JETTA FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH PROBLEM!!! HELP!!! Transmission

I have my first big problem with my car. (05.5 VW JETTA TDI) The car was shuddering so I took it in for service at Avis VW in NJ. They told me that I would have to schedule an appointment to bring it in. 2 weeks and over 2000 miles later, I took the vehicle in and they found out the dual mass flywheel was coming apart and that an ear on the transmission cracked. They told me that the clutch was very worn down, but that there is no sign of abuse(i.e. no hot spots, grooves or anything to show abuse). I currently have about 11,000 miles on the vehicle, but this shuddering started with maybe 400 miles and simply got worse and worse. I contacted VW Customer Service and spoke with Sarah who was very polite and helpful. She is going to find out why the clutch and ear on the transmission where warrantied, but not the clutch. She is going to call me tomorrow. I have never had a clutch last less than 80,000 miles and this is getting hard to swallow. I'm hoping that VW will warranty the clutch and get me up and running again. I spoke with another dealer who said that they have seen this issue and replaced both parts and they didn't understand why the same wasn't done with mine right away. So far this dealership has been helpful and has worked around my schedule. I guess this situation is going to mold how strong my relationship with this dealer is. I'm wondering who else has experienced this and what their outcome was.

I would simply and calmly state to them. "I believe the clutch is covered by warranty and I will not pay for a new clutch".
Just keep stating those words nicely and calmly. If they keep telling you it isn't covered, talk to the next person in the chain upwards. Ask for all paper work along the way and if you have to ask for whatever they have in "arbitration forms".
Don't give up and don't get testy with them. Just be calm and deliberate.

HMMMM--It is really starting to sound like the 5 speeds and the manual clutches are not of the best quality in the new A5 Jetta TDI. You are not the only person iun the last two weeks who has had a problem.

Could this be a "bad batch"?

OP - what was the build date on your car?

I have a new TDI with a 5spd, and I'm getting pretty worried. I already have to take my car in for work on the front suspension (there's something loose and it really clatters over bumps). Oy. I want to love this car, but it's stressing me out.

Sorry to here about your clutch! You will note http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=136680
I have a simlar issue. You should be covered your under 12000 miles lucky me I have 22000 so nothing is covered. I still drive it maybe it will exploed and take out the whole trany and then they will have to fix it.
Here is the build date of my car this is a wagon so it was made in Gremany on 09-2004 and I got it 11-2004 and it was sold to me as a 2005 soooo???
Please keep us posted. I will bet that they will fix your car at N/C
good luck.

I am not sure of the build date bc the car is at the dealership, but It's an 05.5 and I bought it in September, so it had to be from the first batches I believe. Today will be the day that I will find out if VW will cover this. If I had to deal strictly with the dealer and the QTM I don't think that it would have been covered. However, after speaking with Sarah at VWoA, I am pretty confident that this will be covered. If this problem does happen again in the near future, (yes it has the stupid dual mass flywheel), I want to change over to something that I don't have to worry about. I heard talks of alternative non-dual mass flywheels and other clutches. I have an account with SPEC clutches, but I would rather use VW parts if I can. I of course would have to wait to get out of warranty. BY THE WAY, THE DEALER AND QTM TRIED TO PULL OUT THE YOUR CAR IS MODIFIED AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY CARD BECAUSE I HAVE SPRINGS ON THE CAR! Neither of them looked at the springs closely to see that they are VW lowering springs. The dealer told me that VW would have voided all warranties because of this and that I would have to get a lawyer to get anything covered. I brought up the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and whatever other acts are out to help stop the dealers from denying warranty and he told me that I'd have to get a lawyer had my springs not been OEM. I got really pissed off at that point, bc who has time to deal with the lawyers. Am I wrong for being upset? The only thing that was pleasant about this whole situation was my talk with Sarah at VWoA.

And as to the clutch being covered, the dealer said its wear and tear and is never covered, which I am pretty sure is a lie.

Before 1 year, and 12,000 miles the clutch MAY be covered.
After that I think it is a wear item.

Bill

First and foremost as clutch is a major powertrain component.
Wiper blades, brake pads and batteries are normally wearing components.
Dealerships and reps can tell abused parts from non abused parts--distortion, grooves and heat blueing.

Modified cars would have advance timing products, bigger Turbo kits, etc---Major modified parts---.

