Issues resulting from service.

superjay

Hi All,

Lurker post here.

So we have a Fiat 500 that we bought from Motor Depot. We have a service package with the car and left it in last month. Since then the clutch completely went on it. With recovery cost a cool £316. The mechanic we use is a friend so we know we would not be ripped off. When we picked it up he told us that the clutch was completely destroyed and that it was full of water and in his opinion the clutch had been filled with water rather than clutch fluid on the service. a week later the clutch went again, this time it was the hydraulic slave and the pipe that connects to it.... cost another cool 256 quid. He mentioned it again that he thinks that the water has damaged this.

Where do we go from here. I have rang the service department and they refuse to call me back.

Do I just have to take this on the chin and never go back to motordepot and hope the car holds up? We only bought this car less than 2 years ago

Any advice would be welcome guys.

AdrianC

Your post doesn't make sense.

"Filling the clutch with water instead of hydraulic fluid" would certainly wreck the clutch master and slave, but only over time through corrosion. And it wouldn't cause the actual clutch itself - the friction components - to fail. I'd be very surprised if the hydraulic reservoir was separate for the clutch from the brake - they aren't usually. So "filling the clutch with water" would damage the brake hydraulics over time, too.

When was the brake fluid last changed? It should be done every couple of years, because DOT brake fluid is hygroscopic - it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere.

System

I find it almost impossible to believe that they filled the clutch reservoir with water. Unless you were wanting a fluid change then other than checking the level of fluid nothing would be done to it and even if it were at a low level and topped up with water, that wouldn't do what you're claiming.

There is a known problem with Fiat 500 clutches prematurely failing due to the pressure plate. That resulted in a recall in the US with a modification to the clutch pedal to reduce the travel. There have been examples of the clutch failing, it being replaced and failing again with a couple of hundred miles because of this issue.

ratrace

Ok first of all there is no such thing as clutch fluid,the fluid you are talking about is actually brake fluid that is shared with the brakes and the clutch slave cylinder, if there was water is the brake master cylinder this has also contamintaed your brake system as the main reservoir only has brake fluid in it

second of all the guy who has done your clutch has not changed the old/original slave cylinder that had water in it hence the reason a failed a week later, its always reccomended that when a clutch job is done the slave cylinder should be changed as the gearbox is out anway

also it seems that he did not flush out the lines properly and there must have been water in them still, we dont really know what was done in terms of the full job etc... hope this helps clarify a few things for you

superjay

AdrianC wrote: »

Your post doesn't make sense.

"Filling the clutch with water instead of hydraulic fluid" would certainly wreck the clutch master and slave, but only over time through corrosion. And it wouldn't cause the actual clutch itself - the friction components - to fail. I'd be very surprised if the hydraulic reservoir was separate for the clutch from the brake - they aren't usually. So "filling the clutch with water" would damage the brake hydraulics over time, too.

When was the brake fluid last changed? It should be done every couple of years, because DOT brake fluid is hygroscopic - it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere.

Thanks for this. I'm no expert with cars at all, I'm just going on our own mechanic who said the clutch was "full of water"

superjay

Tarambor wrote: »

I find it almost impossible to believe that they filled the clutch reservoir with water. Unless you were wanting a fluid change then other than checking the level of fluid nothing would be done to it and even if it were at a low level and topped up with water, that wouldn't do what you're claiming.

There is a known problem with Fiat 500 clutches prematurely failing due to the pressure plate. That resulted in a recall in the US with a modification to the clutch pedal to reduce the travel. There have been examples of the clutch failing, it being replaced and failing again with a couple of hundred miles because of this issue.

Thanks Mate.

AdrianC

superjay wrote: »

Would you recommend me changing out the brake fluid just in case a mistake has been made on the original service?

I think it's vanishingly unlikely, because I think there's serious Chinese Whispers (at best) going on here. If your guy really has changed the clutch slave, then he's going to have bled the clutch through with new fluid anyway.

superjay

ratrace wrote: »

Ok first of all there is no such thing as clutch fluid,the fluid you are talking about is actually brake fluid that is shared with the brakes and the clutch slave cylinder, if there was water is the brake master cylinder this has also contamintaed your brake system as the main reservoir only has brake fluid in it

second of all the guy who has done your clutch has not changed the old/original slave cylinder that had water in it hence the reason a failed a week later, its always reccomended that when a clutch job is done the slave cylinder should be changed as the gearbox is out anway

also it seems that he did not flush out the lines properly and there must have been water in them still, we dont really know what was done in terms of the full job etc... hope this helps clarify a few things for you

Great stuff thanks for this. It does actually, should I take it back and get him to flush out the fluid?

superjay

AdrianC wrote: »

I think it's vanishingly unlikely, because I think there's serious Chinese Whispers (at best) going on here. If your guy really has changed the clutch slave, then he's going to have bled the clutch through with new fluid anyway.

Magic thanks.

ratrace

superjay wrote: »

Great stuff thanks for this. It does actually, should I take it back and get him to flush out the fluid?

It depends, you need to find out if they have already changed the whole fluid and bled the system or have they just topped the fluid up and bled it that way

i think what could have happend is that the seal on the slave may have gave way/worn which allowed the fluid to leak inside the gearbox going all over the clutch plate hence why you lost drive the second time, what you need to find out really if they change the original slave for a new one or did just keep the old one and put a new clutch in if they did then that was silly as its not much more to buy a new slave but new parts do fail from time to time depending on the after market brand that is being used

you need to work with the garage to get to the bottom of what caused the problem the second time you have to appreciate this is a forum and i cant give you a solid answer without seeing the car in person first all the best with it