SO i basically am the equivalent of a new manual driver. Dispite that, i bought an 07 5speed tc and the first day was quite hell getting it home. Not only am I totally new to California but i was trying to drive a manual just from reading online guides and talking to friends.

Now, the bottom line is i drove about 16 miles(got lost for 3 hours) and stalled numeroud times from dead stops(which im not worried about). BUT, i did "ride" the clutch too much in that journey where i had shifted but not fully let the clutch out. And twice while in traffic and merging onto the freeway i was at the top of 3rd gear, and some how i missed 4th and instead wound up down shifting into 2nd. ya it wasn't good i know, but i put the clutch in quick and got into 4th.

Now when i got home, i smelled something burning from under my hood which i assume is my clutch. The next day i practiced a lot in a parking lot and worked out all the jitters atleast for city driving(not good on hills yet).

QUESTION: Did those 2 down shifts and riding the clutch REALLY do dmg to my car? or can u assure me that as long as i don't continue to do that ill still have a perfect clutch/car for years...

THanks

 

You don't say where in CA you are--I would stay away from San Francisco for awhile. If you get stuck at the top of a hill with a red light, put on your emergency brake and then let it off after you get one foot on the clutch and the other on the gas when the light turns green. You don't want to start rolling back. The down shifts won't hurt you, but keep your foot off the clutch when driving--that is riding the clutch and will wear it out quick. The smell of a burning clutch is something you never forget.........

 

im near santa clara/san jose area and i am very aware of SF so I will be avoiding it for a while.

I Do know about using my e-break for hills, but i also knew how to shift gears. Point being, when i stepped in that car it was a diff story.


I didnt smell a real strong smell, but i mean its a brand new car with 30 miles on it now so what else was it? The next day after i practiced, i made no mistakes really and definitely didn't ride the clutch anymore. When i got home i checked for the same smell albeit only for 1.5 hours compared to about 4 hours from the previous day, and no smell.

 

Stuffing a brand new car into second when topped out in third actually can do serious damage very quickly. Hopefully you didn't.

"Riding" the clutch, essentially having it constantly 'slipping,' can generate tremendous heat on clutch and flywheel, and, especially in a brand new car, can glaze the clutch or even warp things. It can also bake the grease out of the throwout bearing and linkage.

Having those things happen in the first 200 miles of use would make me awfully twitchy...

Try to be kind to the poor thing for at least the first 500 miles. Read the manual and follow it.

Tom

 

I am following the manual as best i can, and i am also very aware of the break in period.

Should i take it to the dealer though to have the clutch checked out or anything else?

 

As long as it doesn't give you any problems, I wouldn't have the dealer fool with it. With some good luck you just scared it and didn't hurt it at all. It IS a Toyota, after all, and they are pretty tough.

Anyway, try to treat it nicely and take it to the dealer only if you have a problem.

Good luck,
Tom

 

I remember my firts clutch msu......you'll get it in no time.If you do have problems just act like you dont know what happenened!LOL

 

i've made an oops and downshifted from the top of 3rd into second while getting on a freeway.

lots of _____ing, moaning, and complaining later, i got the entire head replaced. the #3 cylinder valves got unseated and were going crazy. they replaced everything as a precaution (in 4 hours?! wtf?! that's fast!)

 

did you have problems that were obvious to you in respect to your valves unseated?

B/c I have been driving perfectly fine so far without any problems. I also spent 2 hours practicing from dead stops and i really have already figured out that tricky spot. I wanted to say mastered, but I am still not confident yet for hills so i wont.

I am scared in one aspect, but in another i think its alright and I havent experienced anything thats wrong...

 

you will eventually get the hang of the clutch, believe me. my bf bought an 06 5 speed last year, without knowing how to drive a stick. i still dont know how to drive it. Lets just say i know the smell of the clutch that you are talking about. But i asked my dad for you, he is a mechanic, your car is fine, if anything were to be wrong with it from your horrendous trip the other day you would be able to hear, feel and smell it he says. so good luck!