Vauxhall Astra H (2004 - 2009) - - Clutch Judder Common? | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

Sat 21 Jan 2006 14:47

- Clutch Judder Common? - maff257

I drive a new shape 54 plate Astra 1.6 SXi. About 6 months ago I started to experience clutch judder from cold, this happened the first few times pulling away in 1st but disappeared once the car had warmed up. I reported this to my Vauxhall dealer in October, they tested it experienced the judder and decided to replace the clutch. All was fine until December when exactly the same problem returned, this month the car has been back in again but this time the dealer said they couldn't experience the judder but sure enough when I drove it the next morning juddering again. I reported it to them again and luckily they believe me so are in contact with Vauxhall Technical to gain authorisation to fit another clutch. I have also searched around online and have found several other New Astra drivers all with the identical symptoms, one owner has had three clutches fitted and the clutch is still juddering! It seems that Vauxhall could have a real problem on their hands here. I myself find it rather dangerous as I live on a busy main road and not knowing if it will judder or not when I pull away is rather worrying. Has anyone else experienced or know of this problem?]

Subject line edited in order to index the post in line with the new doctrine - PU

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Sat 21 Jan 2006 21:23

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Civic8

Do you know if they checked for any oil leaks,ie from rear main oil seal and gearbox shaft seal.Back in the 70`s rear wheel drives suffered same problems,it was caused by oil getting onto the flywheel.

replacing clutch assembly did not make the problem go away,only answer was to replace flywheel,and fix oil leaks however small in parts I mentioned.Just a thought and may be wrong
--
Steve

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Sat 21 Jan 2006 23:56

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Number_Cruncher

This has been a long running Vauxhall problem. Our current 53 reg Astra does exactly the same, juddering for the first few engagements of the day. I haven't bothered with putting a new clutch in because I don't think it will change the situation.

I think the problem is worse during damp weather.

To get round the problem, I start the engine, and then while I'm messing about with seatbelts and the wireless, I slowly pump the clutch in neutral to get a little bit of heat into the clutch linings, just spinning the gearbox input shaft up and down. It helps.

The root cause of the judder? I don't know. I suspect that Vauxhall don't either because it must be costing them a bit in replacing relatively unworn clutches under warranty.

I have read on here that it is the fault of the linings. A friend, who works designing and developing clutch applications for another manufacturer, says that it is likely to be a complex interaction between the clutch and the torsional stiffness of the powertrain.

If I were going to go to the effort of putting a cluch in our car, I'm not sure if I would fit a genuine Vauxhall one.

Number_Cruncher

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Sun 22 Jan 2006 18:43

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - ka razy

Have exactly the same problem,tho not an astra but a sxi corsa with few miles on,which probably has similar running gear.Its an annoyance to say the least,when it heats up after a few miles all is well.Had it back to be told "no fault found"I dont think after 14k the clutch should,or would need replaced..Its obvoiusly a Vauxhall prob..If you have any success keep me posted please.

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Mon 23 Jan 2006 09:24

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - claretchris

I've just purchased a 54 plate Astra, and the clutch was replaced on the third day of ownership! Felt like the car was going to cut out when moving off from 1st.

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Mon 23 Jan 2006 20:43

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - maff257

So this is obviously an inherent problem with some Vauxhalls, I hope they know what is causing it as I won't be too happy if I still have the car when it's out of warranty and it's still doing it!

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Tue 24 Jan 2006 12:17

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Roly93

I get this on my newish Audi A4, in fact there is a thread somewhere on this board about this. In my case it is only slight and on the first 2 engagements aftre standing overnight in very damp conditions, so I have ignored it, unless it gets very much worse.

