Audi A4 tdi 2008 - gear problem

DS2

My 2008 Audi - lately the gears are very hard to set. When car is cold takes a real effort to get into reverse.
Took it to a local garage and they say I need a new clutch cost between 800 and 1500.
The car has 90km on the clock.
Is it normal for a clutch to go after just 4 years ???

whomitconcerns

DS2 wrote: »

My 2008 Audi - lately the gears are very hard to set. When car is cold takes a real effort to get into reverse.
Took it to a local garage and they say I need a new clutch cost between 800 and 1500.
The car has 90km on the clock.
Is it normal for a clutch to go after just 4 years ???

Depends on how you use the clutch I am afraid....its very low mileage to need one..so not to put to fine a point on it but someone drove the b**** out of it methinks....

bazz26

That price would want to include changing the DMF too.

Nissan doctor

DS2 wrote: »

My 2008 Audi - lately the gears are very hard to set. When car is cold takes a real effort to get into reverse.
Took it to a local garage and they say I need a new clutch cost between 800 and 1500.
The car has 90km on the clock.
Is it normal for a clutch to go after just 4 years ???

It wouldn't be unusual for the DMF to fail at that sort of mileage/age on VAG tdi's. The clutch(or pressure plate as it would be if its difficult to get into gear) wear rate would depend on how its used.

DS2

Thanks for your replies
Dont think i am heavy on the clutch as I never ride the clutch. In fact I change gears according to the digital display.
The higher price does include the DMF the lower one is clutch and labour only.
Maybe just unlucky on this - had problem with the particulate filter a while back too

Stallingrad

DS2 wrote: »

Maybe just unlucky on this - had problem with the particulate filter a while back too

Not bad luck, just poor engineering and typical of modern diesels I'm afraid.

keithclancy

DS2 wrote: »

Thanks for your replies
Dont think i am heavy on the clutch as I never ride the clutch. In fact I change gears according to the digital display.
The higher price does include the DMF the lower one is clutch and labour only.
Maybe just unlucky on this - had problem with the particulate filter a while back too

4 years wouldn't be unreasonable, if you had a DPF problem your probably doing all short runs (more wear on the clutch)

DS2

OSI wrote: »

Do you ever sit with the clutch waiting on the biting point?

I've know people to go through a clutch in less than 10k miles, 90k KM isn't unreasonable.[/QUOTE



No I dont sit on the clutch, i would say that my only fault is that I take off quickly from lights and accerlate quickly and hence gear change quickly. Perhaps the too high a gear sometimes , yet i do seem to correspond with the digital display on gears. Diesels really dont suit city driving me thinks. I do take the car on long drives to clear the DPF.

lau1247

DS2 wrote: »

No I dont sit on the clutch, i would say that my only fault is that I take off quickly from lights and accerlate quickly and hence gear change quickly. Perhaps the too high a gear sometimes , yet i do seem to correspond with the digital display on gears. Diesels really dont suit city driving me thinks. I do take the car on long drives to clear the DPF.

Those digital indicator isn't exactly the most accurate, best to rely on rev meter.. I tend to change up only when I hit 2K, especially on the lower gear..

if you go by the digital indicator gear for gear you would often feel the gear box is struggling just ever so slightly after the up change (Or at least I do anyway)

S28382

DS2 wrote: »

My 2008 Audi - lately the gears are very hard to set. When car is cold takes a real effort to get into reverse.
Took it to a local garage and they say I need a new clutch cost between 800 and 1500.
The car has 90km on the clock.
Is it normal for a clutch to go after just 4 years ???

F**k me that much for doing the clutch????? my god that is robbery is it not.

keithclancy

S28382 wrote: »

F**k me that much for doing the clutch????? my god that is robbery is it not.

And Flywheel ... thats why its so expensive, the Kit alone can cost you 500 - 650 euros, depending on the car and where you buy its from

DS2

Audi clutch is 384e and the Flywheel is over 400e I think plus a hell of a lot of labour. If its the flywheel I wonder does the clutch need replacing too.

I think I am just unlucky as reading below I think i was driving it okay

Hope to god this is the last big thing.

It goes in this Thursday where they will inspect the clutch and flywheel
They will only replace the flywheel if it is faulty. So fingers crossed its the clutch alone

DS2

Is this true

Audi Service Centre in Sandyford quoted 2737 for the replacement flywheel and clutch. Saying the flywheel is over 1000 euro to purchase. He said teh other garage must be using some dodgy flywheel !

Is this true is an Audi flywheel over a grand

Saab Ed

Hold on a second. Are there any other signs of cluth/flywheel failure? Is there any of the usual signs such as judder in the clutch pedal or vibration under acceleration! Is it only in reverse when its cold. Now call me old fashioned but, if thats it, then I'd be trying a gear oil change first before going with what might be a lazy diagnosis.

DS2

There are no other symptoms other than stiff gears. No shudder no vibration. Asked the mechanic if it could be gear oil he says no definitely clutch. Dropping it in to him in a minute may ask him to try gear oil and take for test drive first.

keithclancy

Saab Ed wrote: »

Hold on a second. Are there any other signs of cluth/flywheel failure? Is there any of the usual signs such as judder in the clutch pedal or vibration under acceleration! Is it only in reverse when its cold. Now call me old fashioned but, if thats it, then I'd be trying a gear oil change first before going with what might be a lazy diagnosis.

^^ I'd agree with this.

Troubleshoot the basic stuff first.

The mechanic might not have your financial interest at heart

DS2

The mechanic I feel is a decent man - used him for years and he never does anything that i dont need. For example never changes my brake pads until they need it. Said last service there was a good few months left in my break pads (i had mentioned a squeak). He has always been very reasonable. When i had trouble with the DPF he told me to take it to the motorway and drive it over 2000 rev for a while to burn off the debris. He could easily have said i needed a new one. In the end he told me to take it to get a regen at Audi Sandyford as i was still having trouble (from dirty dodgy fuel - a local garage i used ended up being raided by the guards a week after the trouble started). Audi said i would need a new one but thank god the regen worked. 250 euro for that pleasure.

He suspsects its the pressure plate of the clutch. He agreed to look at gear oil but said that it was checked at the last service a month or so ago so should still be fine and that the car has no leaks.

Will let you know what happens

DS2

The saga concludes:

Thanks for all your comments and advice .

It was definitely not the gear oil as it turned out to be the pressure plate on the clutch. Thank goodness the flywheel was perfect.

The new clutch, labour and vat came to 750. So i think i got off lightly.
The clutch iteself cost over 400 from Audi - turned out it was cheaper to buy the Audi one than to buy a generic one.

I'm relieved to have gotten away with that amount (the quote for the clutch replacement from Audi centre was 1500)

Car is driving beautifully now once again. I hope thats it for now !!

:)

DS22

Update to that story

A week or so after the new clutch - the car starting acting up again
The long and short of it - New Flywheel

In hindsight if replacing the clutch you need a new flywheel too

Car running perfect now last few months

bazz26

DS22 wrote: »

Update to that story

A week or so after the new clutch - the car starting acting up again
The long and short of it - New Flywheel

In hindsight if replacing the clutch you need a new flywheel too

Car running perfect now last few months

I would have thought that the garage who changed the clutch would have recommended changing the flywheel at the same time or at least examined it when they had the clutch out?

DS22

He did suggest it but thought it might be ok

robertxxx

Ouch!

galwaytt

DS22 wrote: »

He did suggest it but thought it might be ok

Suggest is one thing, but did he not measure the wear ? There is a way to do that.

DS22

Not sure if he measured the wear, he said he had a good look at it though if I remember.