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I've just had my 2000 1.8 petrol Mondeo serviced and MOT'd and the only major issue that came up was that the clutch is 'on its last legs' (suspect failure may have something to do with members of the armed forces rescuing me from a snow covered mountain by somehow driving it uphill in 3rd gear in Feb!). I need some fast advice because the 1 year warranty that came with it runs out in 12 days, and in the booklet it says that clutch parts but not labour ARE covered. Now I've been quoted by Nationwide Autocentre £380 to put a new one in, what I need to know is how much of that is likely to be parts and how much is labour, as I suspect my own local mechanic can do it for less but wouldn't be able to go through the warranty company and hence no money back. If anyone with experience of the costs of this job can give me any pointers I would be very grateful!
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My guess would be £80 parts and £300 labour (give or take). This is a ridiculously complex job on a Mondeo.
Almost unbelievably, it requires the front subframe (including most of the front suspension) to be unbolted and lowered. When the subframe is refitted, it has to be accurately realigned (special tools needed) or else uneven tyre wear and poor handling will plague the car until it is put right.
£380 sounds cheap. I was quoted £500 by my local Ford dealer! It's a tough one because the high cost tempts you to go as cheap as possible, but the complexity of the job means it's really not something you would want to entrust to just anyone!
That said, National are reputable and should do a good job. Just don't let another well known clutch franchise anywhere near it! Needs care and specialist tools.
Cheers
DP
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cant believe any warranty would cover this on the 11th hour on the 11th day
get a few quotes
your local mechanic probably doesnt want the job anyway
far too time consuming
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www.clutch-specialists.co.uk/index.asp
No knowledge, no recommendation etc, but they're supposed to be cheap. If you're nearby then might be worth a look.
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clutch parts may be covered under warranty, but i bet if you read the small print, not against simply wearing out, it will be for sudden failure, personally i wouldnt bother with the hassle, and all the phone calls . just ask local for a good garage that will give a guarantee that if the new clutch fails then they wont charge labour to remove the box if the new clutch develops a fault, in other words get belt and braces warranty on the new clutch and forget the old ?
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I have alraedy decided that it's probably not worth approaching the warranty company about this, as like you say, it's a wearing out problem rather than sudden failure, and it's not like the car's even broken down with it yet. Thanks for the advice guys.
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How do you know that the clutch is on its last legs? The pedal action shouldn't alter, is it slipping?
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Glad you asked this, I should've mentioned that I personally haven't noticed anything particularly different about the drive (had the car only a year). This information is based purely on the opinion of whoever test drove the car at the service & MOT, however they didn't try pushing me to get the job done or anything. If it did start slipping, does anyone have a guideline of how much mileage I could expect to get out of it, ie should I get it fixed straight away, or save up(!) and let nationwide or even ford do it once it becomes a real driving problem?). Cheers.
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It sounds as if it would be worth getting another opinion on the state of the clutch first. It might be something external - cable, hydraulics, adjustment, return spring, catching on the carpet,?
A slipping clutch won't last that long, but driven carefully it will get you home and about a bit, as long as you don't need to go up steep hills. The important thing is not to slip it, because then it will overheat and get much worse.
If it's the release bearing then it can go on for years.
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Drive it until it slips, I understand that the slave cylinder is internal so most work will require substantial dismantling. If/when it happens, change everything and get the garage to take responsibility for the components. Mondeo clutches can feel very odd when they get hot, even more lifeless than normal. But it all returns to normal when it cools of.
Is the 2000 car a Mk2? in which case the price of a clutch change might be more than 50% of the value of the car, so prepare to scrap.
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The normal labour quote is for 8 hours work for a skilled mechanic. The Mondeo is a disaster of a car and is one that should be avoided second-hand.
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what car is not a 'disaster'- they are all worthless in the end. Mondies are a lot of car for little money
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The Mondeo is a disaster of a car >>
What constitutes that comment? Can you qualify it? ( in the mean time makes mental note to ignore everything else Spospe posts on the basis that it might be equally fatuous)
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Agreed. The mondeo seems to me to be one of the better second hand buys. A saturated 2nd hand market because of high company car uptake. An excellent ride and cheap servicing, generally easily done by independants (or indeed the home mechanic). About the only expensive fault is the aforementioned clutch - factor it in to the stupidly cheap 2nd hand prices.
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My comment on the Mondeo being a disaster of a car seems to have upset a few people, probably people who have bought them.
Any car that needs 8 hours for a clutch change has a poor design.
A clutch is a wearing item, it will need changing at some time.
Such designs are best avoided.
Plenty of other fish in the sea.
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If and when the clutch goes I will definitely be getting it repaired rather than dropping the car! Even if I pay Nationwide's quoted £380. It's the last of the MK2's but worth more than £760. I've had the car a year and aside from servicing costs spent less than a hundred quid on repairs, which includes 2 bulbs for 8 quid from Nationwide(!) If anyone else could've suggested this time last year that for less than 2 and a half grand I could've got a five and a half year old car with a better ride and relative performace/economy (can't afford to run an F-reg MR2), complete with air con, cd player, alloys etc... in perfect nick that was going to cost me that little I would've been eternally grateful! I wouldn't buy one new because you lose too much, but second hand it's hard to beat. Any more helpful advice still appreciated!