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Tue 24 Jan 2006 18:41

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - ka razy

Well Maff,exactly what I'm thinking! my warranty runs out 3/07.As I said on a prevoius thread apart from an annoyance,it must be doing damage to engine mounts etc.Surely Vauxhall must have an answer to this,it seems a common complaint,having a new clutch fitted to last 6 months is not the remedy.Can anyone advise the life expectancy of a clutch nowadays.Sold a Nissan Sunny a few years ago with 110k on the clock with its original

JIM

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Wed 25 Jan 2006 19:16

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - ChrisP

My 54 plate Astra 1.6 Design had exactly the same problems with the clutch. It was replaced under the NetworkQ warranty with no problems and all was well for a few weeks. However, like Maff, the judder has returned - although not nearly as badly as before. However it is bad enough to make me more careful when the car is cold and when pulling out of junctions. There are occasions when the judder is so strong that I need to 'dip' the clutch again and try to move off a second time. It is worse when it is wet too. Originally, the dealer suggested I 'burnt off' some of the clutch plate by holding the car on a bank and revving hard, whilst slippping the clutch. This did seem to work, but not for long. I suggested that there could be oil contamination on the clutch, which was checked.

I will be reporting the return of the judder at the next service. The dealer may be interested to see these postings.

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Wed 25 Jan 2006 22:53

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - maff257

Heard back from the dealer yesterday, Vauxhall Technical have authorised a new clutch and flywheel so will have to see how long that one lasts for!

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Thu 26 Jan 2006 18:37

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - ka razy

Maff,glad to hear you've has some success,like Chris will report it again at the next service again,which happens soon,and good idea to show them these posts.After all what is a warranty for!I'm still amazed that a major company as Vauxhall is churning out cars with such a major problem.

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Thu 9 Nov 2006 22:24

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - emac

Yes, I have exactly the same problem on my 04 Vectra 1.8 SXI. My local dealer replaced the clutch which solved the problem temporarily but the judder came back within a few months. Lately it has got much worse (still only from cold though). My conern now is that it is dangerous when pulling onto main roads and it must be damaging the engine mountings. I have contacted my dealer again who have now advised that Vauxhall may be about to release a 'fix' for exactly this problem. They didn't have any more details as this 'fix' hasn't been officially announced yet but they have booked me in so that they can experience the judder and add me to a 'waiting list' of customers whose cars will have this 'fix' as and when Vauxhall release it (they said it may be January 2007) but nothing has been confirmed yet. This appears to be quite a big problem affecting Astra's, Vectra's and Corsa's - all relatively new too. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

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Sat 11 Nov 2006 15:19

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - mark999

Have exactly the same problem with my 1.0 Yaris, as soon as the weather turns cold and damp I get intermittant clutch judder when cold. Other yaris owners have had clutches changed only for the problem to return in a few months.
Ive heard theories regarding condensation and the material used for the clutch plates.

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Sat 11 Nov 2006 18:57

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Hamsafar

I think most modern manuals do this, though not all. I hired a Honda Jazz that did this and my last manual car (a Mazda did)
I got sick of this and would never by another manual car again, maybe it's a ploy to sell autos?

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Sun 12 Nov 2006 16:26

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - jbyron

Same problem for me in a Mazda6 and Fiat Stilo

Again in cooler damp weather/winter time

It doesn't seem to get worse just once every so often so haven't wanted to shell out for anything new to be fitted

If there is a solution that anyone finds then pls post it...

Thanks

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Sun 12 Nov 2006 22:51

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - stevie1970

hi Ive got same problem in a 56 scudo JTD van. It was ok when it was new .
Its now done 2.5 k and is fine when warm or after a couple of clutch uses. I am keeping an eye on it and if it gets any worse i will contact the dealer.
I am sure i read somewhere it is to do with the type of modern clutch linings that are fitted.

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Thu 16 Nov 2006 11:23

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - brumboy

Having taken my 55 plate 1.6 Astra to the dealer several times complaining of clutch judder, and them telling me they couldn't see the problem, I complained to vauxhall. I got a call back to confirm that they are aware of an issue affecting 1.6 astra's, and that a fix has been found and will be issued during Jan. A light at the end of the tunnel.... hopefully!!

