Attention all VW Golf experts!

Tanabe

Hello all,

I had a brand new clutch kit fitted (including flywheel, etc) to a 00 GTi Golf a few months back & can you believe it, the clutch is gone again?!!!!

The garage who installed the clutch says that this time around it's only two 'clips' gone on the clutch and they only cost a few euro. They say that these clips can "go anytime" on the clutch.

Is it just me or does that sound totally daft? If that's the case then I have absolutely no guarantee that I could be left stranded someday, due to these temperamental clips going all the time!!

Are they full of sh1t?

MercMad

Personally I have never heard of "Clips" when speaking about clutches !

Try a VW specialist forum if nobody replies here !

skibum

Try this VW forum a lot of the guys there know VW's inside out.

Tanabe

'Clips' on clutches sounds extremely strange to me aswell I must admit!

I'll have a look on that VW forum to try & get to the bottom of this, thanks guys.

If anybody here knows for definite please leave a reply, much appreciated.

crosstownk

I don't see any sort of 'clip' that would lead to clutch failure.................





Ask the garage what function these clips serve and how they lead to clutch failure..................

Tanabe

Nice one Crosstownk,

I'll ask them for sure. I only paid €1,140 a few months back for a brand new clutch kit, this is the last thing I expected.

Surely this can't be the case that "these clips can go at anytime".

DJ Hafez

Tanabe wrote:

I only paid €1,140 a few months back for a brand new clutch kit, this is the last thing I expected.

Bit steep for a new clutch! I'll be staying away from whatever garage that os anyway :eek:

Tanabe

DJ Hafez wrote:

Bit steep for a new clutch! I'll be staying away from whatever garage that os anyway :eek:

Yeah....it was some stinger alright! :mad: You can't just buy the clutch on its own, it had to be the kit including the flywheel etc.

Add such things as labour + VAT, and you can just feel the vaseline being applied to your behind with not alot you can do about it.:eek:

crosstownk

Tanabe wrote:

You can't just buy the clutch on its own, it had to be the kit including the flywheel etc.

Rubbish - each part can be bought individually. See the first diagram above, note that items 8, 1 & 2 are listed individually as is 1a which is the kit (3 items as one but does not include the flywheel). Although, it is recommended to replace a clutch disc(2), pressure plate(1) and release bearing(8) at the same time. Why was the flywheel replaced?

demanufactured

ermmmmm you really got fuskced by someone who saw you comin.

I got a clutch for a seat toledo , same engine as a golf , for 150 euros last year

DJ Hafez

Yeah, The clutch should cost 200 max with labout being another 300 I'd say. And crosstownk is right, there was no need to replace the flywheel..... Christ, there are still rip-off merchants out there !

Tanabe

Thanks for the info guys (even if it is becoming more & more painful for me to read):(

Let me give you the whole background to this situation:

1) I'm the 3rd owner of this vehicle

2) Same thing happened to previous (2nd) owner i.e. driving along one day when the clutch appeared to have gone, turned out it was only a 'clip' gone and only cost €9 for repair.

3) Just my luck, driving along one day, clutch thingy happened again

4) Garage said the clutch had definitely gone this time and that they needed to take apart the gearbox to see some 'code' that would tell them what clutch was needed.

5) Garage says because of the type of clutch that was required, it couldn't be purchased separately, blaa, blaa, blaa!

@crosstownk:

At the time, they said that the flywheel came as part of the clutch 'kit'? I must be some mug. Where could I have gotten the parts separately you have illustrated in the diagrams?

@demanufactured:

Where did you get yours?

Cheers.

crosstownk

DJ Hafez wrote:

there was no need to replace the flywheel.

Sometimes it is necessary to replace the flywheel. If a clutch disc wears to the point that the rivets are proud of the friction surface, they can score the flywheel. But for this to happen the car would have to be driven excessively with a slipping clutch.

DJ Hafez

crosstownk wrote:

Sometimes it is necessary to replace the flywheel.

Can the flywheel just be reconditioned though or am I imagining it?

crosstownk

DJ Hafez wrote:

Can the flywheel just be reconditioned though or am I imagining it?

Sometimes - it depends on the depth of the score or whether or not it is a dual mass flywheel.

Tanabe wrote:

Garage said the clutch had definitely gone this time and that they needed to take apart the gearbox to see some 'code' that would tell them what clutch was needed.

A clutch is a mechanical device. On a 2000 Golf (1J) it is not possible for a fault code to show a clutch malfunction - except for the clutch pedal position sensor. But I reckon they meant an engine code.

Tanabe wrote:

Where could I have gotten the parts separately you have illustrated in the diagrams?

VW dealer. Most motor factors and other spurious suppliers will only sell a clutch kit (without a flywheel). TBH, the price you quote is bordering on expensive for a main VW dealer - did you get any other work done - like a service, brakes, etc, etc......

