Ford Mondeo Estate - Clutch wear

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Thu 1 May 2014 17:55
Ford Mondeo Estate - Clutch wear - Motable

I have a Motability car, just 2yrs old 2012 reg. It went in the local Ford dealers for its annual check and I was told that the clutch had burnt out. I had never noticed this when driving, no smell, or anything untoward. The car has done just over 11,000 miles. This must be some kind of record for ridiculously bad clutch wear. Total cost £935 for the new clutch, paid for by Motability, apparently without questions. I would have thought that Ford's warranty would have covered this after such a short time and low mileage. Is this normal?

I would have considered this totally unacceptable if I owned the car, Motability cars are on a lease system and the Ford dealer said that I should just accept is as it was being paid for by Motabily. To me that is not the point, In the past I have driven many cars for well in excess of 40,000miles a year with none of them needing a clutch replacement, over a period of about 60 years. It doesn't seem right for this not to be covered by warranty, also possibly not quite right for Moability to accept all costs without any queries.

The dealers answer was, more or less, "Why are you worrid, you don't have to pay".

Any cmments?

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Thu 1 May 2014 18:38
Ford Mondeo Estate - Clutch wear - craig-pd130

I wonder if the dealer's pulling a fast one knowing that the repair cost is all covered by Motability, at no cost to the driver. You'd certainly know if the clutch was burnt out as it would slip.

Warranty claims on clutches are tricky because of individual driving styles. Some people (my mother-in-law, for example) always have their left foot resting on the clutch pedal, which makes me wince in mechanical sympathy. Despite this, none of her cars have needed a replacement clutch over the past 25 years ....

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Thu 1 May 2014 19:01
Ford Mondeo Estate - Clutch wear - MrEckerslikefromRamsbottom

Yes, we do have to pay. That's where our taxes go.

By that reasoning, the clutch on my Fiesta must have burnt out years ago since it's done 184 thousand miles now.

Edited by MrEckerslikefromRamsbottom on 01/05/2014 at 19:06

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Fri 2 May 2014 00:23
Ford Mondeo Estate - Clutch wear - Peter.N.

If its a diesel its probably the same engine as used in Peugeot/Citroen cars, I have a 406 and C5 at around 200,000 miles both with the original clutches.

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Fri 2 May 2014 08:37
Ford Mondeo Estate - Clutch wear - The-Mechanic

Hmmmm, I think the dealership was sooooo close to their monthly bonus target and needed 'just under a grand' so the managers could get their few hundred quid each !

Who better to help them reach it but a motability car ? Why no Ford warranty cover though : easy, they tell motability that Ford won't cover the clutch as it's a wear and tear item and it must be down to the way the driver is riding the clutch.

This smacks of another attack on the aged and/or infirm blaming their age or disability for the damage. It doesn't matter that an older driver has driven 50 years + without issue, it's just an excuse to get that bonus payout at any cost, Grrrrr....

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