500

Thanks...we're all ears!

rmira

I picked up my car, the clutch is back to normal. The following is the report as it appeared on my service ticket:

I stated:

1. The clutch engagement point changed.
2. There is a vibration felt when the clutch pedal is slightly pushed.
3. There is a squeak heard from the engine area when the clutch is depressed.

Description of Work Done:

Pressure plate bolts loose. Removed belly pans, transmission. Replaced loose pressure plates bolts and inspected clutch. Lubed clutch pivots and reassembled.

Labor: 4.1 units
Material: qty. 6 cheese-HD. screws, part # 900-387-265-09

The work was done under warranty, but not without a scare. The service advisor called Monday AM, prior to the work being done, to let me know that the problems I was describing could be due to a worn clutch. And clutch wear is not covered under warranty. I strenously objected - there are only 3500 miles on the car, purchased May '06. Of course the problem was as described above and there was no clutch wear.

(Side Note - During my tirade I told the SA I was one of the few people on the M5 forum, m5board.com, that got 60K miles out of an E39 M5 clutch - he was shocked.)

500

Thank you, great information. I'll copy this and post it on the clutch vbration thread

ronmart

Thanks for the follow up!

Anyone know how much a new clutch job goes for?

rmira

The service advisor told me a new clutch, parts and labor was about $3K.

ronmart

Ouch!

How long is one of these bad boys supposed to last?

rmira

I'm sure others who have more experience with 911s than I do could give you a better idea - this one is my first.

For what it's worth, my previous car was a 2001 M5, great car, but notoriously weak clutches. I was able to get 60K out of the clutch. I'm guessing, if I drive my 997 the same way, I'll get more. I have not seen any posts talking about premature clutch wear on this forum or others.

10 GT3

I drove about 12 cars before I bought my 996 last year. I noticed a few things from car to car. Some had very stiff clutch pedals. Each one they ended up replacing the clutch due to a bad pressure plate. I drove one that had a worn out disc. On the highway in 3rd or 4th, when you accelerate the tach would rise, but not the speedo. I woudl say from all the cars I have looked at and driven, these clutches are good for 30-40K miles. I have noticed that these clutches consistantly engage high.

On my car, when I first test drove it I noticed the clutch was very stiff. About 2 days later, the dealer called me and told me they replaced the clutch. After going through CPO, I got a printout of the work. The clutch that was installed was a 997 clutch, i.e. a 997 part number. I am not sure the difference, but the 996 replacment clutch has been superceeded by the 997 clutch. It doesn't really feel different than a 996 with a good clutch in it. It is still light with a very high engagement point.

I had an RMS/IMS seal replacement done recently. I noticed when I first got the car back, that the clutch was a lot stiffer with a different release point. I am not sure the procedure for pulling the tranny, but putting it back in required a day fro everything to settle. It settled back to normal lightening in feel and engaging at the top of the pedal again. About 2 weeks ago, I test drove a new 997S and the clutch didn't feel any different than the one in my 996.