My truck has just had its 120,000km service. I had nothing to ask the service centre to look at, because everything is going beautifully as far as I'm concerned. Imagine my surprise when I was told on the phone that they reckoned it needed a new clutch, because (they said) the pedal was "very heavy". This was going to cost me a lazy $2400. I found this very hard to swallow, because I was not aware of the slightest symptom of any clutch problem, and the pedal seemed to me to be the same as when I bought the car, at about 60,000km. So I didn't do it. I'm not very mechanically savvy, so I got a rev-head friend who knows a lot more about these things to give it a little drive, and his opinion was that if there was anything wrong with the clutch, it was a long way from needing replacement.
The service was done at a Toyota dealer (yeah I know, I know) - only because it is still covered by an extended Toyota warranty I bought along with the car. It really smells like a blatant attempt at over-servicing to me, and the more I think about it the more annoyed I get. I'm seriously considering getting a second opinion (or two), and if it turns out there is no real problem, filing a complaint at Consumer Affairs.
So my questions are:
1. What sort of life should be expected from a clutch? I'm sure it depends on driving style etc - I drive very gently and have not done any really hard off-road work, but the car's first life was as a Hertz rental vehicle in Darwin, so I guess anything could have happened there. I understand that makes it a bit difficult.
2. Is there a definitive way to measure/test/decide that a clutch needs replacing? It seemed to me that just saying the pedal was "very heavy" was a bit flimsy (especially when I don't think it is). Surely this is not just a matter of opinion.
Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Steve
The service was done at a Toyota dealer (yeah I know, I know) - only because it is still covered by an extended Toyota warranty I bought along with the car. It really smells like a blatant attempt at over-servicing to me, and the more I think about it the more annoyed I get. I'm seriously considering getting a second opinion (or two), and if it turns out there is no real problem, filing a complaint at Consumer Affairs.
So my questions are:
1. What sort of life should be expected from a clutch? I'm sure it depends on driving style etc - I drive very gently and have not done any really hard off-road work, but the car's first life was as a Hertz rental vehicle in Darwin, so I guess anything could have happened there. I understand that makes it a bit difficult.
2. Is there a definitive way to measure/test/decide that a clutch needs replacing? It seemed to me that just saying the pedal was "very heavy" was a bit flimsy (especially when I don't think it is). Surely this is not just a matter of opinion.
Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Steve
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