Newbie Question--When is the average time to change the clutch?

Hey guys, just registered on the TDI Club....for a few months I've been looking into a Jetta TDI and may finally get one soon. I frequent the MercedesShop.com forum, but am totally new to the TDI Club.
Of course, my Jetta TDI will have a stickshift, and I was wondering what kind of personal experience anyone has had with the clutches, specifically how often they must be replaced/adjusted. My Mercedes has an automatic so I am not used to doing clutch work, but I am very familiar with working on the engines (that's what you get when you own a Benz ). Thanks for the input!

depends on the power you put into it, my cluch was fine for 250k kms but then after the upgraded nozzles and also tuning box it was starting to go

Looking at the title I thought you meant how long the job took. Nothing to adjust, they're hydraulically actuated with the same supply as the brakes. I don't know the flush interval, but it needs to be done periodically. Different years & models use different parts, but they seem to last very long if left on stock cars. Some will begin slipping with light modding, others are fine. Mine is original with 150k miles. Hope this helps.

Honestly.... In the last 3 years I have been on tdiclub I really cant remember any posts from people who had to replace a clutch due to wear.

I know there are some members at like 300k miles on their original clutch. Most people only replace them due to the clutch slipping becuase they modded their car.

david_594 said:

Honestly.... In the last 3 years I have been on tdiclub I really cant remember any posts from people who had to replace a clutch due to wear.

I know there are some members at like 300k miles on their original clutch. Most people only replace them due to the clutch slipping becuase they modded their car.

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isn;t it reg maintinence to have bigger injectors and chip? At least that's what my other half was told

doc_m said:

isn;t it reg maintinence to have bigger injectors and chip? At least that's what my other half was told

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Yes, and the clutch is required to improve safety. You must be able to accelerate away from potential accidents.

When my stock clutch was overcome with injectors and chip it was barely worn at 100K. Worry less about the clutch, more about the dual-mass flywheel failing.

As people have been saying, add a chip and injectors and you'll be looking at a new clutch. Are you coming out to the GTG in Walnut Creek? I happen to have a few VR6 clutch kits out here for prices too low to post on a public forum...
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=161932
-BB

BleachedBora said:

As people have been saying, add a chip and injectors and you'll be looking at a new clutch. Are you coming out to the GTG in Walnut Creek? I happen to have a few VR6 clutch kits out here for prices too low to post on a public forum...
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=161932
-BB

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I BOUGHT THE TDI!!!
It's an '04 Jetta TDI (PD), stickshift, GLS fully loaded (leather, htd seats, monsoon sound, etc), 80000 miles. Excellent condition.


Sorry, I can't make the GTG...the car is still in Florida and has to be shipped out here. Maybe next year, after I'm through upgrading this thing. How much power have you guys pumped out of the 1.9 TDI? I'm thinking about a full GLI body kit, exhaust, and 18" wheels.

Too bad I have plans tomorrow....I could drive the big Benz down and bring some six cylinder turbo RWD power to the table! JUST KIDDING!
I'm sure a lighter, more powerful TDI would put it through its paces, after all, the Mercedes does have a slushbox.

Mine was shot when I bought my car with 193K. Although I suppose you could get more miles out of a stock clutch on a stock car it would take some extremely careful driving.

Suffice it to say clutches slip when they wear out and you can bet they will wear faster if you do a lot of city driving, mod your car, or just don't have good habits.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Yes, and the clutch is required to improve safety. You must be able to accelerate away from potential accidents.

When my stock clutch was overcome with injectors and chip it was barely worn at 100K. Worry less about the clutch, more about the dual-mass flywheel failing.

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this is true itwas the DMF that was going south with my car.

Yeah, same here.

The original clutch was fine with 63,000 miles on it but the springs in the dual-mass flywheel are what disintegrated so that the 2 halves were freely banging into each other.

The clutch looked fine but i figured if i'm dropping the tranny to replace the FW i may as well do both for the long haul.

Congrats on the car purchase! I hope you have many happy miles.




Nate

Biopower, at least in New England M-B Diesels are always welcome at get togethers. There are several folks around here who have them.

Welcome to the world of TDIs! Do some reading, but you'll quickly learn that the limitation on the PD diesels is that there's not a good turbo upgrade available for these cars in the US, so the turbo's the limiting factor in tuning. Having said that, Rocketchip Stage 2 has gotten A4 PDs to dyno at 150+ HP and 240 ft/lbs at the wheels. Not bad. Some cars with this tune still are running stock clutches, too. It seems to be the luck of the draw as far as that goes.

You won't find a lot of people around here who will want to make their TDI look like a GLI, but I think a Jetta sedan with 18" BBS RCs or Aristos, the GLI springs and (I would hope) better than OEM dampers is a beautiful car. Especially in silver or dark grey (my favorite). Go for it.

My clutch is original. I have 220,000 miles on the car. I have been chipped for 190,000 miles. I have had larger injectors for 70,000 miles. I am buying a clutch now, expecting it to fail SOMETIME. But I think I will wait to put it in until it slips, just to see how long it will last.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Welcome to the world of TDIs! Do some reading, but you'll quickly learn that the limitation on the PD diesels is that there's not a good turbo upgrade available for these cars in the US, so the turbo's the limiting factor in tuning. Having said that, Rocketchip Stage 2 has gotten A4 PDs to dyno at 150+ HP and 240 ft/lbs at the wheels. Not bad. Some cars with this tune still are running stock clutches, too. It seems to be the luck of the draw as far as that goes.

You won't find a lot of people around here who will want to make their TDI look like a GLI, but I think a Jetta sedan with 18" BBS RCs or Aristos, the GLI springs and (I would hope) better than OEM dampers is a beautiful car. Especially in silver or dark grey (my favorite). Go for it.

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Mine is dark grey metallic .

I'm not sure I want to max out the engine, just looking for a little added "zip." Also I don't think I'll be upgrading the turbo anytime soon, so that's a non-issue for me.

I like the look of the lowered GLI and its bigger air dam, I looked up the BBS rims and also discovered some O.Z. wheels I found appealing. I'll have to decide what to do when it gets here (don't yet know when that is ). I do know for sure I'll be replacing the silver "TDI" letters with the red ones.

david_594 said:

Honestly.... In the last 3 years I have been on tdiclub I really cant remember any posts from people who had to replace a clutch due to wear.

I know there are some members at like 300k miles on their original clutch. Most people only replace them due to the clutch slipping becuase they modded their car.

Click to expand...

With clutch replacement, it's a roll of the dice. Especially if you aren't the original owner.
'92 Jetta 1.8 gasser, 5-speed, bought new, sold at 150,000mi, original clutch still going strong at 224,000
'97 Jetta 2.0 gasser, 5-speed, bought @ 38,000mi, sold @ 198,000mi, original clutch still going strong.
'04 Jetta Wagon TDI, 5-speed, bought @ 78,000mi, started slipping @ 108,000, replaced @ 111,000 with a VR6/G60 setup. I hope it lasts to 300,000.