Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs

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Sat 5 Apr 2014 15:28
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - Car

A lot of people go on about the higher prices of replacing a clutch on a diesel car, but I would what the difference in cost would be on a 2009 Mondeo between a 2.0 litre petrol and diesel model. Because at somepoint over their lifes both cars would most likely need at least one clutch replacement.

Thanks.

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Sat 5 Apr 2014 18:33
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - oldroverboy.

The labour will be about the same, go to a carr parts site and check the prices of clutch pack, flywheel or dual mass flywheel and clutch slave cylinder, and depending on the quality of the parts used you can have a lot of fun! when doing theses sort of jobs it is better NOT to cut corners as labour will make up a large part of costs and not worth doing the job twice to save a few quid first time. same goes for timing belt driven water pumps and tensioners.

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Sat 5 Apr 2014 19:35
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - coopshere
The complaint that most have is related to the fact that modern diesels have a dual mass flywheel (DMF) where as most petrols don't. If you have to replace the clutch on a diesel it would seem that most suggest you change the DMF too which is where the extra cost arises.
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Sat 5 Apr 2014 20:33
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - corax
The complaint that most have is related to the fact that modern diesels have a dual mass flywheel (DMF) where as most petrols don't.

I think that most petrol engined modern cars do have DMF's. But usually only the clutch needs to be changed, hence the cheaper price.

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Sat 5 Apr 2014 20:48
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - Collos25

Your correct its hard to find a new car that has not got a DMF most last a 150k+ miles if driven properly .

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Sat 5 Apr 2014 21:23
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - madf

Your correct its hard to find a new car that has not got a DMF most last a 150k+ miles if driven properly .

Precisely.

Apart from people who use 4,000rpm when parking or slip the clutch all the time or tow caravans.

The ONLY clutch I have had go in 50 years was on a company Rover 800 which had done 30k miles (2,000 by me)...the centre plate centre broke from splined hub one morning at 6.30am in my garage.....

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Sat 5 Apr 2014 22:19
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - Ordovices

Been towing caravans for 20+ years in UK and across Europe and never worn a clutch out, does this mean I'm a special case? Or was that just flippant, groundless remark?

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Sat 5 Apr 2014 22:37
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - Bromptonaut

Been towing caravans for 20+ years in UK and across Europe and never worn a clutch out, does this mean I'm a special case? Or was that just flippant, groundless remark?

Depends on whether your cars are new or s/h and how long you keep them.

New car replaced at 3yrs/40k you might just get a clutch on the warranty. Keep it to 15yrs/150k and one replacement would be reasonable in normal use. More frequent if you tow ? (assume sensible routes, not alpine passes and reasonably acessible pitches).

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Sun 6 Apr 2014 00:21
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - focussed

I've had three clutches fail in my driving career. The first one was on a Mk1 1300 Escort at about 5000 miles from new-just large bang, clutch pedal to the floor, company car so didn't know why.

The second one was similar a Volvo 240 DL, which also at different times threw its front crankshaft tin pulley off on the M1, had the wiper mechanism sieze solid, the brake servo failed(interesting) all within 20k miles, again a company car.

The last was my own UK bought current Honda FN3 2.2 CDTI Civic. Started slipping at about 25k miles. DMF and complete clutch replaced right at the end of the warranty at Honda dealer in France- no questions asked. Didn't cost me a bean.

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Sun 6 Apr 2014 12:07
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - Ordovices

Keep my tow cars for 3-6 years generally, change on requirement/escalating maintenance costs. Cars are usually new to year old. As for sensible routes: Jura, Haute Vosges, Wetterstein, Highlands. I like the mountains (mtb rider). Pitches are usually quite sensible, but the queue up the loading ramp at Dover can be a trial, which is why we prefer the tunnel.

I have had two clutches that had to be replaced, but one was on one of those uber reliable toyotas and was a defective part on a brand new car not used for towing, the other on a 12 year old hyundai which had glazed but still had plenty of meat on it, that wasn't a tow car either.

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Sun 6 Apr 2014 12:20
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - corax

Depends on whether your cars are new or s/h and how long you keep them.

And on where you live and driving style . Clutches must have a shorter life in city areas. The way many people drive can't be good for it. Harsh acceleration, hurried gear changes in an effort to get ahead or cut someone up.

And as you say, with a secondhand car you can't choose who the previous owner was.

I haven't had to change one yet but I'm not a high mileage driver and always conscious of treating the clutch kindly. Foot off clutch when stopped, no repeated harsh acceleration in first e.t.c

A lady in a Ford Ka yesterday was reversing out of a parking space, engine screaming but the car was hardly moving. I couldn't bare to watch and walked away before I got a whiff of clutch smoke.

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Sun 6 Apr 2014 20:04
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - Snakey

Surely theres not many modern petrols with DMFs fitted? The point of DMFs was to smooth out the 'pulsing' nature of diesels power delivery - not an issue with a petrol engine unless it has a higher power output than you'd expect (turbo charged cars etc)

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Sun 6 Apr 2014 20:33
Diesel and Petrol Clutch Costs - Collos25

Its hard to find one that does not have a DMF. MB have been using them in both petrol and diesel for 15 years to my knowledge.

Edited by Avant on 06/04/2014 at 21:15

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