Clutch Worn out 35k

[mrguy19]

DANG!

I felt somehting wierld with 1st gear, so I take for a oil change and ask them to take a look at the cluthc..... yup sure enough they said i have about 30%left.....

Plus to make matters it is not coverd by the bumper bumper warranty.....

Since it is a wear and tear item it is only covered unitl 12k!!!


Any help on if anyway around this!!!

 

[Wytchdctr]

They really got in there and checked to see how much clutch you had left? ... I think you need to get a second opinion on that.

As far as the warranty... yeah, no way that will be covered unless something else broke and caused the clutch to go early.

 

[opus]

I've heard this same thing from other makes. I've never understood why the clutch on a MT is a wear item, but the torque converter on an AT is a powertrain covered item. It makes zero sense, but they all treat it that way. I think I would push them a little and say "come on!!! I've had other clutches last X number of miles and this one only makes it to 35k!!" You may find come compensation, not total coverage, but at least partial coverage. If you don't ask, you don't get .

 

[$chocker]

DANG!

I felt somehting wierld with 1st gear, so I take for a oil change and ask them to take a look at the cluthc..... yup sure enough they said i have about 30%left.....

Plus to make matters it is not coverd by the bumper bumper warranty.....

Since it is a wear and tear item it is only covered unitl 12k!!!


Any help on if anyway around this!!!

What was the "something wierd" you felt in first gear? I ask because I was getting some clutch "chatter" on take-offs from a standstill that was greatly reduced when I had the lower trans mount replaced under warranty at just over 30k miles.

That said, I do get the feeling that the clutch in the 5 is not really as robust as it could or should be for the vehicle, given its intended mission as a people hauler (alot more load than in any 3). It's always felt a little fragile to me, like it's always right on the edge of slipping in first gear under load.

I'm curious to hear what you find out if you get a second opinion.

 

[shane02pro5]

You'd pretty much have to be riding the clutch constantly! There is no way they could tell if you have 35%!! Maybe you slipped the clutch recently trying to launch and glazed it...it should burn off in a couple of days.

 

[xboxlivemonkey]

once a clutch is gone its gone , there really isnt a way to determine how much is left , there is a way to tell if its bad . any way it is a wear and tear and is easy to replace thats why dealerships dont cover it , if that were the case every noob driver would get a new clutch ever 10k

 

[AIMWO4]

I was just under my 5 Sunday. No way to see the clutch without pulling back the tranny that I could see.

30% left. How long did it take him to come to that conclusion?

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Yeah I call BS

I was just under my 5 Sunday. No way to see the clutch without pulling back the tranny that I could see.

30% left. How long did it take him to come to that conclusion?

We have a 2006 5 with 40,000 miles on it and the clutch operates fine with the exception of some hotspots that form after I am a little heavy on it. The hotspots cause a little bit of wheel hop but go away after a few hundred miles.

I would defintely get another opinion. Unless you're not moving when you see the tach rev with the clutch released, your probably OK.

The downside of having fun cars like these is that you often treat them a little harder than you should. I can chirp the tires easily and often treat the little 5 like a race car. In reality it isn't a race car and for the money (around 19,000) out the door you shouldn't expect it to handle constant beating day in and out without things wearing out.

For the record though I thought that the 5's light build and easily marred interior would look horrible after a few thousand miles. What I've found is that the little imperfections that have formed after 40,000 miles give the car a lived in feel rather than a junky feel. Everything is still screwed together tight and there are few if any creaks or growns from the body. I've also been very pleased with the way the interior cloth has resisted fading and staining. This is my wife's car and my kids, though well behaved, are still kids and have left their share of sand, soil, candy and spilled drinks in the 5. A few Armor-All cleaning wipes later nad everything looks close to new.

I've also found the paint has held up a helluva lot better than my 3 speed whihc only has 9,000 miles on it.

 

[mazdadude]

mrguy19, So what felt funny about 1st gear?

 

[AO928]

Sounds like a greedy Stealership.

 

[kickniteasy]

short story.......

