possible clutch problem?

[randomist 0]

just after a bit help coz i'm slightly worried about my clutch,

first of all, do vr's generally have heavy clutches? my clutch is pretty stiff when you press it down, best way to describe it is if any of you have drove sciroccos it's that kind of stiff. my valver has a lovely light clutch so that's why i'm concerned. also there's a slight judder when pulling away, this happened in my valver just b4 xmas & then the slave cylinder went shortly afterwards. any help or advise would be great.

 

cheers,garry

[Supercharged 2]

When was the fluid last changed?

[randomist 0]

not sure, only had the car just over a week but i'll look into that.

[Niges16V 0]

The clutch on all C's are hydraulic so should be lite compared to golf etc. I did read somewhere that when they do get heavy they need changing. Bet you wish you knew that last week!

[randomist 0]

yeah that would've been handy to know especially as i've just spent nearly 300 quid getting the brakes sorted out! you live & learn.

[2cc 0]

shouldn't be heavy

could be old fluid, master or slave seal leaks, but more likely general wear in the clutch itself - springs/fingers etc

[randomist 0]

think i'd better get her booked in for a check up, it'll be sods law it'll be the most expensive thing that needs replacing!

[dr_mat 0]

The clutch is cheap compared to some bits, mate!

They are heavy when they're worn, several people have said this. I guess it's because you have less leverage on the mechanism due to the thinner friction plates. New clutches are nice and light.

First step is to get the mechanism bled. Many garages forget to bleed the hydraulic clutch out altogether when they "replace" your brake fluid.

Even if it's stiff, I wouldn't bother changing it just for that. If the juddering is particularly bad though..

Juddering can also be caused by screwed engine mounts though.

 

A clutch described by anyone as "slightly juddery" is not worth worrying over. If you are feeling overly endowed with cash, I am pretty certain your new VW friend will provide a much better excuse to burn some before too long. ;)

[randomist 0]

it's not that bad tbh but i'm one of these fussy people who likes everything to be as it should, i really annoy myself! think i've got a touch of ocd. anyway i've got a mate having a look at it next week so hopefully he'll sort it for me.

thanks for the help guys, you all told me what i kinda knew/feared.

[dr_mat 0]

I've hardly ever heard of people actually having slipping clutches on VRs, btw. Most get the clutch replaced when doing the timing chains, simply because it's got to come off anyway. So despite it being "worn" it's almost certainly going to outlast other more important components, as long as you can live with the little bit of judder.

[randomist 0]

that's another question i was going to ask, meant to do a search but forgot & as you've just mentioned it. why is it so expensive to get the chains replaced? mines at 98k so it's probably due but i read another thread that said that people panic over them & they don't need replaced as ofter as you think?

[dr_mat 0]

Why so expensive? 10 hours labour, according to the documentation. That's why!

[randomist 0]

 

Why so expensive? 10 hours labour, according to the documentation. That's why!

FLAPS!