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Thu 16 Nov 2006 13:52

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - L'escargot

No matter how much development testing the manufacturer does before the release of a new model there will nearly always be problems that only show up after a fair number of cars have been sold. These sort of problems usually only appear on a small percentage of cars sold. This is probably the case with clutch judder on the new Astra.

P.S. I have no connection whatsoever with either Vauxhall or any their dealers. In fact I'm not even a fan of Vauxhall cars, or had a single Vauxhall in my life.
--
L\'escargot.

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Thu 16 Nov 2006 14:24

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Victorbox

"In fact I'm not even a fan of Vauxhall cars, or had a single Vauxhall in my life."

How sad!

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Fri 1 Dec 2006 16:00

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Craggyislander

Hi Guys

Just a quick update - have had it confirmed by Vauxhall that new improved clutches with new materials on the facings will be issued in March 07.

Hopefully this will resolve the issue!

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Sat 10 Mar 2007 17:36

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - nlh2000

Hi Guys,

I too have experiences tremendous probs with the Vauxhall Astra. I bought the first one, last June it was approx 8 mths old. It's first new clutch went in. in August. That lasted a couple of months and then needed another one about Nov/Dec. I was then told that there was a manufacturers fault and the new updated clutch would be available in Jan '07. With the clutch and a number of other recurring faults, I ended up replacing the car with the garage.
This newer astra was a few months newer with about 11,000 less miles - brill I thought no more probs! How wrong was I! Swapped the car in Dec and low and behold by the end of Jan beginning of Feb it needed a new clutch. Great, the new clutch was out - oh no - this had now been put back until March.
All I can say is I've had a gut full of the garage, the car and Vauxhall and ended up trading the car in elsewhere.
Good luck to you all who are awaiting the new updated clutch - I hope it's available soon for you.

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Sat 10 Mar 2007 18:44

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - ka razy

Hi well check back this topic and I was there..eventually after writing to Vauxhall my dealer replaced the clutch,but said it might re occur..now I am left with about 1 inch of clearance from the floor till it takes up the drive..cant be bothered going back to complain about it...I'm sick of it..time for another car..it will definately not be a Vauxhall!

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Sat 10 Mar 2007 20:08

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - nlh2000

Hi - as you've said before I can't believe that a company such as Vauxhall after problems starting to appear on 54 plate cars continue to sell them whilst there is still an issue.

I don't think they should get away with it, but I done with fighting them!

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Thu 5 Jul 2007 17:44

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Tonz2007

Hi all

purchased a vauxhall astra 55 plate 1.6 sxi sports hatch from new, loved it! until just before its first service driving to work one evening the clutch juddered away from the traffic lights, dipped the clutch and tried again and the car pulled away as normal. This happened twice and as the service was booked I thought I would mention it to the dealer and get it checked over. After the service I was told they had looked and no fault was found, Unsure I went away and thought I'd see how it goes. To my dismay this problem kept happening and became worse, to the point where every time the car had stood for a few hours and I started it to drive away this fault would present it self. It was always worse in the damp or wet weather. I battled with the garage and got the car booked in. They inspected and noted a slight! judder, please appreciate the fault was so bad the dash, stearing, and whole car seem to shake when pulling away, but hey slight was the word they used. When I asked what was being done I was informed by the dealer that this is a known fault on the astra and that they would not change the clutch as a new style was due to be out of development soon. I reluctantly took the car away and have been waiting. First due date was mid march, my dealer didnt bother to ever contact me again , I did all the chasing, then april, end of april then may, etc etc, the latest news is iminant, whatever that means!
The cars became so bad at the end of may that on a sunny day of 22c when driving away the car juddered and made a loud clattering noise, apparently fly wheel damage. I have written to vauxhall and my dealer with advice from trading standards including that this is a safety concern as the end of my road joins onto a national speed limit road, and I was nearly hit when the car failed to accelerate. My dealer has taken the car off the road and issued a loan vehicle until these iminant parts arrive as vauxhall refuse to replace the clutch and fly wheel until this new part is avaliable. I am still waiting! what a dissapointment £15000.00 for the car new and I wouldnt recomend an astra to anyone. I have been battling with this since last october when it first happened, my car has only done 12000 miles now and this first occoured around only 7500 so even if I treaded it really badly which I do not, this should never happen. By the way the garage tryed also to wriggle out claiming clutches are only warranteed for 3500 miles, but the small print says subject to mechanical defect, besides this is a sales of good act issue that I have made a claim under, I suggest you all do the same should it be as bad as the case I have. Rant over will update if anyone is interested to know more.

