Clutch life
- Thread starter DavidL
- Start date
Another sudden switch to serious mode ... I reckon that with servicing at an indie, buying parts from Bert (or similar), the service costs probably aren't that much (if any) steeper than a new-ish blandmobile at a main dealer. A very good friend with an '08 focus-nothing-special has had well over £400 extracted from his wallet by a ford dealer in the last week, and didn't consider that to be abnormally steep. And I'll never forget the call a couple of years ago from another good friend, in tears, at the service desk of a Renault dealer, having just been given a bill of £1900+VAT for a full service on her Megane Cabrio.
What sort of costs does an indie charge for a minor and major service on a 944? Parts will be around £30-£40 (oil, filters, plugs), and a couple of hours labour - maybe 3 for a biggie. I'm sure you'd be home for less than £200 - surely? (This assumes there is nothing that needs changing - belts/bearings/CV's/bushes will put this all up.)
Oli.
pauljmcnulty
Active member
Now I feel really old......
Not mention the fact that I've nothing better to do than be on a car forum on a Saturday night. [&o]
... and what do you think the rest of us poor sadsacks are doing then? I'd like to say this is being written on my iPhone from some desperately cool bar in Knightsbridge but I don't own an iPhone, and this is being written from my study .... [
](But I am looking forward to a couple of bottles of old git beer later on, and a DVD, in front of a roaring fire. How old does that make me sound? And I bet I'm at least 10 years younger than you McNulters ... [
] ) Oli.
pauljmcnulty
Active member
I'm 24.
![[sm=kiss.gif]](/forum/styles/default/pcgb/kiss.gif "Kiss [sm=kiss.gif]")
DivineE
New member
Hmmm three things that have caused this feeling for me in the past and never has it been the clutch:
1. The carpet pushing up behind the pedals and making the pedal stick
2. The master cylinder leaking (seen inside the car because the carpet was getting stained where it was leaking)
3. The road was more slippery than you thought (the car can be very stable when the rears spin and can easily be confused with clutch slip). In my case it was because I was still getting used to the 3.2 turbo and wasn't expecting wheelspin at 130mph in 5th on a mildly moist surface.
1. The carpet pushing up behind the pedals and making the pedal stick
2. The master cylinder leaking (seen inside the car because the carpet was getting stained where it was leaking)
3. The road was more slippery than you thought (the car can be very stable when the rears spin and can easily be confused with clutch slip). In my case it was because I was still getting used to the 3.2 turbo and wasn't expecting wheelspin at 130mph in 5th on a mildly moist surface.
pauljmcnulty
Active member
Careful in Tesco's car park, it can be slippery. [
][]Oli
You are right about the service costs, but on any car of this age it's not the servicing costs that will come to get you, it's the refurbishment costs. I use that term not to indicate full restoration to being a zero-time concours machine, nor necessarily the repair costs of things that fail suddenly (like my starter this summer).
I am using the word refurbishment, or rejuvenation, to mean the things that all the cars need because things wear and deteriorate over time: ever car has either had them or will need them. It's things like clutches, and dampers, and bushes, and sills, and arches, and de-cokes, and and having head gaskets and water pumps changed before they fail rather than after, and front seals done while you;re in there, and caliper plate lift fixed, and wheel refurbs, and getting the air con going, and so on. Even one with a full service history and modest mileage needs loads of that done when it's 20 years old, if it is to be as nice to drive, and as capable as it was when it was new. If you are lucky you can get one that's had all that done in the lats year or so (not mine though, I'm not selling it EVER) and then from that point, with the car rejuvenated, the actual servicing should indeed be pretty modest. Servicing does not in itself run the calendar back, though, and all the cars out there will need the calendar run back at some point if they are to survive long run.
Of course it's possible to buy a decent car, run it for a couple of years and move it on, but unless you do at least some of the above while you have it, it will not be so good when you move it on, and it will be another step closer to the scrapper. Which would be a shame, really.
You are right about the service costs, but on any car of this age it's not the servicing costs that will come to get you, it's the refurbishment costs. I use that term not to indicate full restoration to being a zero-time concours machine, nor necessarily the repair costs of things that fail suddenly (like my starter this summer).
