Clutch has gone awol, what did you pay for yours?

[Sol]

After only 4k miles on the B9 since I bought it a year ago, the clutch has gone. Started juddering and jumping really badly when taking up the biting point two days ago, then yesterday the noise from the release bearing / pressure plate was a howling scream and as I drove home from work, the pedal got pretty hard to push down. When sitting idling with the clutch down, it clattered and rattled and squealed like a pig. This van has done 64k from new and one owner bar me.

No slip, so it seems the pressure plate fingers & release bearing are unhappy.

So, I have to get the clutch done. Has to be the whole kit due to the faff so I started calling my local trusted garage. Can't do it till April....ffs I thought, can't wait two weeks. How much? I asked. £680 they said, and that's if you don't need a flywheel, it's another £420 on top.

Jesus H. Christ I thought.....no way.

I said it doesn't have a DMF so it's just the clutch. I need the van. April they repeated. Called the next nearest trusted garage.... April....

So onto a local guy who only does clutches. No probs he says, I'll do it on Monday. £350.

What have any of you guys paid lately for a full clutch on the B9 1.6 HDi out of interest? I'm hauling it up the the last guy tomorrow and leaving it with him. Need it working, can't fit my tools and PLC programming kit in her car.

[Romahomepete]

Clutch specialists are always cheaper and quicker than jobbing garages.

Peter

[cancunia]

As above, if you can find a trustworthy specialist it's often better than a general workshop. Probably because they know exactly what's involved whereas a garage will be making a guestimate.
What does Service Box say about repair / replace times?

[Sol]

Not checked CSB, my laptop with it on is sitting on my desk at work. I'm working from home today cos of the van but unlikely I'll get peace, never do for long. Couldn't be bothered to lug both laptops home so only brought my official work one.

Just wanted to get an idea of what others had paid recently, £350 is not bad, but the garage who quoted over £1000 is someone I know and have used for years, just surprised at the price as they will have plucked it off autodata. Oddly enough, the owner has ran a Pug Partner same as mine, from new.

One other garage lot who are franchised, will remain nameless, I called them up and they said it could be your gearbox needing a repair, we need to strip the gearbox and the clutch then we'll give you a price. I was like em no, the gearbox is fine - the release bearing is screaming when the clutch is pressed, the fingers on the cover are probably bent or damaged - they went quiet and said oh we don't have time to look at it, sorry. Hmmmm....

[cancunia]

One other garage lot who are franchised, will remain nameless, I called them up and they said it could be your gearbox needing a repair, we need to strip the gearbox and the clutch then we'll give you a price. 

Some people would say yes...

A few years ago, I got a spring replaced on my Volvo, didn't have time to do it myself so got a local workshop to do the job after a bit of negotiation on price.

It went a bit like this:

First garage - £100
Second Garage - £90
First garage - £85
Second garage £80 

The daft thing is that if the first garage had said £85 to start with they'd have got the job.

[Kieron G]

Is a pity you can't borrow / buy a cheap car to sell on after and do the job yourself on the drive. At least you know is done properly to your standard.

[Sol]

Yeah would be nice to do it myself, I have the tools and I can borrow the wife's car but then she needs it too, and on top of that I don't get much free time from work, not getting any younger and it's easier to get it fixed for me and returned in working condition. I've been down the road of stripping front ends off and laying on the ground for hours on end many times when I was younger and I'm not up for that these days.

I wish I could justify a wee workshop with a ramp for tinkering and repairs, but the use of it wouldn't justify the cost.

Putting a new clutch in, which I hadn't accounted for, will mean I have to wait till next year to trade up to a newer car so I will go back to my original plan of getting this van fully stretch-carpeted in the rear, lowered, alloys painted and do some other mods on it. That stuff I'm happy to do as I can put it down and use the van between stints of modding.

By next January her-indoors will have forgotten what I've spent and I can start again!

[Kieron G]

Sounds like a plan. I know what you mean about struggling under a vehicle. Not so bad in my case as between the family there is a spare car so time not such an issue. Hope you find a genuine garage to sort it.

[Gadgetman]

Replacing a clutch on a FWD car with a Transversely mounted engine is a big pain most of the time. Getting access usually means removing both front axles and pulling the gearbox at least partway out of the car. And there's very little room to do that on.

If someone can do this for £350... Hallelujah!
Is my opinion...
(replaced the clutch on my M49 not that long ago... And the flywheel, and a damaged driveshaft, and the oil seals I elfed up with my less than correct gearbox removal... )

The £1000 offer sounds suspiciously like an 'we really don't want to do this job, please go away' pricing.

[Sol]

Gadgetman, you really are spot on with everything. Exactly my thoughts in every word.