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Thu 5 Jul 2007 18:44

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Ruperts Trooper

As an Astra owner I use several Astra/Vauxhall forums - I've not noticed any numbers of reports of this sort of problem so I don't think it's common for Astras or Vauxhalls to suffer this problem.

I sympathise with your suffering - if you have a problem it doesn't matter whether you're the one in a million or one in three.

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Thu 5 Jul 2007 19:46

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Craggyislander

What forums have you been looking at?

Its a known problem with 1.6 and 1.8 Astra and Zafiras - check out the sticky on this Astra forum:

forum.astraownersnetwork.co.uk/showthread.php?t=13...8

It was Vauxhall's inability to fix the issue effectively that was one of the factors that made me sell the car.

They have been assuring owners for months that the fix is "just round the corner" and then the date slips......

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Thu 5 Jul 2007 19:55

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Dynamic Dave

RT, there's been a few mentions of this on VxOn (vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk) as well.

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Thu 5 Jul 2007 21:22

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Tonz2007

mainly this page, but as time goes on I have wandered onto others, thanks for the link very interesting read.

I will be writing another letter to the address listed

Regards

Tonz

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Thu 5 Jul 2007 21:20

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Tonz2007

thanks for the reply, sadly its only my expierence and that of others on these forums that I can go by, good news to hear that yours is ok though.

tonz

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Wed 25 Jul 2007 23:54

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - champ1968

ive also been having juddering problems with my clutch on astra 1.6 sxi,2005 plate..
ive just descovered this site, i thought it was just my car that had problems...
my car started having this problem at around 10k on the clock..i use my vehicle for my job, its now got 75k on clock, i did find a tel no ,when i spoke to someone from vauxhal they told me there was a modification going to take place at the end of aug...maybe youve heard this before..
could someone help me and give me an address i can write to to keep the pressure on as i cant seem to find one anywere...
many thanks.
a very unhappy astra driver
wont buy another

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Thu 26 Jul 2007 01:31

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Dynamic Dave

could someone help me and give me an address i can write to .....

Vauxhall home page www.vauxhall.co.uk/

Then click "contact us" at the bottom of the page, and click through a couple more menus and you'll find the following:-

www.vauxhall.co.uk/vx/contact/loadonlineenquiry.do...y

www.vauxhall.co.uk/vx/morefromvauxhall/companyinfo...t

Bear in mind though that Vauxhall's warranty period is 3 yrs / 60,000 miles (whichever comes soonest), and as the mileage of your vehicle has exceeded that you *may* well end up paying for the work yourself unless you can persuade Vauxhall to give you some kind of goodwill gesture.

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Thu 26 Jul 2007 01:54

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - DP

The Scenic does it in cold weather only. A little judder as I pull away from cold outside the house, and sometimes one more (less severe) when I pull out of the end of the road. After that it's fine.

In the recent milder weather, it doesn't do it at all.

Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
97 Ford Fiesta 1.4 16v Chicane (for sale)

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Fri 27 Jul 2007 21:40

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - ka razy

It sure is a Vauxhall thing.Check back this forum,my corsa sxi had the same problem eventually was resolved under warranty...4 months later its as bad as it was....warrant has now expired!

