A week ago on Tuesday I broke down on a hill, my clutch had gone so I thought. I switched off my engine and put on my hazards. After about 10 minutes I decided to try again and it worked so I got home phoned the garage and explained what had happened.
“As I pressed down the clutch pedal it felt as if it was stuck, like I had got my shoe stuck under it. So I lifted my whole foot off the pedal, the pedal returned, should have been in 2nd gear but I had no gears at all (like I was in neutral). Switched engine off for ten minutes then restarted it and drove the 5 minutes to my house in 2nd gear as I pulled into my drive and changed into 1st gear the same thing happened.”
They picked up the car the following day (Wed) and said it sounded like the master or slave cylinder (hydraulic clutch?), sounded like double Dutch to me. They explained it was more likely to be the slave as it was common for this to happen.
I got the car back on the Thursday evening, took it for a spin (after I had paid for the slave cylinder job) and all seemed fine. An hour later I got in my car to go to work only to have driven 50 yards when the clutch stopped working again. This time I pumped it (like you do brakes) and it came back immediately. So I pulled over and called the garage explaining that it wasn’t fixed. They said they would pick it up Fri and that it was the clutch, how much I asked £290 + vat they replied! They picked it up Fri (which incidentally was the day they were testing it for its MOT which it subsequently failed because of the rear strip brake light unit not working) They said they would have to keep it in over the weekend as they had to order the clutch kit and light unit in.
Monday I phoned and asked when it would be ready because the courtesy car they had loaned me was horrible to drive. They said that they were just assembling the unit and would ring me when it was complete but more likely to be tomorrow (Tues). Tuesday came and I phoned only to be told that although they had replaced the clutch there still seemed to be a problem and that they wanted to look at it some more.
Wednesday I heard nothing, Thursday evening my car was delivered back to my house, the mechanic suggested I take it for a test drive while he was in the car so I could say what I thought. The car drove fine we went for about a mile the only fault I could find was that the clutch pedal was vibrating quite a lot something which it didn’t do before he said it was probably because it was a new clutch I accepted this. Then he said this which I thought was a little strange “drive it over the weekend and then pop in Monday to let me know how you have got on - I thought it was because I had asked for an invoice because I had to borrow the money from my mum and he wanted to make sure he was getting it.
After he left I got ready to go to work and blow me but what should happen yep you guessed it the problem returned!!!!!!!!! So a new clutch and a new slave cylinder haven’t fixed this odd sticking clutch problem, I have no idea where I stand as to paying fro the repair jobs that obviously were not needed I do not know my rights on this matter.
What I would like to know however is what the hell is wrong with my clutch, it sticks it stops working you pump it works again. Does anyone have any ideas so I can suggest it to the mechanic when he comes to fetch my car Monday so he doesn’t do any more unnecessary jobs
They also said that they had replaced some bearings after taking the gear box apart.
“As I pressed down the clutch pedal it felt as if it was stuck, like I had got my shoe stuck under it. So I lifted my whole foot off the pedal, the pedal returned, should have been in 2nd gear but I had no gears at all (like I was in neutral). Switched engine off for ten minutes then restarted it and drove the 5 minutes to my house in 2nd gear as I pulled into my drive and changed into 1st gear the same thing happened.”
They picked up the car the following day (Wed) and said it sounded like the master or slave cylinder (hydraulic clutch?), sounded like double Dutch to me. They explained it was more likely to be the slave as it was common for this to happen.
I got the car back on the Thursday evening, took it for a spin (after I had paid for the slave cylinder job) and all seemed fine. An hour later I got in my car to go to work only to have driven 50 yards when the clutch stopped working again. This time I pumped it (like you do brakes) and it came back immediately. So I pulled over and called the garage explaining that it wasn’t fixed. They said they would pick it up Fri and that it was the clutch, how much I asked £290 + vat they replied! They picked it up Fri (which incidentally was the day they were testing it for its MOT which it subsequently failed because of the rear strip brake light unit not working) They said they would have to keep it in over the weekend as they had to order the clutch kit and light unit in.
Monday I phoned and asked when it would be ready because the courtesy car they had loaned me was horrible to drive. They said that they were just assembling the unit and would ring me when it was complete but more likely to be tomorrow (Tues). Tuesday came and I phoned only to be told that although they had replaced the clutch there still seemed to be a problem and that they wanted to look at it some more.
Wednesday I heard nothing, Thursday evening my car was delivered back to my house, the mechanic suggested I take it for a test drive while he was in the car so I could say what I thought. The car drove fine we went for about a mile the only fault I could find was that the clutch pedal was vibrating quite a lot something which it didn’t do before he said it was probably because it was a new clutch I accepted this. Then he said this which I thought was a little strange “drive it over the weekend and then pop in Monday to let me know how you have got on - I thought it was because I had asked for an invoice because I had to borrow the money from my mum and he wanted to make sure he was getting it.
After he left I got ready to go to work and blow me but what should happen yep you guessed it the problem returned!!!!!!!!! So a new clutch and a new slave cylinder haven’t fixed this odd sticking clutch problem, I have no idea where I stand as to paying fro the repair jobs that obviously were not needed I do not know my rights on this matter.
What I would like to know however is what the hell is wrong with my clutch, it sticks it stops working you pump it works again. Does anyone have any ideas so I can suggest it to the mechanic when he comes to fetch my car Monday so he doesn’t do any more unnecessary jobs
They also said that they had replaced some bearings after taking the gear box apart.