I am using the word refurbishment, or rejuvenation, to mean the things that all the cars need because things wear and deteriorate over time: ever car has either had them or will need them. It's things like clutches, and dampers, and bushes, and sills, and arches, and de-cokes, and and having head gaskets and water pumps changed before they fail rather than after, and front seals done while you;re in there, and caliper plate lift fixed, and wheel refurbs, and getting the air con going, and so on. Even one with a full service history and modest mileage needs loads of that done when it's 20 years old, if it is to be as nice to drive, and as capable as it was when it was new. If you are lucky you can get one that's had all that done in the lats year or so (not mine though, I'm not selling it EVER) and then from that point, with the car rejuvenated, the actual servicing should indeed be pretty modest. Servicing does not in itself run the calendar back, though, and all the cars out there will need the calendar run back at some point if they are to survive long run.
Of course it's possible to buy a decent car, run it for a couple of years and move it on, but unless you do at least some of the above while you have it, it will not be so good when you move it on, and it will be another step closer to the scrapper. Which would be a shame, really.
Simon,
You are, of course, right. I was perhaps being a bit picky when I spoke of service costs; my S2 has cost about £70 this year in service costs, if that. It has, however, cost a bare-faced fortune in other costs; belt set (£200), waterpump (£170), HT leads and rotor arm (£150). Had I had to pay for fitting of that little lot as well it would have made for a very expensive year indeed.
However, I would argue that there is a sliding scale; some 'refurbishment' costs come 'round so regularly they could be titled 'less-frequent service' costs, which is why some cars have 'major' and 'minor' services. Cam belt changes could be considered just a very infrequent service item.
I certainly take your point about cars going through a phase where they cost a lot to run, and once a number of wear parts have been replaced they they cost very little to run for a long while. I think I have had an expensive year this year, but had a cheap year last year and am hoping for a cheap year again next year ....
Oli.
You are, of course, right. I was perhaps being a bit picky when I spoke of service costs; my S2 has cost about £70 this year in service costs, if that. It has, however, cost a bare-faced fortune in other costs; belt set (£200), waterpump (£170), HT leads and rotor arm (£150). Had I had to pay for fitting of that little lot as well it would have made for a very expensive year indeed.
However, I would argue that there is a sliding scale; some 'refurbishment' costs come 'round so regularly they could be titled 'less-frequent service' costs, which is why some cars have 'major' and 'minor' services. Cam belt changes could be considered just a very infrequent service item.
I certainly take your point about cars going through a phase where they cost a lot to run, and once a number of wear parts have been replaced they they cost very little to run for a long while. I think I have had an expensive year this year, but had a cheap year last year and am hoping for a cheap year again next year ....
Oli.
Clutch slip is more likely in higher gears on an incline. Lower gears more likely wheel spin - given that over the years there have been a number of new owners whose cars don't live very long at this time of year, might be worth checking the tyre pressures / condition / type. Especially if your previous driving has been in front or four wheel drive vehicles.
Enjoy it, if its a good one you can have a smug grin for many years to come every time you meet those who were negative!
Tony
Enjoy it, if its a good one you can have a smug grin for many years to come every time you meet those who were negative!
Tony
lookingfora944
New member
Yes, I think it must have been loss of traction. I have the correct pressure in all tyres, the front ones being brand new and the rear in good condition. All my previous cars have been front engined/front wheel drive things with no power to speak of. I guess I am still learning to drive the car and its quirks.
Mostly friends and family being negative saying that it will cost me a fortune, but what the hell, it's a Porsche
Go easy on the exit of roundabouts and tight corners 32- 34 psi works well for most rather than the recommended higher values.
If you get the chance find a big empty snowy/icy car park and get a feel for how the car behaves when it breaks away and with the ABS triggered.
Tony
If you get the chance find a big empty snowy/icy car park and get a feel for how the car behaves when it breaks away and with the ABS triggered.
Tony
Playing with the tyre pressures is a good idea. Some favour softer, some harder. I happen to prefer a slightly more lively back end, so I go for 38 on both sides at the back. Tyre brand can make a huge difference too; I usually have Falkens on the back, but went for Kumho's recently; a tyre which is suppedly quite similar in characteristics to the Falkens but the difference is immediately noticable.
Oli.
That is excellent, excellent advice. Well worth taking - no matter what the car. Learn how it behaves on the limit, and learn it well.
Oli.
smiffyraf1
New member
yeah similar with mine replaced original clutch at 128k due to rubber centre break down still worked fine other than that
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