In my opinion there are 3 options..You either sell it,or get used to it,a sort of clutch slip can make it easier to pull away...

or buy a decent make of car...that is now my plan....

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Fri 27 Jul 2007 21:54

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - ka razy

Might I also comment,further to my last post..in this forum,how many ford/honda ,or any other make owners have this problem..I am not saying they dont exist,but are few and far between..

End of rant..imo vauxhalls should be given a miss....

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Fri 27 Jul 2007 23:10

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Victorbox

"End of rant..imo vauxhalls should be given a miss...."

.... or loved & cherished for the wonderful cars that they are! Does the "Ka" signify a Ford bias per chance?

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Sat 28 Jul 2007 19:41

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - ka razy

Victorbox ,never assume too much in a name....was only expressing my opinion of Vauxhalls...
others may differ..

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Sat 28 Jul 2007 23:08

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Fullchat

Sympathy to all those who are suffering here. But why are Vauxhall making a meal out of it? Cars have had clutches, pressure plates and flywheels for decades. The principle of operation and materials has changed little.
I once took a Peugeot 405 to a Citreon dealer to have a clutch fitted. The monkey that fitted it lathered the input shaft in copper grease which promptly spun all over my new clutch causing severe judder and the job had to be done again. Also managed to rip a driveshaft boot into the bargain. I paid main dealer prices in the hope of getting a decent job done - how wrong!
--
Fullchat

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Sat 28 Jul 2007 23:22

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Pugugly {P}

Something to do with the elimination of Asbestos from friction surfaces. I may have dreamt that.

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Sat 4 Aug 2007 23:39

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - champ1968

ref to my last message, i sent of a letter of complaint to vauxhall, they should have received it last Monday,i got a message left on my answer machine on thur,from the customer service dept, didnt tell me anything i didn't already no, they said that a new clutch was been manufactured at the moment and was due to be ready by end of aug,(assume they meant this year)...
theyve probably said this before..
my next letter is going to ask them to pay for a curtesy car while they wait for this modification.ill let you no what reply i get..
think one of the last statements was spot on, sell it, or put up with it.
ive had loads of vauxhalls corsa,s,including the sxi model and never had this before.
the astra i had before this one used to have squeekey brakes,was told that was a problem with the 03 model..
thinking of buying a toyota next, what do you think of the old corola,think its called the auris.,or something like that..?

cheers..

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Sun 5 Aug 2007 02:18

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Aprilia

Deja vu here. I remember when the old Chevette with the 1256cc engine was launched there was a lot of trouble with clutch judder. I actually changed a few of those clutches. It was a problem with the centre plate lining and they switched manufacturer to get rid of the problem.

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Sat 25 Aug 2007 23:45

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - champ1968

well guys ,I've been informed by my local vxh dealer that they will be replacing the clutch on my Astra, I've been told they will have the part in next week, and im getting a courtesy car until its been rectified..lets hope once its been repaired no further problems occur..keep nagging your dealers..ill let you no of any further problems..

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Sun 26 Aug 2007 00:01

New Astra Clutch Judder Common? - Number_Cruncher

For those who might want to go elsewhere other than the dealer, I have heard one case of a Valeo replacement clutch which has cured a long running judder problem in a Zafira. The Zafira is owned by a Vauxhall mechanic I used to work with - he got fed up of waiting for Vauxhall to come up with a revised clutch lining! Apparently it did continue to judder for a few mornings after the Valeo was fitted, but hasn't juddered again since.

Number_Cruncher

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Fri 31 Aug 2007 01:56

- Clutch Judder Common? - jimbo1

I have the same problem with my Vectra, mainly in the morning when clutch cold, even worse if it has rained through the night strangely enough. Been twice back to Dealer who said nothing found. Don't tell you it's a common fault and now Vauxhall bringing out a modified clutch. Complained to vauxhall, Luton, I am now on list for a new clutch to be fitted when new ones come along. Hopefully that will be it.

