Clutch + Flywheel cost opinion?

lemonkettaz

lemonkettaz

lemonkettaz

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Hi,

Just getting the old banger looked at and it has been suggested that the clutch/flywheel is on its way out. It's a Mondeo 2013 with 170k quality miles on it (it's served me so well tbh)

My feeling is, £1200 for the repair is obviously a big cost for a car repair, however, is this the going rate for this job?

Also, it has other issues but they will discuss when I go back later. I have the worry that this is just the start of throwing money at it now as the age and miles I've done in it.

I will say, I've toyed with the idea of replacing it, but used cars are just not the same value anymore and a new car... forget it, absolutely eye watering finance is a no.
 
I just ditched my Peugeot 407 after many many happy years because the clutch/flywheel job was about that much (some quotes more, some less), and it's not a job I could be bothered with doing myself on a car of little value.

However, it had other things wrong too. So if the Mondeo is otherwise solid, get it done IMO.
 
With 170k miles on the clock I'd be reluctant to sink £1200 into the car.

Is it still running on original suspension?

Is it largely rust free?

Cambelt change due(unless chain)?
 
Cambelt changed recently yeh..

Original suspension. Serviced every year and I've driven it "sensibly" on motorways for over 100k of the 170k miles.

I guess it's one of those, I'd happily spend 1200 on it if it got me another 50k miles with no serious issues. I'll have to see what other issues they are talking about.

Be gutted to have to get another car just for the fact what do you actually get for your money these days... I got this at 3 years old with 48k on it for £7k lol
 
was going to suggest find a local clutch centre, even when in the trade we still shipped clutch jobs out, they do them day in day out and can rattle them out quicker.
 
With it now being 11 years old and high mileage. Suspension might need attention in near future. New shocks and sprigs etc any bushing etc you could be looking another £500+ ontop of the Clutch and flywheel. Price being quoted is expected parts alone are probably £800 then a full days labour.

Check autotrader for similar year spec and mileage and factor in probably £2k of maintenance vs what its work. As others have said better the devil you know as you could still have to spend 2k on another car if its a lemon.
 
My 2009 2.0 TDCI has an old receipt for £2k for the same job quite a few years and miles ago so it's not a bad quote for the work itself.

Mines on 178k now. Had both front top mounts done due to some creaking noises (£160 each side) but otherwise it's not cost me much in the last 4 years.

I was quoted £600 for the timing belt but I can't be bothered so I'm just going to chance it. It would be hard work replacing a car at this level, but while it's a decent car it's feeling very tired now. I do want to swap but it'll have to be something used with the aid of a bank loan ~20k to get into anything I want. I can afford it, I just don't want to spend it. I'm too used to being poor.
 
lemonkettaz said:
Think I'm going to stick with it and cost in the repairs over the coming months.

Like I say it's still reliable and the cost for a replacement for any value now it seems too risky given I could end up with a lemon.

And new.... forget the rip off finance.
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have you personally had any iddues with clutch? or was it the garage that mentioned it was on its way out?

Mine was really bad. literally zero pedal trave from clutch but i was so used to it i never stalled. only issue i had was sometimes going 1-2 was impossible or very stiff. my mechanic of 40 years stlalled multiple times putting it on the ramps it was that bad lol. he was shocked that i was so used to it.

if your in a position to wait to it is bad or fails then keep driving it and avaoid the cost for another few thousand miles
 
£1200 doesn't buy you much of a car these days.

It's a tricky one because although it's to.be expected at that age it could be the start of the decline.

However, to my earlier point, car prices are a bit mental at the moment aren't they...
 
To be fair, they have said its starting to wear out, so still have some miles in it yet, so I will hold off replacing for a couple more month. Other work needs doing, usual, discs and some CV joint or whatever and an engine mount.

