Zafira Clutch

Anon · 2 July 2017 at 4:47PM

Does anyone know how much roughly it costs for a new clutch for a Zafira 1.8? Mine has been making a whiney noise for a few days and now it is difficult to get into gear, which I think suggests the clutch

. A fixed price repair at Vauxhall is £639 :eek:.

It may struggle to get to a garage so would probably have to use recovery or be collected. Has anyone used the website S3rvcing St0p? Which garages do they use? Their site suggests a price of £564 but as it also says the main dealer would be £900 I am wondering if other garages may be cheaper direct? Obviously a £75 saving is worth having but if I can save more then even better given it is not exactly a cheap repair.

Many thanks

khcomp · 2 July 2017 at 4:56PM

How old is the car?

motorguy · 2 July 2017 at 4:56PM

The whiney noise would worry me. It would be unusual for a worn clutch to make those sorts of noises.

Also a clutch itself will generally slip with age.

Any chance you have a gearbox oil leak - and thus the gearbox has run / is running dry?

Jackmydad · 2 July 2017 at 5:05PM

motorguy wrote: »

The whiney noise would worry me. It would be unusual for a worn clutch to make those sorts of noises.

Also a clutch itself will generally slip with age.

Any chance you have a gearbox oil leak - and thus the gearbox has run / is running dry?

Yes I've only had a couple slip, but they didn't make a noise. The slip is obvious though, engine revs increasing with no increase in road speed.
If the clutch release bearing is shot, it can make a noise when the pedal is pressed down.
I'd agree it's well worth checking the gearbox oil.
Otherwise I'd let a reliable local smaller garage have a look at it if possible. Let them diagnose the fault rather than telling them what it is.

Anon · 2 July 2017 at 5:11PM

It is 2006 1.8 SRi.

The whiney noise was like the sound a dynamo mechanism used to make on my old bike light years ago (!) - the sound only came on when in gear, no sound when out of gear/freewheeling. No engine revving (engine sounded the same). No sign of oil on the drive.

However, in addition to the sound, this afternoon it struggled to get into gear and then there was a smell like burning rubber. I managed to limp back home and it is now parked on the drive.

Many thanks

System · 2 July 2017 at 5:17PM

Sounds like clutch release bearing. My MX5 is doing the same.

khcomp · 2 July 2017 at 5:20PM

Does sound a lot more like gearbox: as above, get a decent independent to take a look at it. I wouldn't entertain a main dealer for any major work on an eleven year old car. Never heard of servicing stop, but their reviews on Google are pretty grim.
I'd expect to pay around £450 for a clutch fitted on your car, you'll probably now have to add the cost of a good used gearbox - a new one would cost more than the car is worth.

Muscle750 · 2 July 2017 at 6:10PM

My daughters astra got same gearbox hers whines and has done for the last 20k miles . However yours is difficult to get into gear try this, althou i dont know if you have to have clutch depressed to start engine if you dont put car in 1st gear handbrake off with clutch disengaged start engine and see if the car moves forward obviously make sure nothings in the way if it does the clutch isnt disengaging pointing to a collapsed pressure plate or slave cylinder. However as yours whines id say the main bearings in the box may of collapsed.Best thing is you dont have to take box out to fix you can remove the internals leaving the casing bolted to engine If you put your foot on clutch does the whining go?

Anon · 2 July 2017 at 6:12PM

Muscle750 wrote: »

My daughters astra got same gearbox hers whines and has done for the last 20k miles . However yours is difficult to get into gear try this, althou i dont know if you have to have clutch depressed to start engine if you dont put car in 1st gear handbrake off with clutch disengaged start engine and see if the car moves forward obviously make sure nothings in the way if it does the clutch isnt disengaging pointing to a collapsed pressure plate or slave cylinder. However as yours whines id say the main bearings in the box may of collapsed.Best thing is you dont have to take box out to fix you can remove the internals leaving the casing bolted to engine If you put your foot on clutch does the whining go?

Yes, whining was only when it was in gear and moving. Moving out of gear there was no noise.

jobdone1 · 2 July 2017 at 6:22PM

I suspect a main bearing in the gearbox

walwyn1978 · 2 July 2017 at 7:05PM

Servicing Stop have got very mixed reviews both on here and elsewhere. Because it's a linked system of garages under one umbrella quality of both work and parts is very varied so if it was me I'd be looking for another garage, regardless of what cheap price they quoted.