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Wed 12 Sep 2007 08:19

- Clutch Judder Common? - champ1968

well guess what....i was let down ...no new clutch as yet..still waiting for delivery.vauxhal have now told me because my car is still on the road they wont be giving me a curtesy car..
had enough now, seriously thinking about changing it.
just hope the clutch dont go as im going along..one thing ive noticed is the biting point is getting very high...good job im with the AA.
once a problem always a problem.
cheesed off champ

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Wed 12 Sep 2007 14:11

- Clutch Judder Common? - Snakey

My 2005 Megane has these symptoms as well, I wonder if its the same make of clutch?

Seems to be a fairly common complaint about meganes too (although not according to Renault of course)

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Mon 22 Oct 2007 14:18

- Clutch Judder Common? - icecoach2020

I have an 05 astra diesel 1.9 design from new. Serice required every two years said the salesman! Had it serviced 5 weeks ago... cost £250, standard service! 2 weeks ago the clutch went, dealers opinion it has worn out, cost to repair £700, (34,000 miles) they took 10 days to get the parts from vauxhall!! 2 days ago the drive shaft fell out of the gearbox! There were no bolts holding it in place, AA managed to fit one bolt to keep me going, its now back in the main dealers and their reply at the moment is "it's not our fault we have to look into this" I shall wait and see but I think this will be my last vauxhall after buying 2 new ones every two/three years for the last 20 years.

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Tue 12 Feb 2008 20:46

- Clutch Judder Common? - stmo123

Glad I found this thread. I was beginning to think I'd forgotton how to drive. (Happens around my age, I believe). I have a 2006 '56' 1.6 SXi and get quite a bit of 'judder' in the morning. I'm gonna print this off and take it to the dealer, although if there's no 'fix' yet, I might just pay out for a valeo clutch plate and try and get my money back.(Fat chance) I've still got 12 months network Q and two years manufacturers warranty.

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Tue 12 Feb 2008 21:15

- Clutch Judder Common? - Number_Cruncher

I understand the official fix is now available.

Number_Cruncher

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Thu 1 May 2008 10:45

- Clutch Judder Common? - Love Alfa!

Hi all!

My partner owns an 05 plate ASTRA 1.6 SXI Sporthatch and since reading your comments i am beginning to think "oh dear, what have we just bought!"

We have had the car for several months now, but i don't drive it very often. When we first had it, i did notice a judder, but i just put this down to the difference in biting point between my car and hers.

I took it for an MOT the other day and it failed! it needs a new horn! However the mechanic also noticed the dreaded clutch judder and recommended that i take it back to the dealer. In a way i am glad i found this thread because it gives me an awful lot of evidence, but before i start throwing my weight around at the dealer can anyone tell me if the "FIX" has been launched?

I am taking the car in tomorrow (Friday 2nd May 2008) so i know its a little short notice!

P.S. as my nick name suggests i'm an Alfa lover! I have an Alfa 147 & may i just say its a brilliant little car! I have owned a Renault Megane (new shape) Mazda 3, Mazda RX8 & a VW Bora, and the Alfa is the best out of all of them. The 2.0litre is an absolute belter!

...Just in case any of you were thinking of changing your Astra.....get yourself a drive in a 147! :)

Thanks,

Tom

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Thu 1 May 2008 11:25

- Clutch Judder Common? - Dynamic Dave

can anyone tell me if the "FIX" has been launched?

I've seen it mentioned on a Vauxhall forum that a replacement clutch lining has been issued.

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Fri 2 May 2008 08:53

- Clutch Judder Common? - Victorbox

Surely if it needs a MOT it is out of warranty? Other threads here indicate how difficult it is getting clutch repairs under warranty (from any manufacturer) so you may struggle.

