Clutch started slipping on the '97 Peugeot 406 estate I've owned for the past seven years. It's done 141k miles (about half mine) and is otherwise a good car, so I put it into a local independent car repairers that advertise clutch repairs. Having had a gearbox repair some years back, I was aware the new clutch would not be cheap and was quoted close to £550 for a clutch kit and the seven hours to do the work.
When I collected the car, on completion of the work, it drove fine... for a few miles. At first the clutch was lighter than before, as one would hope, but within a couple of miles I became aware of increased resistance at longer pedal travel. This rapidly worsened and the gear changing stiffened, until I could no longer change gear and was stuck in neutral at the entrance to a roundabout about 4 miles from the repair shop. As well as the gear change stiffness, the clutch had also become extremely difficult to press.
I could only engage gears with the engine stopped but was then able to get the car to a side road where I could turn it and return, in second gear, to the repairers. By pressing hard on the clutch I could avoid stalling at junctions but gear changing verged on the impossible.
Having stopped on their forecourt, the clutch was no longer as heavy but the gearbox remained very stiff. They were initially puzzled but have taken it back in and will fit a further clutch kit next week. They say the thrust bearing in the kit they put in must have failed. Is this possible or likely? Is there some other likely explanation?
I doubt it's that they put in incorrect gearbox oil as the resistance felt very mechanical. The gearbox was fine before it went in for repair, and I had a new clutch cable fitted in January. Anyone else experienced something like this?
Chris