I guess we were a bit more liberal over at Honda Motor Company--the worlds third most profitable auto mfg. (Toyota, Nissan, Honda)--The J-3

I would tell him you did contact your lawyer and that the dealership will get a letter if the warranty claim is denied. Call his Bluff---Magnuson and Moss cover you.

deming said:

I would tell him you did contact your lawyer and that the dealership will get a letter if the warranty claim is denied. Call his Bluff---Magnuson and Moss cover you.

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Or ask them for the forms to submit a claim for arbitration.

MAybe everyone with this looming clutch issue should complain to NHTSA.

-Mike

I believe I read somewhere that the 05.5 model had the clutch problems only. Everything I've read here in this thread seems to be consistent with that. My 06 has almost 15K miles now and no signs or symptoms yet.

No, the '06 Golfs have the problem also. I am on my third clutch and flywheel in less than 6500 miles. And before somebody says well, you are tough on clutches, I have two other 5 speed manual transmission vehicles, one has 269,000 and the other has 109,000 miles, both with original clutches in them.

Two teenagers and two 20 somethings put 120k on an 86 Golf (bought new), my brothers and I were not easy on that car. Original clutch on the car when I got rid of it.

If this Jetta develops clutch problems, like everyone else I'm going to be pretty upset. 15k so far, we'll see.

I'm over 17k with no problems yet.

The DMFs flying apart is nothing new. Very common on older 1.8t cars.

Maybe the extra weight of the A5 chassis is stressing the already fragile design?

I've replaced about 50 blown up DMFs. Here is an A4 car with a little over 100k miles, but they usually all look about the same:

Any of the aftermarket people make a billet steel or an aluminum yet?

Ditto DrBillz

I cannot say on the A5, but for the A4 you simply install the older TDI/VR6/G60 type one-piece flywheel and clutch. Problem fixed. Forever.

I'm not saying every DMF in every TDI is going to explode, but it is common enough that it warrants some concern.

Me personally, while I do not own an A4 chassis TDI, if I did it would have the one-piece flywheel, a STEEL skidplate, no DRLs, and the most updated window regulators, coolant temp sensor, relay 109, etc. I know enough about them from servicing them for so long that I feel confident in the good parts, and knowledgable enough to change the not-so-good parts.

FWIW, DMFs are used in many cars and trucks, and every on is trouble-prone, and in almost every application the aftermarket or "tuner" industry has come up with a conventional solid one-piece replacement to eliminate the problem.

DMFs are like Social Security; good idea, but fragile.

Clutch Problems are real!!!

I have a '05 new Jetta TDI 5 speed manual and at 37,000 miles it broke the center out of the clutch disc. It occurred while upshifting into 5th gear on an Interstate entrance ramp. After having to pay myself to get it back to the dealer (so much for VW roadside assist!), they would not fix the clutch under warranty. I went all the way up the ladder with VW America and they said it was a wear item and not covered. The clutch was not worn hardly any as there was plenty of friction material and you could still see the machining marks on both the pressure plate and flywheel. So, $2500 later out-of-pocket I took it home and the next morning it started making a clicking noise in 5th gear and this time I had the dealership come and get it. Turns out that it also broke 5th gear synchro. It is now for sale.

BTW - It was getting between 50 - 54 mpg and with the right tailwind would get 60mpg!

ok... at first I wasn't very concerned...

Well, chalk me up for the "bad clutch" list. I guess I am relatively lucky, given that my clutch exhibited a shudder the minute I drove it off the lot (new). Being very difficult to take off smoothly was my symptom. My car is up on the hoist having the Friction plate, Pressure plate and Flywheel all being replaced under warranty as we speak.

It gives me concern, given that my car is:

- A 2006
- So new

My guess is that the clutch will be very hard to warranty if it starts to shudder again at 10 or 20k... oh well. We'll have to wait and see...

Well, I do not have any problems with my clutch. Yet.

But since I have planned replacing the clutch with VR6/G60, I just need to know if this converstion is possible in Mk5 TDI and what parts do I need? Will I find the "kit" anywhere on the net? Is this what I am looking for: http://www.worldimpex.com/item_detail.html?sku=69305

Of all the people having clutch and flywheel problems, what if any power mods have you done? I have gathered that the clutch may be a weak spot on this car, but with so many 5 sped cars out there, it doesn't seem to be an epidemic problem.

I have a 5 speed with only 2200 miles on it, and it has felt great. I have owned many manual shift cars, a couple with as many as 160,000 on an original clutch, and I fully expect this one to last just as long, but I wonder if it will.

Driver_found said:

MAybe everyone with this looming clutch issue should complain to NHTSA.