I went on summer break, left my car for 3 months sitting (had a friend start it but he couldn't drive stick). When I got back home it was extremely hard to change gears, like to physically move to stick into position hard. I take it to the dealership (about 20K at this point on the clock) and he tells me I need a whole new clutch not covered under warranty. I say, "Well, f it, I've got mazda tow service until 5K miles so I'll just drive it until I physically can't anymore". It fixed itself in a couple weeks and 50K miles later I'm still on the original clutch. The moral: Don't believe everything you here, ESPECIALLY from a dealership.

If the shop couldn't tell you what was making it feel funny then they probably saw a prime opportunity to tell you to just replace the whole thing....after all, if you replace everything odds are the problem will go away so you won't complain. That's what my dealership was trying to pull. Meanwhile it would be as simple as your car just having an off day....it happens.

Also, your clutch isn't your brakes or tires.....I've never heard of someone giving a percent left on a clutch.

 

[mrguy19]

mrguy19, So what felt funny about 1st gear?

When I fully release the clutch i get a GRIND noise i can feel vibrate thru the car for about 1 second, and also the pedal feels really hard towards the bottom, the dealerpship told me it was dust builing up in there cuasing the stiffness feel.

My point though since this is a clutch issue, regardless of the problem it wouldnt be covered....right? Since this is a wear and tear item.

 

[mrguy19]

short story.......

I went on summer break, left my car for 3 months sitting (had a friend start it but he couldn't drive stick). When I got back home it was extremely hard to change gears, like to physically move to stick into position hard. I take it to the dealership (about 20K at this point on the clock) and he tells me I need a whole new clutch not covered under warranty. I say, "Well, f it, I've got mazda tow service until 5K miles so I'll just drive it until I physically can't anymore". It fixed itself in a couple weeks and 50K miles later I'm still on the original clutch. The moral: Don't believe everything you here, ESPECIALLY from a dealership.

If the shop couldn't tell you what was making it feel funny then they probably saw a prime opportunity to tell you to just replace the whole thing....after all, if you replace everything odds are the problem will go away so you won't complain. That's what my dealership was trying to pull. Meanwhile it would be as simple as your car just having an off day....it happens.

Also, your clutch isn't your brakes or tires.....I've never heard of someone giving a percent left on a clutch.

I dont think he was trying to make me get the clutch replaced, he didnt make it seem like it had to be replaced right away.....they were pretty cool about it... they just told me be light on the clutch and you should be fine.

 

[AIMWO4]

Have you checked your motor mounts? Maybe the rear mount (I think it's from back of tranny to frame) might be toast. I haven't checked to see if the clutch can be adjusted. I don't think it can be, other than pedal travel. You never know on these new cars.

When I fully release the clutch i get a GRIND noise i can feel vibrate thru the car for about 1 second, and also the pedal feels really hard towards the bottom, the dealerpship told me it was dust builing up in there cuasing the stiffness feel.

My point though since this is a clutch issue, regardless of the problem it wouldnt be covered....right? Since this is a wear and tear item.

 

[AO928]

When I fully release the clutch i get a GRIND noise i can feel vibrate thru the car for about 1 second, and also the pedal feels really hard towards the bottom, the dealerpship told me it was dust builing up in there cuasing the stiffness feel.

My point though since this is a clutch issue, regardless of the problem it wouldnt be covered....right? Since this is a wear and tear item.

(lol)

I can't believe the crap they are feeding you. Dust buildup? PULLEEASE!

The questions is, is it really a wear issue, or is it a failure of something else? Seems like they don't want to dig into it.

Question: Did the funny feeling in 1st/hard pedal suddely appear or has it gradually been getting worse?

 

[AIMWO4]

No kidding. I wonder if he lives near any of us? I'd like to take a look.

(lol)

I can't believe the crap they are feeding you. Dust buildup? PULLEEASE!

The questions is, is it really a wear issue, or is it a failure of something else? Seems like they don't want to dig into it.

Question: Did the funny feeling in 1st/hard pedal suddely appear or has it gradually been getting worse?