (which, tbh, is as much due to lack of coordination between my feet as mechanical sympathy...)

[Guest]

If it was a National clutch kit, it's done well.

[Eddie Honda]

Paint pedal rubber red and give her a dead leg everytime she rests foot on it.

+1 this. Only 40k is operator abuse.

[Bren]

Some cheap clutches are shit.

[chodweaver]

^ sorry, short on compassion right now but: FFS! tell her if she can't develop some mechanical sympathy, she's not allowed a car. Downgrade her to a push bike and if she can't nurse that along for a year without major breakdowns, its walking or the bus.

 

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[Vince70]

My mums friend had a brand new Escort and the clutch lasted all of a week she managed to wrangle a new clutch under warranty but she still managed to burn that one out a month later but after she got the hang of the car she could get a year or couple of thousand out of one but I never worked out why she never bought an Auto.

She would buy a new Escort every 3 years and in that time most of her cars would need a clutch or 3.

 

But I bought a starship mileage Citroen Xantia petrol on the cheap about 14 years back from work and my boss had been driving it as his personal car then my father had the car and when the clutch did eventually get replaced it had done approx 180000 miles and I think he could have got a bit more mileage out of it.

 

I've also got a mate who is completely deaf and he's quite heavy on a clutch and buys relatively new stuff that always ends up needed a new clutch within a year or so.

[dollywobbler]

Very much depends on the car and the driver. The Nippa has sod all torque, so you do need to slip the clutch a fair bit. It has covered 32,000 miles and I think had a clutch replaced at 10,000 miles! I fitted a new clutch to the 2CV in 2000, and that clutch was still absolutely fine when I took the engine out 90,000 miles later.

[Mally]

Depends where you live as well.

If you have a steep drive as I do and reverse up it through a narrow gap often, your clutch won't last long.

Also if you live in the Pennines that wont help.

If you have a flat drive in Lincolnshire it will last twice as long.

Its reasonable to expect a clutch in 40 thousand, abuse makes them fail before that.

[Sloth in a bowl]

Very much down to the driver.

 

My V40 had a 147k on its original clutch when I got rid and it felt like new.

When I got the Puma it would slip the clutch uphill under hard throttle in 2nd/3rd gears, after 7k it was better than when I got it. I bought a replacement clutch, but never fitted it.

 

I never ride the clutch to hold a car in place, always use a handbrake.

[stripped fred]

She's not terrible, just doesn't always release the clutch fully so a very minor amount of slip when pulling away on occasions. If it was me I'd eek it out. Think it's probably worth getting it done for peace of mind.

[DodgyBastard]

The Renault 18 had a slipping clutch when kinkersaab first got it 5 years ago, 20k miles and 5 years later it didn't get much worse.

 

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[MikeR]

my wifes Micra , 115 K and still going , sons Micra 130 K still going , or it would be if it had not failed mot ..

[Captain Furious]

I had a mk3 Mondeo on its original clutch at 205k miles. I only have the previous owners word of course, but he was the only owner since new and had no reason to lie...after all saying it had had a new one would be a better sales pitch

 

I changed it on 225k because I was getting worried it was going to fail on me, turns out there was plenty of life left.

 

Like everything it depends..40k would be a bit low though I'd have thought, most see at least 80-100k these days.

[fordperv]

Had a sierra which the engine failed at 180000 odd miles so bought another clutch to put in when I changed the engine, upon pulling the old unit out found it was a motorcraft one with life left in it, presumably it was the original clutch

[DSdriver]

Does it just need adjusting? 

And as said many times above it is all down to driving style. When my father died we found correspondence between him and Kia about a clutch that only lasted 7K miles. He was stone deaf so couldn't hear when the clutch was biting and should never have been sold a manual car. Mind you, if he said he wanted a manual car it would be a brave salesman to try and make him see that it was not sensible. 

[Des]

Reading these comments has me thinking. Picture the scene. A halfwit bumbles around constantly dabbing and dragging their brakes, the pads become glazed like your dinner plate, they squeal like a feminist and the pedal feels dead. The fix is a few harsh stamps at a fair lick which transforms them ready for returning to their lot of endlessly feathering the discs at 3 MPH. Now I'm wondering if a bout of redline clutch dumping, as if partaking in laying elevens, would benefit a clutch that's losing its grip unreasonably early, or maybe even help with judder. 

[alf892]

Reading these comments has me thinking. Picture the scene. A halfwit bumbles around constantly dabbing and dragging their brakes, the pads become glazed like your dinner plate, they squeal like a feminist and the pedal feels dead. The fix is a few harsh stamps at a fair lick which transforms them ready for returning to their lot of endlessly feathering the discs at 3 MPH. Now I'm wondering if a bout of redline clutch dumping, as if partaking in laying elevens, would benefit a clutch that's losing its grip unreasonably early, or maybe even help with judder.

It would probably quickly remove any doubt about how long it had left

[cpjitservices]

Im still trying to decide whether the clutch is knackered on the Rover or if it is just the way it is

[Tamworthbay]

My next door but one neighbour is an old dear in her 80s and probably shouldn't be driving. She revs the car to about 3000rpm and uses the clutch to determine the speed she is going. She is now on her third car in a year, the previous two both had clutches replaced by the garages she bought them from (sympathetic to old dear in a fix I think) and then both gave refunds on the cars. They are lasting about two months and she only drives to Aldi twice a week and the social club every other day. I think they are probably doing about 1500-2000 miles before dying. I know it's an extreme case but does show how quickly you can kill one if you try.

[sierraman]

I used to go through them every 40k or so in a transit stop start multi drop work. It wasn't my van either so I just hammered the fuck out of it to get the job done quick.

[Split_Pin]

You can burn a clutch out in 7 minutes.

 

I always tick off my wife for holding the (my) Duster on hills with the clutch. I see people doing it all the time and it drastically reduces its lifespan.

 

My Corsa is on 95k and on its original clutch and I will be using it in the new engine as it's absolutely fine. I'm also fairly sure the Megane, on 159k is on either it's original or 2nd clutch, again, works fine and plenty of meat left on it.

 

I think what I'm saying is that if you slip the clutch as a habit, 40k is a good innings.

[Junkman]

If you have a flat drive in Lincolnshire it will last twice as long.

 

I'd rather replace the clutch daily!

[Junkman]

You can burn a clutch out in 2 seconds.

 

 

EFA

 

[John F]

Clutch worn out in 40k miles? Almost certainly driver error.

 

Make her pay for the clutch replacement(s). It might be the only way she'll learn.