Our Hyundai i10 is 7 years old but as a purely local runabout has only covered about 13,000 miles. For various reasons we have been physically unable to drive it for two months but my daughter, on a rare visit, took it for a spin. It started first off but 20 minutes out she found that she was unable to change gear. An RAC man was summoned and, on learning the car's history, decided that the clutch had failed due to over-use and later took it off for repair.
A lesson for anyone thinking a buying a used car on grounds of low mileage.
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>> A lesson for anyone thinking a buying a used car on grounds of low mileage.
Discussion I've recently had with my son. His father out law was helping him, being local, but was, to my mind going for mileage rather than focussing on condition.
Unable to change suggests failed release bearing. Happened to me a couple of times, once in my own Berlingo and another on local Citroen indy's Xsara Picasso. Clutch life is, I guess, driven by number of times it's used.
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I don't know about modern release bearings but it used to be people leaving their foot on the clutch which did for them, whether the clutch was properly depressed or even with just the foot leaning on it enough to keep the bearing spinning.
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>> I don't know about modern release bearings but it used to be people leaving their
>> foot on the clutch which did for them, whether the clutch was properly depressed or
>> even with just the foot leaning on it enough to keep the bearing spinning.
I suspect my son's habit as a young driver of 'riding' the clutch helped send the Berlingo's on its way.
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I can't remember ever having to replace a clutch in 45 years of driving, despite many of my cars having had more use and abuse than an Amsterdam sex worker. Maybe it's a use it or lose it thing. Having said that, my wife's cars haven't needed clutches either, and her driving patterns are more or less the opposite of mine. She makes up for it in other ways of course. On reflection if you like...
Anyway, my point, if I have one, and if you're still awake, is to ask how common really is clutch failure? Not sure if I even know anyone who has had to replace one. Suppose I must do, I guess it's just not something that comes up in conversation much by the time other more pressing subjects have been covered.
;-)
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>>how common really is clutch failure?
My experience would be....
A worn out set of pressure plates on a Matchless G12 in about 1975 (unused for 10 years)
A contaminated pressure plate on a Mini in about 1977 (damaged oil seal)
A worn out pressure plate on a MKI Escort in about 1978 (bought that way)
A burnt out set of plates on a KH250 in about 1979 (My sister did it)
A pressure plate failure on an Audi 100 in about 1980 (Dunno, crap car)
A burnt out clutch on a Lancia Beta HPE in about 1982 (all my own work)
As far as I can think, nothing since.
But do bear in mind I used to buy, drive and mistreat an endless series of the dregs of the motoring world.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sat 22 May 21 at 18:19
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But I did pay my way working on other people's cars for a pittance. And I did used to do quite a number of Ford clutches in the late 70s / early 80s.
So I'd say it used to be fairly common on older cars, but perhaps rare these days.
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That's an impressive memory you've got there!
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>> That's an impressive memory you've got there!
You'd think.
In fact it took a fair amount of puzzling out and using residences, friends and girlfriends as references to work out dates.
And in those days car repairs used to involve lying in the street freezing cold and filthy trying to work out how to bypass the need for tools and spares which needed actually paying for.
So they tended to stick in the mind.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sat 22 May 21 at 19:39
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>>how common really is clutch failure?
A35 clutch rod. Failed several times until I found out it had an A30 rod fitted that only had one pivot in it instead of the U/J required.
A35 clutch, I did use to drive it like a loon.
Maxi. Oil seal failed drenching the clutch.
Austin Princess. Used as a tow car and changed when slipping was detected.
Fiat 850. Bought for fifty quid and clutch started slipping on the way home. Very easy job, as it had a large, removable plate in the bell housing.
KIA Pride I used for off-road sport, diff punched a hole in gearbox casing and I thought while the gearbox was off.............................
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>>Maxi. Oil seal failed drenching the clutch.
That happened several times on the Maxi that I bought new, and scrapped after 14 years.
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Never shot a clutch, plenty of broken cables tho, got quite adept at changing gear by rev matching, and anticipating traffic lights at low speed.
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>> Never shot a clutch, plenty of broken cables tho, got quite adept at changing gear
>> by rev matching, and anticipating traffic lights at low speed.
My Peugeot 104 (1982-86) had a least one replaced - slipping.
Both BXs had them replaced as absurdly heavy by 75k miles. The Xantia's got heavy too but by then it was mostly a station hack and I just lived with it.
The first Berlingo's failed at around 100k; pedal dropped to the floor. Apparently a design issue, something that should have been steel was plastic. Mrs B's cousin's Pug Partner of the same age/mileage had exactly the same failure. Second failure at around 150k was release bearing as mentioned above. As well as The Lad's clutch riding I suspect the first replacement may not have been set up properly - it whistled when the clutch was up suggesting (to my mind) that the release bearing was catching or ill lubricated.
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>> Never shot a clutch, plenty of broken cables tho, got quite adept at changing gear
>> by rev matching, and anticipating traffic lights at low speed.
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Fiat Seicentos were murder for that. The shop had one as a delivery runaround and in six years it broke three clutch cables. Around the same time I had an Astra which broke it's cable just as I was pulling onto the drive, the only time that has happened to one of my cars. Dead easy replacement though.
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>>...... despite many of my cars having had more use and abuse than an Amsterdam sex worker....
....into autoerotica are we.... ??
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It may be as simple as a siezed or snapped cable or (if hydraulic) shot seals in the master or slave cylinder.
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>> It may be as simple as a siezed or snapped cable or (if hydraulic) shot
>> seals in the master or slave cylinder.
Oh that's right, I did also have a number of cylinder and cable issues over the years.
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Hyundai cars are pretty reliable.................
However for decades clutch problems seem to raise their head every few years.
Strange as they seem to iron out many issues as time goes by but clutches are the weakest link.
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Despite my well voiced servicing (or non servicing) issues with Kia family has 4.
During Lockdown 1 and plenty of time on my hands and good weather for driveway maintenance I set too and replaced the clutches in both my daughters Picantos. They were both around 40K miles.
11 plate was really stiff and remained so even with a new cable so clutch fitted.
63 had a squeak when releasing the clutch so whilst I had the gearbox out it got a full clutch kit.
My 2017 27K Sportage has the occasional judder when the weather is damp.
Mrs FC has a Soul with over 50K and likewise it shows the occasional judder.
Despite the much hailed 7 year warranty clutches are only covered for 2.
Any warranty claim involves paying £400 to have the clutch inspected with a reimbursement if there is found to be a manufacturing defect.
Sportages seem to have had issues with the a certain batch of clutches which they are not advertising.
Over the years I have had much higher mileage cars and the only clutch issues were in an Ascona which I sorted myself. Got myself trapped with the gearbox on my chest. More clearance needed than a pair of cheap ramps. :S The only others were precautionary changes in rally cars. Mk 2 Escort and Astra 16V.
I got my inspiration on the Picantos from this guy. But here's an I10 undergoing a clutch.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGrTHicPsZ8
Last edited by: Fullchat on Sat 22 May 21 at 23:13
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>> I got my inspiration on the Picantos from this guy. But here's an I10 undergoing
>> a clutch.
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>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGrTHicPsZ8
Is he really called Kevin-Albert Williams?
Really?
A double barrelled first name? That is so.....
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Shot Clutch - Bromptonaut
