Mr.Clutch?

[...]

You really think that would work?

Chris

I'm pretty sure law covers this and that a quote should give an exact price. Maybe get them to write down the price before they start? I do as I have a shit memory anyway.

The original price would be for the clutch replacement. If you refused to accept that further work was needed at additional cost, they would fit the clutch as agreed, and you would pay for that.

There is no way that they would reassemble the vehicle with the old clutch, at no cost to the customer.

Main dealers, and I suspect most of these chains, get you to sign a document outlining the work you have agreed to. This would constitute a contract in law.

Sadly, the OP needed to do more research. In the first place, a quick Google, and asking somewhere like here, would let you know that DMF replacement was likely to be needed. It would be sensible in any case once the thing was in bits.

Secondly, there are plenty of reviews of Mr Clutch and similar businesses that would ring alarm bells, at least for me.

Chris

A quote only covers the works as requested and documented i.e replace clutch additional works like flywheel replacement if it isn't included would incur an extra cost . There is no obligation for you to have the flywheel changed, however if it fails or the clutch fails you may not have a claim against the garage.

If the flywheel is in a dangerous condition the garage are not obliged to re assemble your vehicle and you can at your own expense have the vehicle taken to another garage , you will still be responsible for the cost of the works the original garage has performed .

If the garage does reassemble your vehicle at your request and notifies you of the issues again you are responsible for those costs of the clutch and any further failures .

It went in for a clutch issue (their words not hers ) wife took it in not me , gears difficult to engage , i wasnt about at the time working away she trusted the mechanic , national company etc , the car had only covered 20K from new , All it required was a cable adjustment .

Cutch international who owned them at the time stated the manager had left the business and the mechanic who worked on the vehicle and they couldn't find the paperwork , they believed that they were undertaking work privately and that's the reason they left so were not prepared to enter into further discussion.

It cost me around £1000 , at the time i couldn't afford to take it further .

I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't use refurbished or reworked units.

I think the point was that Mr Clutch was being accused of changing fly wheels when there was no need but how would the customer know if it needed changing? Gotcha by the bollocks time.

[snip]

The same is potentially true of any supplier. The public generally goes to a trade supplier for anything they can't do themselves, anything from fixing the car to selling a house. So the difficulty is how to deal with the cowboy supplier - anything from a garage business to a lawyer.

The only member of the public who is in any better position is an expert in the field who chooses to employ somebody rather than do the job him/her self.

There's no goood answer.

Pretty sure Mr Clutch do (or did) use re-con units. Nothing wrong with that if properly done - the major clutch makers once did an exchange service.

I've only used them once many years ago for a Montego. Just fine, and at a decent price too. I think they may be a franchise so different branches might well be good or bad.

Thing is with any large organisation, you only really hear the horror stories. Most can't be bothered to say if the work was OK.

Think most DMF flywheels need changing along with the clutch. I've no experience of them myself, but the one on my brother's BMW 3 series very definitely did.

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I don't want to stick up for 'Mr Clutch', but the usual advice is to replace the DMF with the clutch. Once the clutch is removed it would be possible to see that it needed replacement. Suppose they didn't say it needed doing, and a month later failed? The customer, with little knowledge of such things, would blame them for not doing it at the time.

It would be fairer of the company to mention DMF replacement might be needed, and quote for that as well perhaps.

Chris

Well getting a quote for clutch AND flywheel beforehand would be a good start. (In this particular case).

Tim

Years ago with the old 3 piece clutch scam, I asked one guy why he only changed the friction plate and was told that in most cases a new friction plate would see the clutch past the 3 months guarentee he gave.

He said that 1 in 10 might come back as faulty UG with the cost for the imaginary parts going in his sky rocket.

Much the same as with the flywheel. If the face on the clutch is OK you might well get away with just a new driven plate.

Indeed...

It's a tough call. There are specs for checking the DMF is in tolerance (something like: less than X degrees rotational free play) but it's a tough judgement call as to how long it will last.

However, anyone who actually wears a clutch or DMF out probably deserves to pay the cost of both - they ought to last the lifetime of the car these days. My 320d is on 231k miles and still on its original clutch. In the 104k miles I've had it, I've done loads of towing with it and a lot of round the houses stuff. I have to keep the car now as I'm just curious now as to how long it will last[1]!

I also recently changed the clutch in a TD5 Disco on the back of having to do the spigot bush. No point not doing it as there was no history of when it was previously done. Turned out the clutch was 7 years old so probably 60+k on it (03 plate car with 170k on the clock.) I got the vernier out and measured the friction plate and the wear was negligible

- maybe 1mm, I forget, but less than 1/4 of the usable thickness of the thing. And this is a 2-tonne car with ridiculous slop in the diffs & props so the clutch really gets a workout.

[1] If that doesn't tempt fate to be a week Thursday when it starts slipping, I don't know what will!

[...]

Clutch yes, but early DMF failure is a known issue on many cars. 60k was about the life of early DMF's.

I've replaced a few clutches for others in my time, but in 53 years I've never needed one in my own cars.

Chris

Too broad a statement. My brother has a 330 BMW touring which he tows with. The gearing is so high, you have no option but to slip the clutch when manoeuvering the caravan. To the point where it smells. His previous tow car was a much older 520 with much lower gearing (and a lot less power) which was far less hard on the clutch.

Of course you could say it's his fault for buying a vehicle not ideal for towing. But he does far too many miles to stay with an older car.

You buy all your cars new?