Total clutch failure

[Anonymous]

Just been stranded 15 miles from home by my 156gt developing complete clutch failure. Dropped down to 3rd to overtake lorry and noticed strange feeling from clutch, clutch pedal lost about half of normal travel, every change of gear after that got more and more difficult until i had to slow down for a roundabout and got stuck in neutral. Called AA, tow truck arrived and engineer mentioned "soft clutch" don't know if he meant rcz or Peugeot in general. Dropped car off at dealer who took 3 days talking to "Peugeot technical" before they ordered parts. took 10 working days to get car back, new clutch, slave cylinder and slave cylinder pipework fitted .Got home and had to phone dealer to arrange to take car back as i now had a problem with selecting 3rd gear. Went for test drive with service manager who agreed there was a problem (car was supposed to have been taken for a test drive before i got it back after clutch problem ) Now have to take it back on Monday for 3 or 4 days to have gearbox repaired. ( service manager thinks 3rd gear syncromesh is chipped ) Thank god for 3 year warranty, car has only done 3000 miles and isn't driven hard. Anyone else had similar problems ? On the bright side i asked about problem with water from wing mirrors marking the paintwork and arranged for the dealer to apply the fix while car was at dealers.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to read that you experienced this problem, but heartened that Peugeot are taking it seriously and doing all that they can to get your pride and joy back into full working order for you.

A few people spoke of difficulty with gear selection when their cars were brand new, but I have not read of total clutch failure before.

 

[Anonymous]

Not good but I'm sure Peugeot will sort it out for you and your car will be like new again

 

[Anonymous]

Faulty gearbox update. Car went into dealers on Monday morning, received phone call on Wednesday night, apparently the new 3rd gear they ordered has 32 teeth instead of 31 so it does not fit into gearbox. They have double checked part No's and talked to Peugeot technical and as a result they are now going to fit a new gearbox. Here's hoping !

 

[Anonymous]

Faulty gearbox update. Car went into dealers on Monday morning, received phone call on Wednesday night, apparently the new 3rd gear they ordered has 32 teeth instead of 31 so it does not fit into gearbox. They have double checked part No's and talked to Peugeot technical and as a result they are now going to fit a new gearbox. Here's hoping !

A strange going on :crazy: However if you look at it slightly off centre, it's kinda fortunate that it has occured on the car that it did, as Peugeot do not mess around and are very quick to authorise new parts be fitted :clap:

 

[Anonymous]

Picked up car tonight. New gearbox fitted, mods to wing mirrors done :beer: :beer: :beer: , here's hoping the next time its at the dealer is for a service.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi deejayem and everyone else.
I am beside myself today as I have learnt that my RCZ is going to cost me $3564 due to the clutch collapse. The car is a little over a year old, I have had it for nearly four months, the previous owner from my understanding did not drive it hard, he had baby capsules in the back seats. I certainly do not drive it to hard and am insulted with this bill.
I am at a total loss as they first stated that it was under warranty and now they are saying it is driver abuse. Below is the email I received this afternoon.
Dear Kevin

I have an update for you on the clutch concern with your RCZ and it’s not good.

Can you please refer to the photo’s attached and review the damage inflicted on the clutch assembly.

We started removing the gearbox on Friday afternoon and finished removing it on Saturday so we could complete the repair by Monday afternoon, we inspected the clutch assembly and associated parts and found the clutch had been ripped apart due to driver / operator abuse.

The clutch plate friction plate has been ripped away from the clutch centre plate rivets and completely fallen apart, this can only happen by dropping the clutch at high RPM under extreme pressure.

The result is a disintegrated clutch plate, a damaged pressure plate, flywheel and a collapsed clutch hydraulic system, the pressure plate and flywheel have been overheated and this can be seen with the blackened friction surfaces.

Due to this evidence the clutch replacement and repair can no longer be considered a repair covered under the manufactures warranty, the full cost of the repair is now the owners responsibility.

Cost to repair is as follows:

1. Clutch dual mass flywheel = $1250.00

2. Clutch kit (clutch plate, pressure plate) = $585.00

3. Clutch fluid = $11.30

4. Clutch master cylinder = $154.00

5. Clutch slave cylinder = $126.50

6. Flywheel bolts = $15.00

7. Gearbox oil = $66.00

8. Labour to replace the complete clutch assembly and listed components = $1315.60

9. Total cost for repair = $3523.40


The clutch / engine flywheel is nil stock in Australia and will need to come from France, once we get your approval to proceed it will take 10 – 12 working days before it arrives, the car is in a state of dismantle as we wait on your reply.

Please note there was no way we could foresee this until the gearbox was removed and we based our diagnosis on the failed hydraulic system, unfortunately the hydraulic system failed due to the above explanation.

Regards


I had the same issue as you deejayem as far as the car having difficulties changing gear, pedal loss and then just failing altogether. The car has done 23000 KM's and I find it strange that I have never had this damage with any of my other manual cars, MX5, Calibra 4wd turbo, these were both manual cars. Any help or advice would be truely welcomed, I need to get this sorted ASAP however I don't feel as though I should be forking out over $3000.
Thanks and all the best, Kevin

 

[Anonymous]

we inspected the clutch assembly and associated parts and found the clutch had been ripped apart due to driver / operator abuse.

The clutch plate friction plate has been ripped away from the clutch centre plate rivets and completely fallen apart, this

Eek, This is what happens when you drive it like you stole it! :crazy: Expensive lesson, but I guess it has to be paid as the car's no use to anyone in the state its in.