-Mike

Click to expand...

Sounds like a good idea as an exploding flywheel would DEFINATELY fall into the safety hazard category.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
888-327-4236

In the meantime it would probably be helpful for folks to post model year and date of manufacture listed on the inside edge of the drivers door so we can begin to see if there is a trend here.

There was another thread that indicated that VW in one of the N European countries has issued something of a recall/inspection campaign on PD's. There is something of a recall on LUK (?) units...apparently they source DMF;s from several suppliers. http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2593385&postid=29002506#29002506

Heres what this guy posted.
{Welcome to the club!!! We have the same situation here in Europe. Just about a month ago, a letter was sent by VW of Finland to TDI owners (including myself) which stated, that all TDI's should contact the local dealer and reserve a servicetime in order to check if the flywheel & clutch needed replacing (it would take just about a whole day to change these parts if necessary).
I was lucky and didn't need to change the flywheel & clutch in my 2.0TDI (this was due to the fact that the parts in question in my Golf was made by Sachs and not by Luk), but I was one of the few!!!! I'm not sure, but I think this campaign also included the TDI's with DSG.
So, in a nutshell, all the TDI's with flywheels & clutches made by the German manufacturer Luk had to be replaced.}

I drop him a line to see if we can get a copy of the letter.
I realy don't like getting the shaft no grease included

richh said:

Heres what this guy posted.
{Welcome to the club!!! We have the same situation here in Europe. Just about a month ago, a letter was sent by VW of Finland to TDI owners (including myself) which stated, that all TDI's should contact the local dealer and reserve a servicetime in order to check if the flywheel & clutch needed replacing (it would take just about a whole day to change these parts if necessary).
I was lucky and didn't need to change the flywheel & clutch in my 2.0TDI (this was due to the fact that the parts in question in my Golf was made by Sachs and not by Luk), but I was one of the few!!!! I'm not sure, but I think this campaign also included the TDI's with DSG.
So, in a nutshell, all the TDI's with flywheels & clutches made by the German manufacturer Luk had to be replaced.}

I drop him a line to see if we can get a copy of the letter.
I realy don't like getting the shaft no grease included

Click to expand...

Is there a way to tell who made your clutch by looking under the car.

Can someone explain how a dual mass flywheel works? Or link to a site that does? What exactly is failing on these components?

Nevermind, I find some good sites on DMFs.

New question: Won't replacing a DMF with a solid flywheel put your transmission at risk of damage/premature wear?

The older TDIs, and all the VR6 cars have a single piece flywheel with essentially the same transmission and they have no problems. I've seen plenty of B4 Passat TDIs with well over 300k miles and still going strong with 100% original flywheel, clutch, and transmissions.

The ONLY downside I see to not having the DMF is a slight vibration/noise at idle in nuetral with your foot off the clutch. It is so slight most people would never notice, but I always tell my customers so they know beforehand. I've never had anyone complain about it or regret the decision to ditch the DMF. And some of my customers, mainly ones with modded cars, have over 100k miles on the car since I changed it without any troubles whatsoever.

oilhammer said:

The older TDIs, and all the VR6 cars have a single piece flywheel with essentially the same transmission and they have no problems. I've seen plenty of B4 Passat TDIs with well over 300k miles and still going strong with 100% original flywheel, clutch, and transmissions.

The ONLY downside I see to not having the DMF is a slight vibration/noise at idle in nuetral with your foot off the clutch. It is so slight most people would never notice, but I always tell my customers so they know beforehand. I've never had anyone complain about it or regret the decision to ditch the DMF. And some of my customers, mainly ones with modded cars, have over 100k miles on the car since I changed it without any troubles whatsoever.

Click to expand...

Oilhammer, have you done any conversions on 06 PD's to a solid flywheel yet. Wondering if its straightforward or not

Clutch Disintegrates on 2005 newJetta MarkV TDI

I have a newJetta '05 TDI Pkg 0 (now for sale) that spun the center out of the clutch disc in 7 months and 37k miles. VW would not warrantee as they said was a wear item. $2500 (of my money) later and it also had a broken 5th synchro which they fixed. The clutch friction material only had .010 wear on it and the flywheel and pressure plate still had the machine marks on them without heat spots. The dealer stepped in and helped me out on the repair but VW America would not as I ran this all the way up the top of VWofA.

BTW - VWofA would not pay to have the car towed to the dealership.

This is a repeat of an earlier post as I didn't find it in either the new posts or in response to the thread. Such for being a newbie!