On my 3rd clutch .. help please

[gottabstick]

Well clutch went on my wife again while I was out of town. Only 18000 miles on this one- the f1 stage 2 clutch. Anways we dont know of any reputable repair shops in our area so just googled local repair shops. 1st was an independent mechanic, elderly gentleman in a 'autoclinic' shop. $850 for OEM NAPA clutch replacement, next place was an aamco transmission place who quoted $950 with a luk clutch replacement. We need to get it fixed asap and cant really afford to shop around any more so these are my 2 options. Anyone with any thoughts. I really don't want to go oem again so I'm kind of leaning towards the luk clutch.Thanks

[AKLGT]

I recommend the ACT heavy duty street clutch. great for the street, but much much better than the craptacular OEM. I sold my VGT before it needed replacement, but the new owner replaced it around 35K miles. that's lame.

[gottabstick]

I was thinking the same thing .. Though we do need to get the car fixed this week and no-one has one in stock, it'd have to be ordered in

[gottabstick]

this would be the one right?http://www.gripmotorsports.com....html

[gottabstick]

Well managed to find someone who would overnight an ACT Clutch to the transmission place. Hopefully this one lasts for longer than a year!For anyone who is interested heres the deal: $419 for the clutch/shipping $650 for labour and resurface at aamco transmissions.Amost as much as the bloody car is worth!at least I got a 10% saving with coupon code 'tbpcart' on this site. http://www.thepartsbin.com/basket.php

[high revin]

Some ones not driving this car right! 3 clutches wow im on my orginal clutch in my GT at 168,000

[Entelodont]

Don't take any offense at this , but is anybody riding the clutch pedal? It's the cause of premature wear most of the time. Your car may be one of the unlucky ones that is prone to this due to manufacturing intolerances. I had a 67 Bel Air 6 cylinder powerglide that burned out 2 rear pinion gears in one year. It sure wasn't abuse! Keep searching for a good tech.

[gottabstick]

Quote, originally posted by high revin »Some ones not driving this car right! 3 clutches wow im on my orginal clutch in my GT at 168,000Nah, both my wife and I are from Europe where standard transmissions are , well standard. I've been driving stick for over 14 years and on 6 different cars. My wife was also learned to drive in a stick shift and has been driving one since. So I'd think it's fair to say we a are definately more proficient in stick driving than your average North American. Its just a shi@#y small clutch for a heavy car, lots of documented cases of premature clutch wear for this car. I can't talk for how yours has managed to last so long, Kudos to you. But this premature wear on ours was definately not cause by driver abuse. New clutch is in and works like a dream. The mechanic figured that the flywheel wasnt resurfaced on the last clutch replacement and that could have been the cause for the noise I was hearing last year and the premature clutch wear. At least this time we went with a high quality aftermarket clutch and took it into 'transmission experts' so it should last for a good long while.

[djb383]

Any chance of posting an audio clip of a start from a stand still?

[gottabstick]

Not entirely sure what you mean here?

[star_deceiver]

I think he means something like this... but general drivinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8VzbmNDBgI

[knaffie]

What is the matter with the OEM clutch? Why would you call it "craptastic"? I couldn't criticize mine if I tried. 80K and going strong.

[03VibeOttawa]

Quote, originally posted by knaffie »What is the matter with the OEM clutch? Why would you call it "craptastic"? I couldn't criticize mine if I tried. 80K and going strong.My 2nd OEM clutch has only 25,000 kms on it, yet if I shift over 4000 RPMS, it manages to have horrible pedal feel and does not bite hard enough at all for a few seconds afterwards. It is of no fault of driver input. I think I should have upgraded to an ACT clutch, but needed my car operational for work within 12hrs after my original clutch died.

