Mr Clutch - Experiences please?

[Hellcat]

Ok sounds like something from the Simpsons but I'm looking at taking my 1.9TD SX for a gearbox and clutch check at the local (ish) Mr Clutch. Been quoted 199.99 (woohoo a whole penny change) for the clutch job but wondering what people's experience are? Seemed ok on the phone, are they careful with the car? Keep things clean? Dont break what isn't broken?

 

[HornetUK]

My local Mr Clutch looked at my noisey clutch on my Punto and asked for £300 to take it all apart and clean it all. Said they'd then put it all back together and it would cure the noise!

Fiat dealer changed the slave cylinder for £60 and problem cured. I had asked Mr Clutch if it was the slave and they said no way is that noise from the slave!! One up for Fiat for once.

To charge to take it apart, they may as well have fitted new parts! Lucky escape there and £240 saved.

 

[Hellcat]

I'm a bit worried now.. They have my telephone number and everything! Very suprising for Fiat to be correct. My local Fiat garage would have told me I needed a new engine and gearbox... I'm only booked in for a checkup atm so I'll be weary of what they say. 300 seems a lot to take it apart, especially when its 200 for mine to replaced - and with a new clutch too!

 

[Trancendental]

My local Mr Clutch looked at my noisey clutch on my Punto and asked for £300 to take it all apart and clean it all. Said they'd then put it all back together and it would cure the noise!

Fiat dealer changed the slave cylinder for £60 and problem cured. I had asked Mr Clutch if it was the slave and they said no way is that noise from the slave!! One up for Fiat for once.

To charge to take it apart, they may as well have fitted new parts! Lucky escape there and £240 saved.

what kind of noise was your clutch making?

 

[HornetUK]

A loud creaking when you pressed the pedal in & out. No other problems with it just the noise. I was shocked when Fiat dealer said £60 and thought I'd have it done and see, 45mins picked car up noise gone!

 

[LooseCannon]

Soz, cant help on Mr Clutch, never heard of it..but talkin about clutches, sometimes mine would not come back up after i started lifting my foot off it, and it would stay halfway up,making me pull it up with my foot..while in tryin to pull off at light etc-so this week i took my car to some local mechanic..he changed the slave, which apparently was leaking fluid :s he seemed like he was making htings up as he went along..wondering if others know anything of this, or this has happened to them??wanted £60 to change slave..

 

[NumanR]

Had bad experiences with local Mr Clutch, but that doesnt mean they are all bad.

 

[Hellcat]

Ok.. Loose Cannon - My tipo had exactly the same problem - turned out to be the master cylinder. Changed the slave too just incase (rubber boot was split). Cost me around £70 for both parts from www.shop4parts.co.uk

Both jobs quite easy. Slave cylinder required taking the battery out in order to get into the flexible pipe. Other than that it was just 2 bolts.
Master required car up on ramps to get the hydraulic connection at the back of the engine bay, and a lot of scrambling around in the drivers footwell. Hardest part being getting the feed tube back through the rubber grommet! So £60? Depends if it included parts.

As for Mr Clutch..

Hellcat is not a happy bunny. Picked up car and tried the clutch.. VERY light. Try forwards and the car judders. Hmm Try reverse. Car judders even more. Being naieve I drive off thinking it needs chance to wear in. How wrong I was.

Get the car home and notice a shiny bolt sticking out the starter motor.. hmm I think - why is that 11 year old bolt shiny? Because its spent 11 years in a deeper hole and now there is a deep hole with a short bolt in! Being aluminium they have stripped the first 4 or 5 threads. Sort that out and try other bolts. Front engine mounting wasn't nipped. Rear engine mountings not in original place.

Gearbox feels slighly smoother into gear now - although I'm sure that wasn't because of the 17 litres of oil they claimed would be replaced!

Will repost once I have found out what they are going to do to solve my jerking problem.

 

[christopher watson]

get in touch with trading standards.

 

[Derekne]

Hello My name is Derek.
All though I may have a different car to most on here. Id like to contribute to this topic.
I have been given this link to your forum via a member at.
www.fordscorpio.co.uk
I have noticed that some of you have also had problems with "MR CLUTCH".
Well I have had a disgracefull time with this company.
Please do feel free to click on the link provided to find out all about my problems with them.There are lots of photos provided for you to enjoy too.
http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/cgi-bi...roblems;action=display;num=1151649885;start=0
Regards and best wishes....
Derekne...
a member of fordscorpio.co.uk.

 

[Andy_sx]

Derek, sorry to hear about that farse, didnt read all of it, but i get the same feeling with mr clutch.

i went to them to get mine replaced as it was slipping quite badly from cold. they turned around and said it was the box, my response was b*ll*cks, ive killed enough boxes to know what a diying one sounds like... 2 days later clutch dies in spectacular fashion...

