Toyota Avensis 2.0i 2007 - Has my clutch gone?

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Fri 15 Feb 2013 17:40
Toyota Avensis 2.0i 2007 - Has my clutch gone? - PhilDS

Hi

My wife got into the car this afternoon and couldn't get it in gear. With a bit of man handling I managed to get it into 1st, 2nd and reverse. There is no problem at all getting it into gear when the engine is off. We have booked it in to a local garage who reckon the clutch has gone.

Prior to today there has been no sign of any impending trouble...the car has been running fine.

Any thoughts on what specifically may have gone (I realise I will know more on Monday) but it would be helpful to have some idea of what to expect?

It's also covered by a Warranty Direct policy which does cover some elements of the clutch e.g. cable, master & slave cylinder and pedal assembly but not clutch covers, friction plates, release bearings, burnt or worn out clutch parts. Any chance I may be covered? I'm not holding out much hope!

The car has cover 77k and has a full and up to date main dealer service history.

Thanks

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Fri 15 Feb 2013 18:42
Toyota Avensis 2.0i 2007 - Has my clutch gone? - Cyd

It may well be that the clutch is worn out. 77k is fair for clutch life; 70 - 90k is about average.

Not a chance it'll be covered on any aftermarket warranty (and even OE warranties have various clauses to do with clutch wear)

Budget £350 for replacement.

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Fri 15 Feb 2013 18:48
Toyota Avensis 2.0i 2007 - Has my clutch gone? - unthrottled

It may well be that the clutch is worn out. 77k is fair for clutch life; 70 - 90k is about average.

Don't know what you do to your clutches! They should last much longer than that with due care.

A worn friction plate shouldn't make gear selection difficult. It's more likely that there's been hydraulic fluid leakage, so the clutch isn't entirely disengaging when the pedal is pressed. Probably the master cylinder is leaking. Don't try to force it into gear, you'll end up bending selector forks-then things will get expensive!

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Fri 15 Feb 2013 19:06
Toyota Avensis 2.0i 2007 - Has my clutch gone? - Cyd

Don't know what you do to your clutches! They should last much longer than that with due care

Maybe. Maybe not.

If you only ever drive stop start in London you could wear a friction plate out in 20k or less. If you only ever drive 1000 mile trips across the continent in 5th it could never wear out. In reality it will be somewhere in between with a number of factors affecting its life.

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Fri 15 Feb 2013 19:45
Toyota Avensis 2.0i 2007 - Has my clutch gone? - unthrottled

Yes, duty cycle plays a big role-as does vehicle weight and 1st gear reduction ratio. But a clutch wearing out in 20k either hasn't been installed correctly or the driver is incompetent. Taxi drivers do 40-50K of mainly sop-start driving and they don't replace clutches every 6 months!

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Fri 15 Feb 2013 23:41
Toyota Avensis 2.0i 2007 - Has my clutch gone? - focussed

Yes, duty cycle plays a big role-as does vehicle weight and 1st gear reduction ratio. But a clutch wearing out in 20k either hasn't been installed correctly or the driver is incompetent. Taxi drivers do 40-50K of mainly sop-start driving and they don't replace clutches every 6 months!

I think that you will find that most if not all black cabs nowadays have auto boxes.

Not surprising really, I wouldn't want wrestle a clutch pedal and a gear lever for a twelve hour shift in London traffic.

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Sat 16 Feb 2013 01:10
Toyota Avensis 2.0i 2007 - Has my clutch gone? - unthrottled

I know. But mini cabs don't.

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Mon 18 Feb 2013 19:45
Toyota Avensis 2.0i 2007 - Has my clutch gone? - PhilDS

Update

I drove the car to the garage on Sat morning to drop it off. Took it easy - had to set off in second gear as couldn't get it into 1st without forcing it and didn't want to cause more problems. Just up and down gears via double de-clutching and changing at low speeds. Some gear changes took a few goes but never forced it.

Garage called this afternoon to say they had taken it out for drive twice and couldn't find a problem! My wife went and picked it up and it was perfect!

So, a complete mystery. She's now driven from Leighton Buzzard to Tunbridge Wells with no issues. Thing is, as the garage couldn't find an issue, we're not convinced that it won't reappear.

Thoughts?

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