[djkeev]

These aren't race cars, these are basic transportation econo boxes that get us safely and economically from point a to point b.The designers never planned for competition type driving with these cars, the price shows that.Why so many clutches? I doubt it was improper flywheel resurfacing. You've got a malfunctioning clutch release system, a misadjusted Throw out bearing, or you tend to rest your foot on the clutch as you drive?It is also possible, and I'm sorry here, that while you THINK you know how to drive a clutch, you may not actually KNOW how to.I've ridden with people whose clutch habits are just short of frightening and they think they are doing just fine. I keep my mouth shut, they are happy.Then again, using places like Aamco for auto service work, you might be getting what you pay for.Dave

[gottabstick]

Quote, originally posted by djkeev »Then again, using places like Aamco for auto service work, you might be getting what you pay for.DaveWhat on earth does this mean?? It defiantely wasn't cheap service, nor did it seem like I was getting below par service. I am new in the area I live, work out of town and just wanted to get the fix done right and first time with the car back on the road ASAP. This is why I opted for a transmission specialist shop instead of a cheaper, local mechanic. They also offer 12 month warranty on any work done, a courtesy car and the guy I spoke too knew vibe GTs pretty well.Last time I got the clutch changed out it was to an ebay special and done at the cheapest place I could find. Big mistake I know and probably a big factor in the reduced lifespan. So if you are insinuating that I am cheaping out again, I resent that because I have just spent over $1100 on this whole thing when I could have got it fixed for $650 again like last time.And once again- DRIVING HABITS ARE NOT A FACTOR IN THIS CASE

[gottabstick]

Quote, originally posted by djkeev »These aren't race cars, these are basic transportation econo boxes that get us safely and economically from point a to point b.The designers never planned for competition type driving with these cars, the price shows that.DaveI think everyone that owns a vibe is more than aware that these are a very long way from racecars and wouldn't both embarrassing themselves trying to prove otherwise. I bought a stick because I like actually DRIVING a car , not because I wanted to consistantly embarrass myself being beat of the line by 98% of cars on the road.

[djkeev]

What's it mean?After years in the repair business, my personal observation of history shows that chain type stores tend to attract the less competent technicians. Recent trade school grads, those who don't have the skills or limited skills, etc. I'm talking places like a Sears service, Midas, WalMart, etc. These chains tend to be low on the pay scale and high on the aggravation of the employee scale. They specialize in very little and generally don't pursue education in any one field. Sure, many are now "certified" but taking a test and fixing a car are a world apart. Many excellent mechanics would flunk a test but can run circles around book educated people.Generally the best qualified people are working in a local shop that is owned by a local person who has strong skills and a reputation to maintain in the community, these shops often don't advertise and some you'd never know were there if you didn't know where to look. The better of these shops will admit they cannot fix everything and send you away if you are outside of their knowledge base.I've had too many years of fixing too many cars screwed up by "professionals" charging people too much money. It's made me a tad jaded I'm afraid, so I look at these places with suspicion. I don't claim perfection, I've made my mistakes over the years, I'm human. The difference is that I care to do a proper job.My own daughter who lives about 2 hours away and is smart in these matters get "taken", it really pisses me off! They try to sell her work she doesn't need or do things to fix her car that don't fix it and charge her anyway, etc.Maybe you've found a good shop, if so congrats. Many of these places I wouldn't trust to do an oil change properly.There is a lot of discussion on how the price of parts and shopping for the lowest price affects the overall quality of the supply. Buying the cheapest part is rarely the best deal (not saying you did here) and if quality manufacturers cannot sell their quality parts at a reasonable profit they will either cheapen it or discontinue making it. In the long run we the consumers are slitting our own throats in regard to the future of quality parts.Wish you the best with this clutch, didn't mean to insult though I did so, sorry.Dave

[djb383]

Quote, originally posted by djkeev »......................It is also possible, and I'm sorry here, that while you THINK you know how to drive a clutch, you may not actually KNOW how to.I've ridden with people whose clutch habits are just short of frightening and they think they are doing just fine. I keep my mouth shut, they are happy....................DaveMy thoughts exactly, couldn't have said it better. With a proper normal start, the engine rpm shouldn't exceed the normal idle rpm until after the clutch is fully engaged......or maybe no more than 100-200 rpm above idle rpm. If rpm is any higher during clutch engagement on a regular basis, then that is why the clutch is frying so quickly. Just because you can get the car moving without jerking doesn't mean one is proficient on proper clutch operation/engagement. That video sounds to me like an automatic.

