AutobahnIstLieb

I have a 2012 887.2 C4S 6-spd. I've owned the car for 18 months, having purchased it from a Porsche dealer with 4,000 miles on it "Porsche Approved." It is strictly a weekend car, no track days or autocross, with the occasional long road trip up the California coast.

I have been driving sticks for 33 years - as long as I have been driving. I learned on a 1966 Bronco with a clutch so stiff I literally had to stand up to engage. I've owned a dozen manuals since and have never in my life had to replace a clutch. I got 163,000 miles on the original clutch on my Nissan pickup, sold to a friend and he told me he got another 40K out of it before he finally had to replace it. I got 80,000 miles on my M3 - known as a clutch killer, before I sold it with the clutch feeling as strong as the day I bought it new.

So two weeks ago, I'm on Kanan heading for The Rock Store and I jam into 4th after exiting the tunnels and my heart sank and my face went white as I mashed the throttle and felt the engine spool up to 5,500 revs with no acceleration. I refused to believe it was the clutch slipping at only 16,000 miles so I pulled over and slowly began again.

Everything was just fine in 1st, friction point felt fine, clutch grabbed and my 3.8 flat 6 accelerated effortlessly through 7,000 revs as I put the left foot down to the floor and executed a shift so smooth, I'd defy anyone to tell me I'd just shifted. Same story up through third, now at about 70MPH, give it some gas, hit 5,500 rpm and like clockwork, it slips again.

Not good.

This being a Sunday, I nursed it home and immediately took it into my local Porsche dealer a few days later. The shop advised me the clutch was worn and needed replacement.

Now, I read the CPA warranty and it states clearly that the clutch is not covered:

"The replacement of expendable maintenance items (such as spark plugs, filters, worn wiper blades, worn brakes, worn clutches, worn tires) when the replacement is not due to a defect in material or workmanship."

Now, there is no way, NO WAY I burned up this clutch.

• Strictly a weekend road car - no track days / autocross.
• I don't over-rev the engine.
• I don't ride the clutch.
• I don't engine-brake.
• My shifts are so smooth and precise you don't even feel them.
• I rev match my downshifts, always.
• I don't idle in gear (bad for the throw-out bearing)
• All maintenance performed at Porsche dealers.
• I don't rest my hand on the gear lever (bad for the shifting fork).

So I am doing everything right. I know how to drive a stick, and now the dealer is telling me, of course, that they want $3,000 for a new clutch and they'll let me know about the flywheel.

Their only reply to me was "we believe you know how to drive a manual, but we don't know about the previous owner."

What??? So you sell me a car that is "certified" and I prove to you that there is no way in hell that I prematurely wore out the clutch and all you have to say is it's my bad luck because the person who owned it before me was some ***** who couldn't drive stick???

Ok, this is turning into a rant, sorry, but I am pissed off beyond words.

So there is a question here - can any of you think of anything else in the drivetrain that could cause this to happen? Could there be a linkage issue? Could the friction plate itself be defective? Perhaps a material issue?

I also have the clutch pedal squeak that some other 997 owners have reported. Could this potentially keep the clutch from fully disengaging?

I feel like I have to go to battle with PNA here, so I'm looking for anything that could explain how a skilled driver could fry a clutch after only 12,000 miles of driving.

Thanks for any replies.

AutobahnIstLieb

Sorry guys, I just realized I posted this in the wrong forum -- n00b mistake.
Mods, please delete. I have already posted it in the watercooled forum.

Thanks.