At first glance, it sounds like you (or the previous owner) has ridden, or otherwise damaged the clutch.

It's entirely possible to wreck a clutch in a few hours, if you really put your mind to it. My father-in-law (who has now given up driving) went through 2 clutches in a year/8k miles on his last car.

That's why clutches are usually excluded from warranties. You've also had it for 7 months, and 6 months is the usual maximum for a fault to show and for you to be able to argue that it was 'present and developing' at the time you purchased the car.

Looks like I could be forking out a few hundred pounds then. It's odd the only car I ever had where the clutch went was a Hyundai Getz that was just outside of warranty, which I was prepared to accept as the car had done 54,000 miles, but others have nver had any problems with their clutches and I still think 24.000 miles, unless the car was heavily abused, is too short for a clutch to last. However, I have heard occasional reports of Micra clutches going early and there were a few cases of Almeras chewing their gearboxes within three years, although newer Nissans don't have the same problem.

Peter N, I had a Toyota Corolla with 140,000 miles on the clock that still had its original clutch and more recently a Seat Ibiza that had done 105,000 miles with the same clutch. I do expect these to go after five years, as happened with a Hyundai, but 24,000 miles is unacceptable considering I use the clutch very sparingly. Apparently for all Nissans are generally reliable cars, the clutch can be a weak area on them, but I am insisting the dealer honours the warranty as premature clutch failure is a manufacturing fault.

Who owned the car before you and how did they drive it?

It belonged to a pensioner and had 19,000 miles on the clock. Most people I've spoken to reckon 24,000 miles is too early for the clutch to go and until last week the car went fine. However, I have read reports that premature clutch failure has happened to a few Micras, maybe with production being shifted to India they're using cheap parts.

Not just pensioners - the other day I saw a forty-ish woman do a three point turn at 4000 rpm, slipping the clutch all the way.

I've been a pensioner for 10 years+ but I don't burn clutches out. mind you my mother burnt two out on her Vauxhall Chevette when she was about my age.