Yeh, like I say, the relative cost in replacement is probably not worth it, I'd of gotten a new car a couple year ago, but the I just don't see value in it.. its more of a nice to have than necessity. I'm not a car person anyways so it's to get me from A to B. But at 170k miles.... I'm guessing the inevitable end is coming soon :)
 
pigeonguyuk said:
have you personally had any iddues with clutch? or was it the garage that mentioned it was on its way out?

Mine was really bad. literally zero pedal trave from clutch but i was so used to it i never stalled. only issue i had was sometimes going 1-2 was impossible or very stiff. my mechanic of 40 years stlalled multiple times putting it on the ramps it was that bad lol. he was shocked that i was so used to it.

if your in a position to wait to it is bad or fails then keep driving it and avaoid the cost for another few thousand miles
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I was going to say something similar, I drove mine until it started to properly crumble, the terminal symptom was the car getting hard to start as the bits of the flywheel get stuck in the starter motor. Garages typically replace all three when doing it as it is the labour that is most expensive!

Mine was a good few years ago now and I shopped round a load of places as the prices being quoted were wildly different, I got the impression that some baggers had got good at them so could do it much quicker. Lot’s of places also offered me a single mass flywheel conversion for quite a bit less I didn’t take it as the car was pretty new back then but now I would be more tempted!
 
If the car itself is fine then keep it. It's still a lot cheaper than buying another one. Which is likely to have other issues to sort out. Used cars are still quite expensive.
 
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What is the breakdown in the costs? Would they fit a kit supplied by you? A quick google suggests around £300 mark. I did my TT MK1 for about £300 in parts including slave and DMF. It's literally no extra work to replace the flywheel, they're usually just 6 bolts off, 6 bolts on so shouldn't really be any extra labour there!
 
Hi lemonkettaz

I do have a Mk4 2.0TDCi Mondeo myself (59 plate nearing 124k miles). I got it at 74k miles back in late 2018 for £3.5k.
The clutch and DMF was replaced at 104k miles when the DMF failed for about £882 iirc. However, since then my car has developed this metallic groan when accelerating under load. It has not let me down so far. I did the Timing belt and water pump last year at 120k, replaced the Aux belt with it and in total I spent £310 including labour.

I am in the same boat as yourself as to what's the next issue that it is going to throw up but I don't delve on it too much. Every fill-up is V-Power Diesel and will continue to do so until I run it into the ground as long as the costs hover around 500-800 per year. This works out cheaper for me than getting another car. Have the usual subframe corrosion and springs corroded (all original) come up on the advisory but its not rotten deep yet. Would suggest you get the clutch and DMF replaced and keep the car running. Getting a similar spec/age Mondeo now is more than twice as much to what I paid for my current. Not that I want another Mondeo but I had checked for my knowledge lol.
 
My BMW 120d e82 2010 is currently at 129k and Im getting issues like gear stiffness when selecting even though 3 months ago I got them to do a transmission gearbox oil change. The flywheel and clutch is a little rattley at the moment and my clutch pedal when pressing down sometimes doesn't come back up so you have to lift it up with your foot..

Slave cylinder is probably the pedal issue ? Not sure.

Last BMW 320d I had (previous car) had same issues

Clutch completely went at 127k I think, I paid £1200 I think In the end for new clutch kit, dual mass and slave cylinder. Ran in upto 169ish k and bottom end rod
bearings went on a car that used to get good 7k oil changes

Not sure what I'm doing about the e82 at the moment. Engine seems fine. But obviously there is transmission issues but it's not catastrophic. It's driving ok, just get the odd rattling especially when your start stopping all the time . my last MOT they noted a couple of bushes etc worn on as advisory on MOT.


Is there anyway you can just get a garage to say (swap slave cylinder, or swap flywheel? Or is it a full package ? You need to swap clutch, flywheel, slave cylinder all together.
 
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It's almost always cheaper to fix the car you have.

I spent £13,050 on a car last year & 3 weeks later found out it wanted £2k spending on a new timing chain, luckily the dealer paid for it without any hassle.
 
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