Advice req re testing of a replaced clutch.

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Thu 6 Dec 2001 20:02
Advice req re testing of a replaced clutch. - Tony Campbell
I recently replaced the clutch in my vauxhall vectra as it was shuddering, it was fitted 1 year ago when I had a recon engine fitted. The company that fitted the clutch are denying liability.
Can anyone advise if I can get the clutch they fitted tested as I have retianed it when it was replaced, it appears to be OK but I dont really know what to look for.

Any advice would be appreicated

Thanks
Tony in Enfield
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Thu 6 Dec 2001 20:52
Re: Advice req re testing of a replaced clutch. - Mike Jacobs
Tony, I think you may be on a hiding to nowhere here. You would have to prove it was the same unit that the company fitted and that would be almost impossible. I doubt if anyone would offer a guarantee for fitting a clutch. Other things can cause shuddering. I discovered a loose engine mounting nut on my car for example which caused juddering. I think you might waste an awful amount of time on this. I'd knock it on the head and move on unless you prove your case.

Rregards,

Mike
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Thu 6 Dec 2001 21:10
Re: Advice req re testing of a replaced clutch. - Dave N
Did they fit a 'quality' clutch when you had the engine replaced?
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Fri 7 Dec 2001 18:10
Re: Advice req re testing of a replaced clutch. - Joe Amato
Tony Campbell wrote:
>
> I recently replaced the clutch in my vauxhall vectra as it
> was shuddering, it was fitted 1 year ago when I had a recon
> engine fitted. The company that fitted the clutch are denying
> liability.
> Can anyone advise if I can get the clutch they fitted tested
> as I have retianed it when it was replaced, it appears to be
> OK but I dont really know what to look for.
>
> Any advice would be appreicated
>
> Thanks
> Tony in Enfield

The flywheel could be the cause if it has grooves or worse still oil deposits from the old engine, difficult to check without diassembly.

Eleanor
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Fri 7 Dec 2001 18:33
Re: Advice req re testing of a replaced clutch. - Mark (Brazil)
Tony,

You're up a gum tree without a paddle here, I'm afraid....

1) It was juddering from Day 1

You'd lose since having waited so long you are effectively saying or at least implying, that it wasn't that important to you. Also, you have a duty for timely advice to the supplier

2) It just started

Probably oil, probably arrived recently. Difficult [impossible] to prove it was their fault.

Your only chance would be if it was the pressure plate and not the friction plate. If it was the pressure plate then you'd probably have to prove manufacturing fault since I would guess it wouldn't likely be fitting, unless the thing wasn't bolted on properly.

And you'd have to prove your style or amount of use didn't contribute to failure.

Even if you got through all of that you'd still only get a proportion of the value since what you would receive would be along the lines of..

clutch supposed to last 2 years
lasted 1 year
original cost 100 quid
compensation 50 quid.

All in all, I think you'll have to write this one off. Sorry, I'd be more positive if I could.

Mark.
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