 

[Anonymous]

But he says it wasn't driven hard. I guess the only recourse here is to trawl the web and see if there is any evidence of clutches having this kind of failure due to manufacturing defect in which case you can introduce a reasonable doubt of the diagnosis and you may get them to go 50:50 with you on the bill. Not nice though. Hope you find a way to sort it.

 

[Tomas_90]

But he says it wasn't driven hard. I guess the only recourse here is to trawl the web and see if there is any evidence of clutches having this kind of failure due to manufacturing defect in which case you can introduce a reasonable doubt of the diagnosis and you may get them to go 50:50 with you on the bill. Not nice though. Hope you find a way to sort it.

My brother had the clutch replaced twice on his 2010 Saab 9-3 in 1½ year and he never abused it either, just normal day driving. Had to be a manufacture fault. How it happened twice is a mystery tho.

 

[Anonymous]

'driver abuse' ........what a bloody insult! The car is a sports car for goodness sake!

This has just happened to mine too with 18k miles on the clock....almost identical description. Currently at dealers (Monday morning) after recovery who say they wont be able to look at it until Thursday!

Grrrrr!

 

[Abzynthe]

Hope it gets sorted. Thats noise it made didnt sound too good

 

[hanswuk]

Hi KjRcZ, I'm assuming your car is a diesel as you mention a dual mass flywheel. This may not be what you want to hear but the clutch in your car has been used by Peugeot for many years (since 2004) on a variety of models eg. 308, 407, 807, 3008 & 5008 as well as the RCZ. The RCZ power output is the same or not much different to the 2.0 units in those other vehicles and there is no inherent issue with the clutch fitted (it's manufactured by Luk Germany).

In the trade clutch claims where the clutch friction lining has disintegrated are always rejected as the only likely cause is driver abuse. Remember this doesn't mean you caused the damage, it could have been done mainly by the previous owner and it finally failed during your ownership. It's virtually impossible to prove either way and so you may well have to carry the full cost of replacement. It's very unfortunate for you but I can see the workshop's point of view.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear this sad tale. Was the car used as a demonstrator prior to you buying it? I have always worried about ex demo models as I know that some drivers like to really 'drive' them hard. If it was used by the garage to demo the car, would you have any comeback under the sale of goods?

 

[Anonymous]

I'd never by an ex demo, as it is my believe that they are always getting tested to "see what they can do" and usually straight from the forecourt with a cold engine :thumbdown: So how many people will have thrashed your new car :crazy:

 

[Anonymous]

The golf I'd last week was doing 65 in second think ur right.

 

[Anonymous]

Update:
Dealers perspective is that clutch is not covered by warranty and 'wants my permission' to strip down the clutch to examine whether it's a failure as a result of driving style or wear and tear. ????

I find that position strange and tell them so. because it seems that whatever they find, then the answer is going to be that the clutch is not ever covered by the warranty!

Dealer phones me back after stripping and tell me that the clutch plate, pressure plate and slave cylinder are all 'gone' with blueing showing on some of the metal parts. Their decision is that the clutch is not covered by warranty. I ask him what would they expect to find to make them decide that it WAS covered by warranty and he doesnt have an answer.

I raise a case with Peugeot customer service and get a very good initial response from them saying that they would 'assist me is resolution of the matter'. All good then, and I tell the dealer to order the parts.

Today (1 week after the failure), Peugeot customer service ring me back and tell me that they've had a word with the dealer and their decision is that the clutch is not covered by warranty. I ask why not and they say. Well it is covered by warranty but only for 6 months and 6000 miles because its a wear and tear item.
I point out politely that that is most definately not what the warranty booklet says. and his response is 'well the dealer says that there's signs of wear on the clutch plate so its down to wear and tear and thats not covered by the warranty'. again thats not what the warranty wording says!
I ask him whether he considers 18000 miles wear and tear should have resulted in such a failure and he says 'no so it must be your driving style'. :roll:

I have to say I'm astonished!

I shall be taking legal advice

Well done Peugeot ! I think you'll be losing another customer and whats more I shall be broadcasting it quite wide what shabby post sale support is to be expected.

 

[hanswuk]

H12RPO, Again this may not be what you want to hear but the clutch in your car has been used by Peugeot for many years (since 2000) on a variety of models and engines eg. 307, 308, 508, 3008 & 5008 as well as the RCZ and there is no inherent issue with the clutch fitted (it's manufactured by Valeo France). Therefore, unless there's something different about the RCZ which I don't know about, it should last as long as in any other Peugeot / Citroen application.

Clutch wear is problematic for the trade. Each use of the clutch causes wear and slipping the clutch, especially at high revs or by 'riding' the clutch pedal, can cause very rapid wear. Generally all clutch failures which combine blueing of the metal parts and friction lining damage are down to extreme heat caused by slipping the clutch. Therefore I don't think spending money on legal advice will get you anywhere.

By the way, if the job is outside warranty you could get alternative quotes from independent workshops or ask if the dealer would fit a clutch that you have bought independently which might save you quite a bit of money. If you want to go down that route please contact me via a PM.

 

[Anonymous]

Just a thought. If you really are up for fighting this then may I suggest you request all the parts of the clutch from your dealer and get them analyzed yourself by a 3rd company. Get a comprehensive report and take it from there. Just an idea but I hope you get this nasty issue sorted.

 

[hanswuk]

Just a thought. If you really are up for fighting this then may I suggest you request all the parts of the clutch from your dealer and get them analyzed yourself by a 3rd company. Get a comprehensive report and take it from there. Just an idea but I hope you get this nasty issue sorted.

I can almost guarantee it will be in vain!