Far be it for me to further insult your wifes driving skill [which involves more than turning the steering wheel] but such heat would have required considerable slip in the components over a sustained period. A skilled driver would notice cluch slip straight away and would have done something about it well before the lining wore out and melting point was reached ;-) Hence, I suspect, the comment from the dealer. A certain Radio Two program would call that 'major muppetry'. Had you been the driver, then I suspect the same comments would have been made and you would be an even less happy bunny LOL. A car is not a maintenance free consumer product ['consumer product' now usually means 'idiot proof'] in the same way that a washing machine is. When out of warranty, leaving things to get out of hand proves costly.
This does not alter the probability that you had a faulty clutch, probably with insufficient clamping pressure, which should, and I suspect will be, rectified under warranty with no quibble.
Huw
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