Clutch replacement cost

Sleepyzz

I purchased a Toyota Yaris back in June, it was 2 years old but I bought it from a Toyota dealership so it had been serviced and everything. I only really use the car for going to and from work so I’ve only done about 2k miles roughly. Last week it seemed that the clutch was playing up so I booked it into the dealership to get it looked at. Straight away when I got there they said if it’s the clutch it probably won’t be covered under warranty as it’s wearable. Later they called me to say the clutch does need replacing, it won’t be covered under warranty and it will cost £1099. They also sent me a video of a health check they carried out saying that they recommend that all 4 tyres be replaced as they have excessive cracking.
Now I’m no expert on cars, but I think surely the clutch (and the tyres to be honest) should last longer than that? Even if I was a bad driver I would expect a longer lifespan, and if not then at least it should be warranty. Do you think this is something I should take further or is this just standard? Also is clutch replacement usually that expensive?

debtdebt

What mileage has the car done?

Both clutch and tyres are wear and tear items so won't be covered by a warranty. Get the work done elsewhere ie not at a Toyota main dealer.

Sleepyzz

It’s done about 24k in total. I get that it’s wear and tear but should they normally go that quick? If the previous owner wore down the clutch then wouldn’t that be noticeable before the dealership sold it on to me? Am I right in thinking that price is excessive then?

System

My grandfather used to wear orthopaedic shoes and would go through a clutch in a year. The price is excessive, most clutches are within the £350-£750 range depending on car.

AdrianC

So it had 22k on it when you bought it. In 22k, it's eminently possible to kill a clutch.



That doesn't prove the clutch was knackered when you bought it, because 2k is more than enough, too. And that's why clutch wear is never covered under warranties. There's no easy way to see how much life is remaining on a clutch without dismantling. It's lasted 24k, so it's unlikely to be materials or manufacturing failure.



Tyre cracking is unusual after 2.5yrs - but any restitution for that would be heavily tempered by a reasonable life expectancy for them. How much tread is remaining?


As for the price... You don't say where in the country you are, but a franchise main dealer is never going to be cheap. A very quick google reckons ~£500 of parts and 5-6 hours of labour. It wouldn't surprise me at all if dealer labour rates were north of £100/hour, even before VAT. It's major work, with the gearbox needing to come out, so having it done elsewhere will save you on labour but at the risk of substantial objections to any future warranty work.

macman

The manufacturer's warranty will expire next June anyway, so I'd be tempted to go with a third party repair.
If the clutch wear was noticeable at purchase, then you would have detected it during your test drive?

parking_question_chap

I would get a second opinion.

Wearing out a Toyota clutch within 24k miles is pretty extreme. Unless you treat the clutch pedal like an on/off switch.

110k suburban miles and first clutch crew checking in.

oldagetraveller

macman wrote: »

The manufacturer's warranty will expire next June anyway, so I'd be tempted to go with a third party repair.
If the clutch wear was noticeable at purchase, then you would have detected it during your test drive?

5 years warranty from Toyota in the U.K..:) Clutch will not be covered though. I think it was the Yaris and there were known clutch problems but that was rectified by a bigger diameter clutch assembly. Possibly long before 2016 though.
The cracking of the tyres is odd. My Yaris is nearly five years old and two of the tyres are original factory Dunlops. In spite of their age, no outward signs of deterioration.

foxy-stoat

Definitely get another price for the clutch - clutch shouldn't be more than £500 with a flywheel if necessary - tyres should be £50 a corner.

Aylesbury_Duck

My Avensis clutch lasted 115k miles before it went. Toyota quoted £750ish and my local independent did it and the flywheel for £350.

OhhEnnEmm

Wow, that's dizzying!

I recently replaced the clutch in my motorcycle, both the springs and plates and it cost me little over £20!

And that was for high quality parts!