Feel like I'm about to be ripped off

Maccapacca

Maccapacca

Maccapacca

Tea Drinker
Don
Joined
13 Apr 2010
Posts
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Location
Sunny Sussex
I found my sister a 2ltr 42k Mazda 626 from a guy from work who let us have it for the trade in price, it's been very very good so far only needing an inlet manifold gasket bar servicing and tyres in 3 years, it's now got 56k on it and the clutch is slipping.

I looked into the cost and found 5.4hr book time to 9hr realistic hours (from a forum) book time It's already had one at 36k at a cost of £700 all inc iirc. We got a quote today from Mr Clutch @ £249.99 whilst I'd jump at that I know that the job is quite involved with having to remove the cross member or sub frame, popping the drive shafts and removing the box.

In my mind its

£91.20 for the clutch kit
Say 7 hrs @ £35
+ VAT = £403

They could have the clutches written off therefore adding nil cost to the job but I've seen advisories as you do about replacing the slave cylinder and replacing or rersurfacing the flywheel as well.

Online they want

626%20clutch.jpg


Suppose I'm just after questions to ask to tie them into a written quote.

Any thoughts? seems too cheap to me :)
 
That does seem cheap, but I guess it matches the stories you hear about their workmanship. I'd confirm with them exactly what that price covers (ie does it include slave cylinder etc) and is it guaranteed, even if the job takes a lot longer than they planned.

Also, needing the clutch replaced 20k miles after the last one seems a little odd?
 
No the guy we bought it off was a doctor in a village he managed to rack up 36k without probably going over 30 in 10 years, then did another 8k in it before we bought it. It's my sister's first car and she similar lives and works in the same village so has done 14k in and around town barely going over 30.

But that's a side issue lets not derail it please :)
 
Rotty said:
Mr Clutch have a shocking reputation
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They utterly ruined my dad's car, involved multiple visits to them and Subaru, plus compensation and many replacement parts. Final bill was well over £3500, although we didn't end up paying anywhere near as much.

Credit to them, they were very helpful and willing to sort out the issues, but it was quite clear their mechanics didn't have a clue what they were doing and completely bodged everything.
 
maccapacca said:
No the guy we bought it off was a doctor in a village he managed to rack up 36k without probably going over 30 in 10 years, then did another 8k in it before we bought it. It's my sister's first car and she similar lives and works in the same village so has done 14k in and around town barely going over 30.

But that's a side issue lets not derail it please :)
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I am absolutely not having a personal dig, but clutch wear is distinctly down to driver technique and ability and not the journey itself unless particularly hilly then maybe less so.

Your math is also probably right, I would avoid Mr Clutch.
 
Please get another quote
please avoid Mr Cluck !
my dad took one car there years ago, buggered it up :/
they are crap, I don't know how they are still around!
 
maccapacca said:
No the guy we bought it off was a doctor in a village he managed to rack up 36k without probably going over 30 in 10 years, then did another 8k in it before we bought it. It's my sister's first car and she similar lives and works in the same village so has done 14k in and around town barely going over 30.

But that's a side issue lets not derail it please :)
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It isn't really a side issue, two clutches in 56k miles is simply ludicrous, unless there is an underlying problem. If there is, then you need to find it and get it fixed otherwise you'll be doing this again in 28k miles.
 
Dogbreath said:
It isn't really a side issue, two clutches in 56k miles is simply ludicrous, unless there is an underlying problem. If there is, then you need to find it and get it fixed otherwise you'll be doing this again in 28k miles.
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But it's also 2 clutches in 15 years, she could drive round resting her food on the clutch for all we know!
 
I knew to walk away from mr clutch when they said they have to remove the gearbox to do it, but not the engine. It's a Saab 99 - to remove the gearbox you have to remove the engine. And to change the clutch you have to remove neither.
 
Maz said:
But it's also 2 clutches in 15 years, she could drive round resting her food on the clutch for all we know!
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Many years ago I had a renault 19 16v on an original clutch at 120k and it would have been about 15 years old at that point. The engine blew up before the clutch did. I've heard of original clutches going well past 150k if driven professionally.

Just don't slip, and match revs.
 
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Biohazard said:
Many years ago I had a renault 19 16v on an original clutch at 120k and it would have been about 15 years old at that point. The engine blew up before the clutch did. I've heard of original clutches going well past 150k if driven professionally.

Just don't slip, and match revs.
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I sold my old car on 165k an that was still on its original clutch. Can't say I ever drove it particularly sympathetically either....
 
Even ignoring the issue of why the clutches have failed in a ridiculously short mileage, Mr Clutch isn't somewhere I'd take a car. It's the equivalent of a fast food restaurant, customer throughput takes priority over everything else, so getting the job done as quickly as possible, using any possible shortcuts is the name of the game.
 
Biohazard said:
Many years ago I had a renault 19 16v on an original clutch at 120k and it would have been about 15 years old at that point. The engine blew up before the clutch did. I've heard of original clutches going well past 150k if driven professionally.

Just don't slip, and match revs.
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My old Primera died of rust at 197k at 14 years old on it's original clutch. Loved that heap of junk.
 
My Astra G, a terrible car by all standards is still on it's original clutch at 125K, 75K of those being mine. Lot of motorway but it's still going strong. I don't ride the clutch or anything but I'm not exactly sympathetic to it, I'm hoping it dies as soon as possible.
 
Just had a new clutch in my Focus, but only as it was caked in swarf from the buggered dual mass flywheel. It was something like 70% worn according to the garage who did the work with the car on 84000 miles.

It sounds like the previous owner of your car held it on the clutch all the time or drove with his/her foot resting on the clutch pedal.
I'd pay to have the clutch done properly with good parts then drive it properly and not change it for another >100k miles.

I echo the comments from others about the cheap labour. £35+vat per hour will be a backstreet dive with a moron doing the work.
 
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