premature clutch failure

[wardo]

silver '01 new beetle sport, 54k miles. so i have been having problems shifting from 1st to 2nd or 2nd back to 1st. it would hang up or get stuck. then it was fine..all of a sudden i can shift into gear but i just hear spinning, nothing engaging. the VW dealer says the clutch disc broke and i need to pay $1700? they say clutch is not covered under 10yr, 100k transmission warranty or my transamerica extended warranty.

should the clutch do this at 54k? i don't ride the clutch, i know how to drive this vehicle. how does a clutch cost $1700? is this the going rate? i had another repair shop look at it and they said it was the transmission and should be covered under the 10/100...what to do?

side note: vw dealer also mentioned the engine 'mounts and bushings' need to be replaced (which is under warranty)..could this be a factor?

[noR]

they say clutch is not covered under 10yr, 100k transmission warranty or my transamerica extended warranty.
Yep.


should the clutch do this at 54k? i don't ride the clutch, i know how to drive this vehicle.

Of course it shouldn't. But it did. And that seems to be a 50/50 chance of going prematurely. Question is; did it die because of itself, or was the slave cylinder slackin' or what?

how does a clutch cost $1700? is this the going rate?

Dealerships always overcharge, try somewhere else.

i had another repair shop look at it and they said it was the transmission and should be covered under the 10/100...what to do?


If it shifts into gear the transmission's probably fine. btw, shift from 2nd to 1st often? Don't. Shift from 1 to 2 at high rpm? probably cooked your synchro, but that's not likely your immediate problem. (ie, Don't.)


side note: vw dealer also mentioned the engine 'mounts and bushings' need to be replaced (which is under warranty)..could this be a factor?

No it's not. But tell them to replace them. If it's covered under warranty.

[noR]

If you're driving it hard any, I'd suggest putting in a clutch disc from a vr6, a pressure plate from a vr6, and a flywheel from a G60 motor. [all vw engines]

It'll last alot longer, and hold alot better than the stock clutch.

[wardo]

If it shifts into gear the transmission's probably fine. btw, shift from 2nd to 1st often? Don't. Shift from 1 to 2 at high rpm? probably cooked your synchro, but that's not likely your immediate problem. (ie, Don't.)

heh. i have a lot of stop and go on the commute..so i am in 2nd, stop. toggle to first start again.

[wardo]

If you're driving it hard any, I'd suggest putting in a clutch disc from a vr6, a pressure plate from a vr6, and a flywheel from a G60 motor. [all vw engines]

It'll last alot longer, and hold alot better than the stock clutch.


thx noR - advice appreciated.

[NBTurboFreak]

Could of had my luck with my first 01 GLX 5-speed and the clutch burned up at 10K and the dealership was trying to bully me into paying $600 to drop the tranny, $(god knows what) for the clutch, $600 to put it back in, and a diag fee. After an hour long debate with the service manager and a few court threats he made the smart move and covered it under warranty. After that I learned how to do it myself and save myself a lot of cash.

And I agree with the other guys, get the VR6 clutch and pressure plate, or get a stage I or II kit from AutoTech or ECSTuning.

[hannaco]

Shifting down to 1st while still moving is the problem, not when stopped.

[01GLXTURBO]

Shifting down to 1st while still moving is the problem, not when stopped.


there is a lock out mechanism in most tranny's that will not let you downshift so you don't accidently shift down and blow your engine.

[Tom Servo]

Just replaced the clutch in 2000 1.8T Bug. The dual-mass type clutch ran just under $800 for the whole shebang (pressure plate, clutch disc, flywheel). According to Alldata.com (prof. website for mechanics) clutch replacement is 6.5 hours. I fail to see that you should be paying $1700 for the clutch, and it most certainly should not go out at 54k. Unless, of course, you're dumping the clutch at high rpm. That could potentially crack the pressure plate. In my case, after I bought the Bug used @ about 60k, the cracked pressure plate prevented the transmission from shifting properly. In the dual-mass clutch, the flywheel and pressure plate should be a matched pair, and the flywheel cannot be resurfaced. Thus, it gets expensive to fix, and fast.

Tom Servo

[NBTurboFreak]

According to Alldata.com (prof. website for mechanics) clutch replacement is 6.5 hours. I fail to see that you should be paying $1700 for the clutch, and it most certainly should not go out at 54k.

I agree, but VW has their own idea of how long it takes. They think it takes about 6 hours each way. I have done mine in 4 hours, with practice.

[zmladen]

If you're driving it hard any, I'd suggest putting in a clutch disc from a vr6, a pressure plate from a vr6, and a flywheel from a G60 motor. [all vw engines]

It'll last alot longer, and hold alot better than the stock clutch.

Is it necessary to switch out the flywheel or can the stock flywheel be used? Is the G60 flywheel stronger or is a different size needed for the vr6 clutch?

Z

[NBTurboFreak]

Is it necessary to switch out the flywheel or can the stock flywheel be used? Is the G60 flywheel stronger or is a different size needed for the vr6 clutch?

Z

It is not necessary but it will help. The stock flywheel is a dual mass where the G60/VR6 are a single mass and are slightly larger.

[caglare]

I prefer you to use more sportive flywheel like EIP Tuning etc.. IT is more cheaper and ofcourse lighter :)