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Fri 2 May 2008 12:08

- Clutch Judder Common? - Love Alfa!

...we've only had the car for a few months so i'm hoping it will be covered by the Network Q warranty.

I took the car in this morning and the lady behind the service counter admitted that Vauxhall have released a fix for this problem.

Fingers crossed then ey!!

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Sat 3 May 2008 11:58

- Clutch Judder Common? - Love Alfa!

Hi All,

Just thought i wouuld post an update.

The Vauxhall dealer at Stourbridge have installed the 'FIX' which consists of a new flywheel and clutch, all in a day too!

so far so good!

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Tue 30 Sep 2008 16:33

- Clutch Judder Common? - astra owner

Hi ,

I have just purchased an astra 1.6 elite 2006 from a network q dealer in aldershot, within 1000 miles (1 month) I felt the clutch juddering (when cold) on returning it to the dealer I was advised that the vauxhall warranty was only good for a clutch (the fix) for 3500 miles !!!! (car 2 years old) After our subsiquent discussion I found it was covered on the network q.

Its at the garage today having the Fix done (new flywheel and friction pads)

I hope that will be end of story !!! judder free driving,

ps, the car has only done 25k

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 30/09/2008 at 19:41

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Thu 2 Oct 2008 22:43

- Clutch Judder Common? - rob_talks

As Love Alfa!, I recently bought my 04 mk5 astra (about 2 moths ago) and noticed judder in the mornings. I looked it up and found a wealth of info on it on sites like this.
I had done my research on the car before I bought, but never searched the internet for "clutch judder"

Obviously, my car will not have a warranty, and it only came with a 1month warranty being a used car. I pushed for more but they wouldn't let me. I am wondering if this is why, because they knew about the clutch. I don't know if my dealer was a networkQ one or not. Its called drive vauxhall. drivevauxhall.co.uk

Anyway, as a previous earlier poster said, this is a really dangerous fault, and although you are able to live with it, it worries me very much about the damage it is doing ( I am a student and can no way afford £700 for a new clutch) and also, I have to pull out in to a main road when I first leave home, making it very dangerous, I have had a couple of near misses, one this morning.

I love the car, I have a design, so it looks great, and drives pretty well too apart from the judder. It appals me that VX have let this issue go on for so long without recalling.

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Fri 3 Oct 2008 11:38

- Clutch Judder Common? - AceJohn

My 1.8 Vectra has the same problem - only becomes apparent in the colder weather - unfortunately bought mine in June and have only just come across it.
I wonder how many people do not realise it is a built-in problem and just blame their own driving ability - until I read this thread I was totally unaware of the issue.
My car is not Network Q - the company who sold me the car say I should contact Vauxhall.
The car is less than 2 years old and only has 20000 miles on the clock.
Can anyone offer advice on how I can ensure Vauxhall pay up for the fix?
Are these web forums accepted as proving a problem is widespread and generally known about?

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Thu 9 Oct 2008 21:13

- Clutch Judder Common? - AceJohn

Vectra Clutch Judder - continued.
I have been in contact with Vauxhall and they are playing the "we know nothing about a clutch judder fault" card.
Is anyone aware of any technical bulletins, product recalls or anything that can be used to confirm that Vauxhall are only too well aware of the fault.
Reading this and other forums I cannot believe they have the brass neck to come away with this.
Does anyone have experience of dealers coming away with the same guff or it must be "wear & tear" guff?

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Fri 24 Oct 2008 14:12

- Clutch Judder Common? - astra owner

Hi,

I had the same problem as you see my thread 3 or 4 messages above,

Unfortunatly because Vauxhall have had to replace this particular clutch on so many cars (1.6 engine) because of their mess up in quality control, they will now only warranty for 3500miles !!!
My car is 2 years old (06 MODEL 1.6) when I went back to the network q dealer 1 month after purcahse they would only cover the cost of the "FIX" using the network q warranty ,not the vauxhall warranty which only covers 3500mile FROM NEW !! my car has 25k

this is a total vauxhall cop out !!

