octavia TDi clutch/flywheel probs

hanknhill · 16-08-2006, 18:34

Hi, haven't posted before so bear with me!

Got a 2001 Octy in Feb from dealer in Lincoln, had it checked out by RAC before we got it. Had about 45,000 on clock.

Some minor problems with it which we got sorted, but it then gears started crunching when going into reverse and it then started over-revving until it broke down completely last week.

took it to local dealership who said it was the clutch,

Picked it up today, they have replaced the clutch (charging over £210 for parts and VAT) and the flywheel (at cost of £291 plus VAT).

This seems hugely expensive to me, the parts weren't even skoda or VW. In GSF it says the clutch is £120 plus VAT - is the amount they charged reasonable?

also, is replacement of the flywheel generally necessary with this kind of problem. The only thing i can find on the internet suggests it might be "advisable"

not happy with the amount this has cost us - over £900. got a Skoda as we were told how reliable they were, just hoping this problem doesn't reoccur!

hope someone might be able to reply, thanks for your help

fordfan · 16-08-2006, 21:41

The final bill was about £770 + VAT, made up of parts £470 with £300 labour. GSF lists flywheels from £250 and a clutch at £120, Butts list a clutch/flywheel assembly at £550, so on the face of it GSF look cheaper but they say the flywheel is from, it looks as though you have paid between the two prices. Labour wise about 3.5 hours is listed which is quite tight, 4.5 would be nearer the mark(fixings seize up and bits become a pain to remove and install).

The flywheel is a dual mass item designed to make the engine smoother, however they can give problems to such an extent that I think Valeo have started to introduce clutch kits that replace it with a more conventional flywheel, for the older vehicle market where people don't want to spend that ammount of money.

This type of flywheel is used by different car manufacturers, so no matter what car you got it still could of happened.

tikhon · 22-08-2006, 05:44

You don't say if you got it from Dennis Horton and Son in Lincoln? Last September I bought a 2001 1.9Tdi Elegance from them (60000 miles) and amongst other faults my car developed exactly the fault you describe. The bill for sorting this out was just over £750 with £500 of that being covered by the Skoda approved used car warranty.

hanknhill · 03-10-2006, 23:00

Hi guys, Thanks for the advice.

After complaining to the garage concerned (Protheroes in Market Harborough if anyone's interested), it turns out that they had overcharged us by £200. They'd charged us both for the flywheel kit, which included a clutch plate and a separate clutch plate as well. They'd also charged us for another item which hadn't been fitted. It took a lot of questioning though before they would check over the bill properly and realise they had made a mistake. Complaints to the manager about the appalling service led to an offer of £25 off next labour cost, which hardly seemed decent recompense. Needless to say we won't be going back there.

The car was bought from Gouldings in Lincolnshire. Don't think they'd done anything wrong, it may well be that the person who had the car before us hadn't treated the clutch too well and we'd done about another 10k since buying the car so it was probably just natural wear and tear.

Thanks again

Lummox · 03-10-2006, 23:04

The time to complain is when you come to pay. they should give you a fully itemised invoice for you to check over.

hanknhill · 13-10-2006, 11:00

They did give us an itemised bill but that just showed a plate, clutchplate and duel mass flywheel as separate items. It wasn't until we did some research of our own that we discovered that the flywheel is sold as a kit with the plate and clutchplate included. Come to that how were we to know that they had only fitted one bearing and not two as they had charged us for (at 62.56 + VAT each). At least we're happy enough to go and do some investigating and then ask the right questions. You can imagine how many people are too intimidated by garages to do that. Plus at the point I came to pay it was five minutes before closing, the manager had already gone home and I needed the car the next day for work, so I couldn't really go disputing it at that point.

