I did a search for this and found nothing...so...sorry if this is a repost.

How long should the stock clutch last? I'm guessing a pretty long time but I don't know much about clutches. I have about 16,000 miles on my 07 tC and I've noticed lately that it seems like I have the clutch almost all the way out when it finally grabs. I drove my dad's Protege5 today and noticed that his grabs almost immediately after bringing my foot back and this concerned me about my own clutch.

 

do you hold your clutch alot?? i have almost 70k on my car and my clutch still feels like new.

 

I thought if it was held all the way in that it wouldn't burn up any clutch but it only would if you held it where you could feel it engaging or see the rpm's bump up.

I only hold it when I'm sitting at a stop sign/light or whatever.

 

And I downshift at pretty much every stop sign and stop light and intersection if I'm turning if that has any effect on it.

 

are you rev matching on your downshifts? if you are not then that can be alot of wear on your clutch.

and if necessary, you can have your clutch pedal adjusted to pick up sooner, but it will cost you. since a clutch is a wear and tear item, it is not covered by the bumper to bumper warranty.

and i went to about 44k on my stock clutch, and it was holding great, i even went auto crossing with it.

 

yeah i think holding it like that at stop lights is bad my friend killed 2 clutchs in his old jetta and he held it ALL the time. get into the habbit of putting it in nutreal a stop lights your cltuch and leg will love you lol!! but thats just my opinon im sure peps here have better help.

 

^^^^^^
Yes.


I wouldn't say it's been put under any abnormal conditions. I'm 17, so automatically right there, I don't drive like grandma....but I'm not one of the ones from my school who does like 80 everywhere and tachs out on every shift.

 

it isn't that bad to hold it in at intersections, i always do because i don't want people to honk at me while i get in gear. it isn't bad, the bad thing is when you rest your foot on the clutch pedal while it is in gear, that is even specifically mentioned in the owner's manual.

 

i see what you mean about the intersecton thing but im pretty quick to to get in gear...i cheat i look at the lights in the street LOL!!!

 

quit ridin the clutch like a woman!

sorry i just had say it :D

 

I don't lol. I know some people who do it pretty bad though.

 

hey i have an 07 tc with 16,000 miles, and my clutch does the same thing, but every one said that mine ok.

 

I've got 32,000 on mine and it still feels like new, but it's not my first vehicle with a clutch, it's actually my 4th. IF your clutch is starting to slip at 16,000 miles, it's understandable since it's your first manual car (assuming). However, you really can't compare your tC's clutch to your fathers Mazda. I've never felt the same feeling clutch in two different automotive manufacturers. Audi has the weirdest clutches...anyone who has driven them knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Also no one mentioned, do you drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal? If so, that's probably the worst thing for it, even if it doesn't feel like you're applying pressure, you are.

 

A mechanic once told me...

If you hold in your clutch it heats up and doesn't cool down. While applied to the flywheel the heat distributes and your clutch runs cooler. If you hold it too long, as in during the stop lights, you'll eventually start eating up your clutch, because the heat will soften your clutch, and when you apply it to your flywheel, boom, it knocks off a chunk of your clutch.

It's just not good practice to hold in your clutch too long.

 

Best investment I ever mad on my tc....ACT stage 1 , I push in the clutch maybe a 1' inch and it is free..two thumbs up for ACT