 

[ben]

I'll give an opposite review - they replaced my Bravo clutch (and fixed the wonky bonnet for free) for about £125. It started at £200 or so, but I just bartered them down....

 

[Derekne]

Derek, sorry to hear about that farse, didnt read all of it, but i get the same feeling with mr clutch.

i went to them to get mine replaced as it was slipping quite badly from cold. they turned around and said it was the box, my response was b*ll*cks, ive killed enough boxes to know what a diying one sounds like... 2 days later clutch dies in spectacular fashion...

Hope you got things sorted. It has took a good few weeks to get back on the road. But finaly im here. The pics are further in on about the 3rd or 4th page.
Thanks for your reply both of you.

 

[Hellcat]

Will repost once I have found out what they are going to do to solve my jerking problem.

Thought I'd follow up my own post. Car scrapped, mostly because the clutch judder was so severe and Mr Clutch didn't seem very willing to help. I'm sure they must have driven it out of their garage so they know the problem was there. Just not willing to admit to it before I picked up the car and drove 30+ miles home.

They WERE more interested in me when they realised my card hadn't cleared though.. Oh yes. I had no problem getting them to ring me back over that. If I wasn't so damn British I'd have refused to give them my details.

I tried to register on your Scorchio website to post but I'm in limbo in registration As you can see the lanky salesman told me they had changed 17 litres of gearbox oil... If I'd not been stuck in Gateshead, in a garage full of dodgy looking blokes armed with ratchets I'd have called him a Bullsh*tting Liar to his face.

 

[Hellcat]

Oh well. I tried to apply to join but apparantly "Wanting to join to help a member with a common problem" isn't a good enough reason.

 

[SchooweeNick]

MR CLUTCH....
:tosser: :tosser: :tosser: :tosser: :tosser: :tosser: :tosser: :tosser: :tosser: :tosser:
10 years ago i had the pleasure of owning an ESCORT RS1600i which developed a gearbox fault... phoned everywhere including main agents and nobody wanted to touch it!! i had to take it to MR CLUTCH as they were the only ones who would... When i got my 1st call i was told it needed a new diff and that they would source a recon unit, which i was dubious about to say the least as it had a completely unique box.. i told them i just wanted it fixed asap... got a call about a week later asking if it had any additional immobilers on it as they'd installed said recon box and it wouldn't start!! when i popped in after work i was a little shocked to see the crankshaft rpm sensor wasn't in its hole.. there wasnt a hole for it the mechanic said.. upon closer inspection they'd fitted a RS turbo box.. i told them this wasnt right (wrong ratio's and everything!!)
they called me back the next day and said they'd found a 2nd hand box for me if i wanted it.. i just wanted my car back so i agreed o ).. once the car waas running and ready for collection i was presented with a bill for nearly £1400 pounds.. because 'somone had to pay for the RS turbo box!!!!!??? i tipped them b***ocks and eventually parted with £750
4 years later i employed an ex mr clutch employee who recognised me and rather embarresingly admitted that they'd merely sprayed my old box and replaced 'one or two internals' :tosser: :bang:

Incedently my dad a year later chose to use them for the service on my mums metro i think it was something silly like £20 for oil and air filter change.. he got a call after only 20 mins to say he needed rear shoes and cylinders... he'd personally replaced them 2 weeks before!!!:nono:

 

[Hellcat]

4 years later i employed an ex mr clutch employee who recognised me and rather embarresingly admitted that they'd merely sprayed my old box and replaced 'one or two internals'

That is so wrong it hurts! Did they all wear stetsons and have spikes on their boots? They must have cause they're real cowboys.

 

[Punto Dave]

I parted with 260 quid for clutch and starter motor. RAC paid 80 quid for the starter motor as there bad advice and startind the car then the clutch was broke burnt out the starter motor. so for labour and clutch cost me 180 quid. I thought that was about normal.

 

[SchooweeNick]

That is so wrong it hurts! Did they all wear stetsons and have spikes on their boots? They must have cause they're real cowboys.

BUNCH OF COWBOYS??? CANT SAY I NOTICED THE SPURS AND STETSONS BUT I DID NOTICE MANY CHIN BEARDS ALMOST LIKE A "BRAZILIAN" SO I THINK BUNCH OF CNUTS WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE!!! MOST DEFINITELY!!!!:tosser:

HOWEVER LIKE MOST THINGS... THERE CAN BE GOOD AND BAD I'D JUST SAY THESE SEEM MORE BAD THAN GOOD!!!

 

[x Alex x]

my mam took her auto audi a4 there and they said they'd fix it on the cheap, they ended up charging us for the job which they hadnt done properly and it made the original job cost more, if you can help it i'd avoid them