16-08-2006, 18:34	#1
hanknhill Briskodian Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	octavia TDi clutch/flywheel probs Hi, haven't posted before so bear with me! Got a 2001 Octy in Feb from dealer in Lincoln, had it checked out by RAC before we got it. Had about 45,000 on clock. Some minor problems with it which we got sorted, but it then gears started crunching when going into reverse and it then started over-revving until it broke down completely last week. took it to local dealership who said it was the clutch, Picked it up today, they have replaced the clutch (charging over £210 for parts and VAT) and the flywheel (at cost of £291 plus VAT). This seems hugely expensive to me, the parts weren't even skoda or VW. In GSF it says the clutch is £120 plus VAT - is the amount they charged reasonable? also, is replacement of the flywheel generally necessary with this kind of problem. The only thing i can find on the internet suggests it might be "advisable" not happy with the amount this has cost us - over £900. got a Skoda as we were told how reliable they were, just hoping this problem doesn't reoccur! hope someone might be able to reply, thanks for your help

16-08-2006, 21:41	#2
fordfan ECUless Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,042 Thanks: 30 Thanked 241 Times in 210 Posts	Re: octavia TDi clutch/flywheel probs The final bill was about £770 + VAT, made up of parts £470 with £300 labour. GSF lists flywheels from £250 and a clutch at £120, Butts list a clutch/flywheel assembly at £550, so on the face of it GSF look cheaper but they say the flywheel is from, it looks as though you have paid between the two prices. Labour wise about 3.5 hours is listed which is quite tight, 4.5 would be nearer the mark(fixings seize up and bits become a pain to remove and install). The flywheel is a dual mass item designed to make the engine smoother, however they can give problems to such an extent that I think Valeo have started to introduce clutch kits that replace it with a more conventional flywheel, for the older vehicle market where people don't want to spend that ammount of money. This type of flywheel is used by different car manufacturers, so no matter what car you got it still could of happened.

22-08-2006, 05:44	#3
tikhon Briskodian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: East Midlands Posts: 21 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: octavia TDi clutch/flywheel probs You don't say if you got it from Dennis Horton and Son in Lincoln? Last September I bought a 2001 1.9Tdi Elegance from them (60000 miles) and amongst other faults my car developed exactly the fault you describe. The bill for sorting this out was just over £750 with £500 of that being covered by the Skoda approved used car warranty.

03-10-2006, 23:00	#4
hanknhill Briskodian Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: octavia TDi clutch/flywheel probs Hi guys, Thanks for the advice. After complaining to the garage concerned (Protheroes in Market Harborough if anyone's interested), it turns out that they had overcharged us by £200. They'd charged us both for the flywheel kit, which included a clutch plate and a separate clutch plate as well. They'd also charged us for another item which hadn't been fitted. It took a lot of questioning though before they would check over the bill properly and realise they had made a mistake. Complaints to the manager about the appalling service led to an offer of £25 off next labour cost, which hardly seemed decent recompense. Needless to say we won't be going back there. The car was bought from Gouldings in Lincolnshire. Don't think they'd done anything wrong, it may well be that the person who had the car before us hadn't treated the clutch too well and we'd done about another 10k since buying the car so it was probably just natural wear and tear. Thanks again

03-10-2006, 23:04	#5
Lummox Cupra Bush King Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Newport Pagnell Posts: 22,304 Images: 2 Thanks: 22 Thanked 735 Times in 617 Posts	Re: octavia TDi clutch/flywheel probs The time to complain is when you come to pay. they should give you a fully itemised invoice for you to check over. __________________ Unit 18 Automotive Services www.unit18.co.uk Remapping Service now available, PM for details.

13-10-2006, 11:00	#6
hanknhill Briskodian Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: octavia TDi clutch/flywheel probs They did give us an itemised bill but that just showed a plate, clutchplate and duel mass flywheel as separate items. It wasn't until we did some research of our own that we discovered that the flywheel is sold as a kit with the plate and clutchplate included. Come to that how were we to know that they had only fitted one bearing and not two as they had charged us for (at 62.56 + VAT each). At least we're happy enough to go and do some investigating and then ask the right questions. You can imagine how many people are too intimidated by garages to do that. Plus at the point I came to pay it was five minutes before closing, the manager had already gone home and I needed the car the next day for work, so I couldn't really go disputing it at that point.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode