Audi A6 Avant - overheated clutch , audi will not repair/replace

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Wed 18 May 2011 18:22
Audi A6 Avant - overheated clutch , audi will not repair/replace - norahj

The car was bought from new, has done 20000 miles and serviced by audi at 19000. At the weekend whilst attempting a hill start, I couldnt select a gear, and the car started slipping backwards. I somehow managed to get enough purchase on it to get to the brow of the hlll where I had to coast down to the bottom and call audi assist. They ended up towing me home and Audi collected the next day. The car was drivable again by then, but tthe clutch didnt feel right. Audi have inspected it and said the clutch has burned out through overheating and therefore will not be replaced under warranty. I am at a loss to understand how this has happened to a relatively new, recently serviced car, that I believe I drive very carefully. I was sat in traffic on the hill but only a few minutes. Could it be that the gearbox failed due to mechanical failure and the effort of trying to selectting a gear to prevent sliding back caused the burnout? Why did the clutch/gearbox work the next day if it was burned out? Any advice gratefully appreciated.!

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Wed 18 May 2011 18:38
Audi A6 Avant - overheated clutch , audi will not repair/replace - unthrottled

Trying to force the lever into gear can cause damage to gearbox components such as the selector forks, synchro hubs and the dog teeth.

If you held the car on the clutch for a few minutes that would be enough to damage a clutch. The car's mileage doesn't really tell us anything. 20,000 stop-start miles wears the clutch far faster than 100,000 motorway miles which would leave the clutch in pristine condition.

An overheated clutch can start 'working again' when the faces cool down, but the wear and tear cannot be erased. I'm not casting aspersions on your driving, but if the mechanics say the clutch burned out through operator error, there's not much you can do to prove otherwise. Sorry.

P.S. Were they any signs that the clutch was poorly set up from the factory-ie did it judder at the bite point? This would change the situation.

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Wed 18 May 2011 19:18
Audi A6 Avant - overheated clutch , audi will not repair/replace - Collos25

Clutches do not get hot without friction caused either by a slipping clutch or trying to hold on a hill on the clutch instead of using the handbrake.I can uderstand the garage they have only burnt out clutch as evidence and they rightly or wrongly are covered by warranty.My first wife burnt out clutches for fun said it was the cars fault until I watched her drive with the left foot resting on the clutch pedal then all was revealed.

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Wed 18 May 2011 20:09
Audi A6 Avant - overheated clutch , audi will not repair/replace - unthrottled

Very easily done with light hydraulic clutch actuation. In this respect simple cable operated clutches are better, the clutch pedal is usually so heavy that you don't slip the clutch unless you really intend to. That said, the dead pedal is there for a reason.

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