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Hello
Dont forget clubcard points and AA discount if this is the Nationwide autocentre.
--
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters
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Spot on! Full service cost me £17 in cash :)
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If you ditch a car because it needs a new clutch, how do you know the next one you buy won't need the same within a short space of time( whatever make)?
I would say that is not a mainstream reason for buying/not buying a car. You need to look at the whole life costs to you of the deal, and whether you like the car of course.
How many hours to change the clutch on a MR2 Turbo?
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"It's the last of the MK2's"
I know the MK3 Mondeo is an 8 hour job for the clutch to be replaced but if this is a MK2 then does that change things? Maybe why its only £380?
My 2003 Mondeo needed a new clutch fairly recently. No doubt life shortened by a rather steep road in the lake district in 2005.... clutch did slip/smell.
Company car.... so cost me nothing thankfully ;-)
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Depends on the garage's hourly rate, it's still possible to find places that charge £25 per hour. Not where I live though.
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">It's the last of the MK2's but worth more than £760. <"
You might be surprised. But there is something in keeping a car you know and vaguely trust.
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My comment on the Mondeo being a disaster of a car seems to have upset a few people probably people who have bought them. Any car that needs 8 hours for a clutch change has a poor design. A clutch is a wearing item it will need changing at some time. Such designs are best avoided. Plenty of other fish in the sea.
best not suggest a vectra then .........theyre just as awkward..............
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Any car that needs 8 hours for a clutch change has a poor design.
I agree, but that's just one aspect of what is otherwise a cheap, tough, reliable, well put together, dynamically accomplished car.
Nobody mentions the B5 Passat TDI or A4 which often has clutch problems between 60,000 and 80,000 miles, and costs over £1,000 to put right once DMF replacement is added to the equation.
All cars have faults and poor design.
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The normal labour quote is for 8 hours work for a skilled mechanic. The Mondeo is a disaster of a car and is one that should be avoided second-hand.
If the badge is of no interest, a 2nd hand Mondeo is perhaps the best value car available, the other side of that coin is that when it goes bang, it's generally more cost effective to buy another one. I've bought 3, none of them went bang. They've all been very boring but they go round corners, I get let out into traffic and they've earnt me a crust or two. I use an independent to look after my Mondeos for obvious reasons.
Actually, that's not quite true, I occasionally use Rapidfit for the Special Skinflint Servicing offer.
The manufacturer designed the clutch to last the life of the car ie 80k.
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I think you have to balance the odd repair on a car like this against the fact that if you bought a new Mondeo it would probably depreciate more in a month than the cost of getting the clutch replaced.
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Bang on. I spend only 6-7 hours of the 168 hours in a week behind the wheel. Don't see the point in losing any more money than I already do on motoring! Plus it's all relative - my first car was a Peugeot 205 diesel, after that the two Mondeo's that followed it, particularly the petrol one made me feel like a king (and gave me less trouble)! All hail electric windows...!
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Just thought it might be of interest that my father's MK1 Mondeo petrol did 177k before being part ex'd for £500 at 10 yrs old! It's only problem was a cracked windscreen. He had it from just under 100k and spent very little on it (got it serviced once...!)
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Another vote for cheap mondeos.
I bought one that was 3yrs old for 4k in 1996, sold it for 1200 to a mate after 50k. 18 months later I bought it back from him for 600, sold it to another mate for 400 a year down the line. It's still going strong with 130k on the clock.
They drive pretty comfortably, take a lot of punishment, are generally cheap to repair and have a lot of room for your stuff.
Lou
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I agree. My father bought a 1994 petrol 2.0 at 3 yrs old with 95k on the clock. Sold it last year with 175k on the clock. It was hardly ever serviced (twice I think in the time he had it), and apart from a duff alarm and a split vacuum hose, nothing ever went wrong with it. Oh I lie - the original exhaust fell apart sometime around 2001.
My 2000 1.8 TD has covered my 70 mile daily commute every day for the past 18 months and never let me down. Needs a few bits doing to it, but at 130k what do you expect?
The mk1 / 2 Mondeo has faults (dull to look at, cheap looking inside), but you can't knock it's inherent strength, solid basic engineering, and reliability. I think in these respects it's actually better than some cars costing twice as much.
Cheers
DP
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I agree the Mondeo is a great workhorse. I also know the Clutch is a pain when it goes.
SWMBO 1999 Mk2 has just passed the 100K. One cheap annual service, oil, tyres and petrol is all we do with it.
We have had it for 6years, and the only repair has been the front lower arms, which I blame on either speed humps or pot holes.
we also go to France twice a year in it, with our tent, fridge, kids etc. No roof box as the car holds loads.
Other people cannot believe that we get it all in the car.
Bland yes, but a great workhorse
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I'm a great believer in extracting as much value as I can from a workhorse car, but I've clearly got a lot to learn ;-)
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