[Sublimewind]

I don't want to sound brash or rude, but if your wife has gone through 3 clutches in that car OBVIOUSLY there is more of a problem than simply the clutch... Just because you've driven a clutch car, DOESN'T mean you know what you are doing.. My dads driven clutch for most of his life, he STILL drives retarded... You've got a guy here with 100K on his clutch, and your wifes car, with possibly less miles and 3 clutches... What does that say? I'm not saying it's not a crappy clutch, because i've read all the posts too, but something more has to be going on... Does she rev match, ir does she allow the clutch to spin up the motor on down shifts?

[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »Does she rev match, ir does she allow the clutch to spin up the motor on down shifts? A little video I found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7bb2OKFKgc

[gottabstick]

I agree that there could have been something else going on but as far as driver style goes we had zero issues wth the Jetta TDI we ran for almost 2 years, zero issues with the volvo S60R we have ran for 18 months both of which are standards. With the vibe I noticed immediately that you have to give it quite a bit of gas to pull away from a standstill without stalling. Moreso than in any other vehicle I have driven. But regardless , short of racing the bloody thing everywhere you go and burning up the clutch pulling away from every stoplight - it is simply madness for a clutch to last only 1 year and 18000 miles in any vehicle, nevermind a 175hp grocery getter. I'd say my wife and I drive the car about 60-40 , so she probably drove say 10000 out of those 18000 miles since the last clutch. I have not picked up on any of her habits that would cause a clutch to go within 10000 miles. We bought the car with 55000 on it almost 2 years ago. We didnt have any service history for it and I assumed it was on its original clutch- It could have been on its 5th for all I know. Anyways it drove reasonably strong for the first couple of weeks before I noticed slight slipping in higher gears. We lived with this for about 4-5 months until first gear started to go , then we took it in immediately to get the f1 stage 2 clutch installed. That was last October. With this new clutch there were no warning signs. I noticed a slight grinding noise at higher RPMs about 6 months ago , but no obvious slipping or burning smells. The day I went back to work my wife noticed slipping on the highway. Then the very next day it was toast. So this is only actually the second clutch we have installed , and with it being heavy duty , hopefully the last.

[gottabstick]

Quote, originally posted by djb383 »My thoughts exactly, couldn't have said it better. With a proper normal start, the engine rpm shouldn't exceed the normal idle rpm until after the clutch is fully engaged......or maybe no more than 100-200 rpm above idle rpm. If rpm is any higher during clutch engagement on a regular basis, then that is why the clutch is frying so quickly. Just because you can get the car moving without jerking doesn't mean one is proficient on proper clutch operation/engagement. That video sounds to me like an automatic. Honestly for us driving standard is just natural. In the UK all you find are standards and thats what you learn to drive in. I can't explain how I drive , I just drive

[injun_josh]

The problem lies in the clutch itself. If any of you had changed you own clutch you would know this. the clutch is a very bad design. I have changed countless clutch sets and this is by far the smallest clutch i have ever seen. my 85 rx7 with its 1.1 liter engine has a larger clutch that the vibe. on top of this fact pressure plate has a so so clamping force. not as big a problem in the 1zz motor but the 2zz chews this clutch up and spits it out. if yours has lasted a really long time congratulations you are purely lucky, or you drive like granny smith. and dont cut the vibe down to "oh its just a boring economy box" my 03 gt runs the quarter in 14.6 seconds and handles like it has been welded to the road. I have about 3k in mods which by most tuning standards is pretty low. it is all about picking the right mods and tuning them to work together.

[Capt.Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by injun_josh »The problem lies in the clutch itself. If any of you had changed you own clutch you would know this. the clutch is a very bad design. Ugh, please tell me the clutch on the 2010 2ZR-FE is a bigger better design then the older GT clutches?