The fix is now done (new flywheel & friction plates) and so far so good,

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Tue 28 Oct 2008 10:30

- Clutch Judder Common? - AceJohn

Thanks for info (astra owner).

My experience is that the judder is at its worst when it is raining.
Due the intermittent nature of the problem and the fact that it is not something concrete you can point to, Vauxhall seem to have the upper hand.

I intend to persevere with this until I get a satisfactory outcome and would encourage others to do the same. The number of "views" of this thread suggests to me that Vauxhall have a major problem - a shame as this is my fourth one and apart from the judder I am quite happy with my Vectra.

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Wed 29 Oct 2008 13:52

- Clutch Judder Common? - Rickster

This is a common problem with pre-2007 Vauxhalls and one that dealers and Vauxhall know about all too well (although they'll try to deny it) - see the 'Astra H' subforum at www.astraownersnetwork.com/forum.php - there's a sticky post near the top with 22+ pages regarding it now. Vauxhall appear to still be replacing faulty (as opposed to worn out) clutches on cars within the 60k/3Yr warranty period but getting them to do it may take a bit of persistence.

Edited by Rickster on 29/10/2008 at 13:53

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Tue 4 Nov 2008 20:41

- Clutch Judder Common? - rob_talks

Thanks for your post Rickster, that is good news that vx are replacing the faulty ones. Shame about the worn ones and more of a shame for those, like myself who are outside of the 3 year warranty. You buy a car expecting it works. If you bought it and the steering wheel didn't work or the boot fell off when you opened it, then obviously, it would be unacceptable, but the clutch is more of a grey area and hard to know about, so they seem to have got away with this for too long in my opinion. Anyway, there is no point complaining, that won't get my anywhere.

Just a current question for mk5 owners.... What is the bite point like on your vehicle? Mine seems very high, literally 1.5 to 2cms from fully released to bite. I am wondering if maybe the car has some special feature where it adjusts automatically, as it does seem very high. Clutch seems to be biting very well so I was just wondering if other people have the same level of bite on their pedal?

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Wed 22 Apr 2009 20:47

- Clutch Judder Common? - rob_talks

I did wonder if it would be worth taking out a warranty deal with my car. You can purchase a separate warranty for a vehicle from lots or brokers, even Tesco, but I don't have the mechanical knowledge to know what exactly they would cover if you made a claim. The words and parts are all very complicated. But if you could get the clutch covered on one of these warranty deals it would seem a worthwhile expenditure. I have been quite interested in getting one of these deals as I have no idea what state my clutch is in and thought it would be a very good safe-gaurd against anything going wrong regarding the clutch, after reading the numerous problems people seem to have had.

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Sun 31 May 2009 01:21

- Clutch Judder Common? - Brenda

I have a Corsa D (57 plate) that developed a judder a few months ago. Symptoms exactly as others have described. It's being serviced next week so, having read this thread, I'll definitely be mentioning it!

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Thu 2 Jun 2011 15:58

- Clutch Judder Common? - mik1985

I've got a 1999 1.6 16v that has just done 120k and i've started getting a judder when pulling away and also in 3rd gear. I thought it might need the gearbox oil topping up, after reading this thread i'm not so sure it will help. I reckon i might have to pay for the fix aswell seeing as the car is so old :(

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Fri 3 Jun 2011 03:35

- Clutch Judder Common? - 1litregolfeater

I have a 2001 Astra 1.7 DTI on which the clutch is silkily smooth after 60000 miles of female use, but my Corsa always had a juddery clutch. Had the Corsa engine out for other problems and looked at the clutch, which looked like new. Slave cylinder fine.

I know that other people on the internet say it's because Vauxhall used cheap rubbish materials, but I wonder if they chose a hard material on purpose because they knew the likely abuse such a clutch in a low end car was likely to get.

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