Question of the week: Did a dealer deceive me over a worn clutch?
Fri, 07 Nov 2025
Dear Honest John,
"At the end of January I bought my fifth used Honda - a 2018 Honda Jazz. It is a Sport version which was the only used Jazz the garage had coming in - as I wanted a petrol and manual Jazz once again. It had one previous lady owner.
As the Honda dealer in Northampton is the other side of my town, I had my car serviced yesterday by a garage near my home that has a good reputation and they have serviced my cars for 15 years. I have driven 7000 miles since having this Jazz.
The service report highlighted said 'clutch biting point feels slightly high' - though the garage stressed I may not need a new clutch for a year. I was very shocked as after Googling what this means I have never abused the clutch.
At purchase the Honda Garage said the car came with a year’s warranty - is this likely to cover a new clutch? My previous 13 yr old used Honda never needed a new clutch or previous ones either. Is it likely that the Honda garage knew this when they sold me the car and saw me as a naive older single woman with no one to give her advice?
- MK
Dear MK,
The comment from the garage suggests that the biting point is 'slightly high' and the fact that they have said it should be fine for another year would indicate that the clutch is partly worn, but not critically so.
A clutch is considered a consumable item in that it will eventually wear out, so if it fails due to wear it is unlikely to be covered under warranty.
Judging the wear of a clutch just by the biting point is not an exact science - for a clear indication of the amount of wear it would need to be disassembled - so it is not impossible that when the dealer sold the car the biting point was fair for a car of that age.
As you bought the car in January, if the clutch lasts another 12 months that would be 23 months since you bought the car. Ww wouldn't expect a dealer to change a part that effectively had two years of life remaining. In a similar way, we would not expect a dealer to replace a tyre that had 4mm of tread left on it, despite it being halfway through its lifespan.
Although your previous cars have not needed a clutch replacement it may just be that you have been fortunate - every clutch will need replacing at some point, and as the car was seven years old when you bought it there is no accounting for how it was driven by its previous owners.