Tanabe

crosstownk wrote:

A clutch is a mechanical device. On a 2000 Golf (1J) it is not possible for a fault code to show a clutch malfunction - except for the clutch pedal position sensor. But I reckon they meant an engine code.

AFAIK, I don't think they meant that they were looking for a fault code or an engine code by taking the gearbox apart. I took it that there was a printed code somewhere, which indicated to them what was required? It was a dual mass flywheel they replaced with the 'kit' at the time. They did say that it was possible to buy the parts separately a while back, but not anymore?

crosstownk wrote:

VW dealer. Most motor factors and other spurious suppliers will only sell a clutch kit (without a flywheel). TBH, the price you quote is bordering on expensive for a main VW dealer - did you get any other work done - like a service, brakes, etc, etc......

No, no other work done. Just the new clutch & kit. I'll have a look at the invoice (when I get the car back, as it's with it at the moment) & go through all parts mentioned, prices, etc.

But I definitely agree, it was very expensive, regardless.

crosstownk

Sounds like they needed an engine code - it's impossible to order the correct clutch parts for a VW without this code.

Tanabe

crosstownk wrote:

Sounds like they needed an engine code - it's impossible to order the correct clutch parts for a VW without this code.

Nice one, cheers

Esel

Those fuppin' German paperclips - I use Japanese OEM ones all the time now!

[edit] wtf is EOM? [/edit]

Tanabe

I posted my OP on a VW site and got the following reply:

"There is a repair kit available from VAG and its all made of plastic, these fit at the clutch pedal where the pedal meets the piston for the clutch master cylinder, they break the whole time.
I have 2 MK 4 GTi's down in the yard at the moment waiting for the clips to arrive in and are both off the road till i get them in, bloody stupid set up if you ask me.
Just pull down the cover where the pedal box is and look at the clutch pedal and see if the clips are broken, the piston should come out through the centre of the top of the pedal if so.
Its cheap to buy these from your local stealer (for a change)".

So, maybe 'clips for clutches' actually exist after all?

Tanabe

esel wrote:

Those fuppin' German paperclips - I use Japanese EOM ones all the time now!

Totally agree with you mate, Jap all the way:) They were all I've ever driven, and I intend to go back there.

I'm through with Hitler's clips I tell thee!:rolleyes:

cantdecide

you will miss the sturdiness- I was like you and trust me, japs are no walk in the park either.

crosstownk

Possibly it's items 12 and 25 in the second diagram - based on the response you got from the VW forum. They are listed as mountings and seem to be what connects the pedal to the master cylinder piston. So maybe it will be a quick fix after all.......

Tanabe

Yeah, that's all it was when it happened to the previous owner, then I got caught for new clutch, and now it needs the quick fix (clips) again. Common fault with VW Golfs I'm told.

The good news is the clips only cost about €9 fitted.

Sandwich

Shouldnt even cost you the few euros. Sale of good act should cover you if its only a few months old, was new, and was clearly not abuse by yourself since the garage is telling you "they can go anytime".

crosstownk

Sandwich wrote: »

Shouldnt even cost you the few euros. Sale of good act should cover you if its only a few months old, was new, and was clearly not abuse by yourself since the garage is telling you "they can go anytime".

These parts are not replaced as part of a clutch replacement. Maybe a VW specialist might replace them if he knew that "they can go at anytime". But other than that any garage could be forgiven for not replacing such items. I doubt that the Sale of Goods Act would have much influence on a seven year old car in this instance.

cowenstaff

Thought I might throw my tuppence worth in - was there a "clatter bang" noise coming from the engine when the clutch went the first time??
:mad:

BrianD3

The major worry I'd have here is not the 9 euro clips but the 1100 euro clutch and flywheel change that was done. It just seems quite coincidental that the clips went, then the clutch went now the clips are gone again. I'd be wondering was clutch replaced unnecessarily.

When the clutch went what were the symptoms? Were they the same as the symptoms when the clips broke?

daedalus2097

Seems an awful lot alright - and there's no way they needed to take the gearbox out to get the gearbox code or the engine code of your car - the chassis number and a quick call to a dealer would tell your engine and box codes. To me it sounds like they took the gearbox out to put you in the position of not having the car until they fitted whatever they told you needed changing at whatever price they said.

True, those clips can go any time and wouldn't be part of the normal clutch change procedure, but it's odd that they went without that much time in between...

crosstownk

BrianD3 wrote: »

The major worry I'd have here is not the 9 euro clips but the 1100 euro clutch and flywheel change that was done. It just seems quite coincidental that the clips went, then the clutch went now the clips are gone again. I'd be wondering was clutch replaced unnecessarily.

Yep - I'd be asking the same questions. The only saving grace is ......

Tanabe wrote:

I had a brand new clutch kit fitted a few months back

If the plastic clips were faulty in the first instance then replacing the clutch wouldn't have made a difference.

cantdecide

It sounds like you had to pay for their education....