GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

The clutch on my GT is gone. I ordered my new one and comes in today. The bad part is I have to put the new one in by the 10th. I looked to see how much it would cost for the dealership to replace it. The total time for the job was 13 hours. I droped to the floor when i found that out and thats just labor not parts. So, i'm going to save the money and put it in myself. Has anyone done this job on a GT or have any tricks on doing this.

There is a thread on here somewhere but I can't find it, it was a walk trough on a manual transmission replacement. I know I saw it, but it eludes me. If you can find it, it will give you a good idea of the amount of work. It is not a token amount of effort. To swap the clutch, you need to pull the transmisison. You may also want to replace and/or upgrade the pressure plate and flywheel, or at least have the flywheel resurfaced. 13 hours of dealer service labor will be really expensive. I suggest checking out other non-dealer transmission shops, they will be able to give you a better deal.

You can change it yourself it's a little easier with a few friend to help hold things here is the link to the Do-It-Your-Self write uphttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=21943The dealer will take you for a ride on the price to replace it around 1200 and they can't use aftermarket parts at some of themA local shop might be 800 with parts, 400-500 for just labor if you bring your own

I looked at the thread and it will help. I also got instuctions from motor alldata. It's a little more detailed.

Damn, 13 hours? I Checked to get mine done at a local shop last year (still haven't done it yet though) but the guy guessed 7 hours, looked it up and it said 8 hours in whatever manual he had. Definitely check a reputable local shop. Ask around and see who is most recommended.Dave

when do the clutch's typically tend to go? Im at about 68,000....

Quote, originally posted by ITcar »when do the clutch's typically tend to go? Im at about 68,000....a lot depends on how you drive, but given reasonable skill, if you have a base 5 speed, then don't worry about it, but if you have a GT 6 speed, then check out http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5172

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »a lot depends on how you drive, but given reasonable skill, if you have a base 5 speed, then don't worry about it, but if you have a GT 6 speed, then check out http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5172yeah i had read that thread a couple of weeks ago, cause i do have a GT. Honestly though, i wouldnt know how to tell when the clutch is going bad, i just dont have enough experience as a 19 year old to know. thats why i ask, cause it wasnt driven hard very often, my mom is an amazing driver (imo) it does slip on me occasionally though cause im used to a cavalier, complete opposite to the vibe, no power so no stress

I just got mine done about 6 months ago...I had about 85,000 with the original clutch on my '03 Vibe GT....I have a mechanic I use....but I wanted an aftermarket clutch. The clutch that is in the GT is the same as the base model and handles 60-70 more horsepower, but it was not meant to handle that load. I bought the clutch online and simply paid the shop for about 6-8hours labor. No way in hell its 13! Also, make sure you clear it with the mechanic that you're bringing in parts...some might not be ok with that. They also re-machined my flywheel as it was a bit worn since I had been driving with a worn out clutch for a little bit. Definitely check the flywheel as well, I didnt' tell them to do this...but they sent it out for me and had it done....gotta love a mechanic you can trust! But as for doing it yourself...it is a huge pain in the (removed)...but if you know what you're doing and have some help...you'd be alright. However, if you want to use the shop...it'll probably be about $400-$600 for labor alone...plus parts that you bring in. The OEM clutch is only 1-200 bucks online. I think my Stage 3 clutch was between 2 and 300

don't have the dealership do it, unless you've got that extra money layin around and you don't know what to do with it. it's much smarter to get it done somewhere else. there's no way an experienced mechanic would take 13 freakin hours to do that. my friend installed my clutch kit n flywheel in about 8 hours