Curious clutch problem...

[general_piffle]

Hi all, I've a problem with the clutch on my MK3 P reg GTI. Low mileage, only done 76,000 miles. However, yesterday driving back into London gear changes started getting harder and harder. It got to the point where I was having to force it into gear with the biting point of the clutch only just off the floor of the car. From Brixton to Peckham I actually thought sod this and just drove in 2nd without changing to make it home!

Anyway, this morning got in the car and the pedal was almost touching the floor. I lifted it up and pumped it several times. Started the car and magically the biting point had returned to being quite high up in the travel of the lever and the gear changes smooth again. Drove her for about 20 mins and all seemed fine. What the hell is going on?!

[Mac76]

Sounds like your clutch slave cylinder is on its way out

HTH Marc

[robz]

or the push rod has punched a small hole through the pressure plate, mine went a little like this, soon you wont have any clutch iof it is

[Wayne]

8V or 16V, if it is a 16V then it is hydraulic and it sounds like it is loosing pressure so slave or master cylinder problem.

[robz]

im presuming 8v

[general_piffle]

Thanks for the response guys, and yes it's an 8 valve. With regard to the slave cylinder what difference does it make that it's of the self-adjusting cable type?

And get this, I took her to a local Mr Clutch this morning (the one in Wandsworth on Armoury Way) they did their 'free' test and said clutch was slipping and needed replacing also cable might have stretched and needed replacing. 300 notes all in?! I said I'd look for a second opinion. If the clutch was slipping surely I would have felt it rev but not accelerate and it hasn't done this with me ever, I don't trust them. An independent local garage is having a look tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be a hell of a lot less than 300 quid!

[Wayne]

8V is manual so forget slave cylinder, replace the cable as a 1st step if no better you looking at replacing the clutch.

Whatever happens avoid mr clutch

[thai-wronghorse]

Mr Clutch really are sh!t, I took one of my previous 8v's to one for a replacement clutch a few years ago as I didn't have time to do it myself and they said they could do it for about £180 all in and I ended up taking it back 3 times and it still didn't think it was quite right.
I'd never use them again!

[general_piffle]

Result! Thanks for the advice, thought I'd let you know what happened. Local mechanic took it for a spin with me in it this morning. He did the classic 4th gear clutch test with the handbrake on and it stalled almost instantly with the revs up and clutch out. Nothing wrong with the clutch he said. Then had a look under the bonnet at the cable. He reckons that the self-adjusting cable got stuck for a bit and didn't adjust it then caught up hence the clutch being fine now. His recommendation was to do nothing as it's fine unless of course it becomes a persistent problem over time. Guess who I'll be taking it back to?!

And this is the email I fired off to Mr Clutch's complaints department:

I took my P reg Golf GTI to the XXX branch on the morning of Monday June 6th 2011. I had had a problem with the clutch not engaging gears properly (not slipping) 2 days before but when driving to Wandsworth the clutch and gear changing seemed fine. I had the free test done to make sure and was shocked when I was told that I'd need both the cable and the entire clutch replacing as the clutch was slipping according to your mechanic (XXX). I've been driving for over 20 years and know what clutch slip feels like (increase in revs no increase in acceleration) and was sure the clutch on my Golf wasn't slipping. I was quoted approx £300 for parts and labour. I said I was going to have a think and seek a second opinion. I got a local mechanic to have a look after explaining what had happened. He did the classic 4th gear clutch test (with me in the car) with the handbrake on and the car stalled almost immediately his professional opinion was the clutch wasn't slipping at all. He had a look at the cable and said in his opinion the cable had stuck (self adjusting) and then caught up with itself, hence why the clutch had seemed to not be working briefly and was then fine the following day. He also said that they could do this and there was no need to replace it or do anything to the clutch unless it became a persistent problem, which in his opinion was unlikely. I phoned Mr Clutch at Wandsworth to tell them what had happened. The Manager XXX apologised and said he'd talk to the mechanic. Frankly I'm not happy as I feel that I've been lied to and that Mr Clutch has tried to make money out of me by recommending work that didn't need to be done. This is unacceptable. How do you suggest to resolve the situation? Thanks.


Let's see what they come back with! 

[robz]

haha
see what they say, however bear my situation in mind as i went through the same thought pattern and my clutch was fubard thanks to the arm