GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Well,At 88K my clutch is starting to slip a bit. Only in 3rd or 4th only, and not terribly either, but enough to make you feel it. I had my mechanic drain and refill fluid, it got a bit better but still there a bit. Any ideas of how long before it completely goes. I have a 700 mile one way road trip coming up in a week, is it safe to take it before the clutch is done???opinions. PS the trip will be 90 75 mph highway driving to SC from PA

Really hard to say. Depends on the road conditions... any nice long hills or anything? Personally I like having my car in working order before going on a trip. I'd play it safe and get it done before. Safes you from being stranded possibly sniffing in burnt clutch smoke.

I agree with Mav. Look at it this way. If you fix if before you leave, it will cost you $X, and if it fails on the road, it will cost you a tow truck, a couple of nights lodging, and you will pay $2*X for the job, because the mechanic will have you over the barrell. No reason to wait - it will not heal itself, and it will only get worse.

Get 'er done. In your post, are you saying changing the tranny oil made the slipping clutch a bit better?

Well, it didn't make it any worse, perhaps it was just in my head. I think I will heed everyones advice and get it done.Thanks for the opinions.

The wear won't be linear any more. Once they're obviously slipping, they go fast because of added friction and heat. Just do it.

If you replace it now, it will just needs the friction plate. If you wait and let 'er slip on a long trip, it'll score the flywheel and now we're just adding more expense. And Rit has it right- driving into a roadside repair is a worst case scenario. Take the high road- get 'er done.