Clutch issues... 05 LGT stock @ 43k miles

First, from what im reading im not the only one having this issue.

 

Second, i do understand that driving has a lot to do with clutch wear and tear, so let me nip that in the bud now: I drove a POS cavalier to 135k on the original clutch, and i was WAY harder on my cavalier than i am on my Legacy.

 

I never launch it, i dont race it, and i hardly ever really even get on it. Its basically a daily driver. Ive been driving standard for 9 years, and the only clutch failure ive ever had was the cavaliers throw out ebaring disintegrating one day.

 

That said:

 

I parked my car at the airport when i left for a business trip. It felt PERFRECTLY NORMAL when i left it there. I come back 4 days later, and when i go to drive it, the clutch pedal feels like its vibrating when i lift it up, and it takes less physical pressure to push on it. Less than a day later, its toast.

 

I was driving it around town, and noticed in 4th gear, it would just rev to holy hell and wouldnt pick up speed. So i nursed it all the way to the dealership, where its sitting now. It has fluid, etc.

 

Obviously theyre saying clutches arent covered, but wtf? A 2 year old car with 43k miles on it and the clutch just gave out? Compared to most people here, i baby that car, because its NOT my toy car. Its my daily car.

 

So theyre going to look at it, but wtf? If i replace it, i dont want to put something back in there thats going to fall apart in another 43k. But shit...

 

EDIT: BTW, this car is one hundred percent stock, except for a STS and a shift boot, LOL...

Keep in mind that w/ an AWD car, the clutch takes a lot more abuse than with a FWD or RWD because there's no wheelspin to help dissipate excess power on takeoff. That said, however, 43k isn't much on a stock clutch. I have the same amount on my 05 LGT and now you have me worried.

People have had their clutches replaced under warranty ... so I might try fighting that .. shouldn't this fall under the powertrain warranty?

Worth mentioning (i guess) is the car is covered by the SOA B2B extended warranty till 60k.

 

I realize cluthes are considered a wear item, but this is rediculous. One would think if it was "wearing down" it would have slipped for more than 20 minutes before it fell apart.

 

Im so angry its not funny. My cavalier was the biggest POS ever, and i never had to deal with this. The entire REASON i bought a subaru was to avoid shit like this.

 

If its going to go every 43k i might as well trade the ******* thing in.

 

And SOA... whats their deal? Their hours are 8am-7pm M-T Eastern time... And theyre CLOSED right now???

Why are you having them look at it if they've already said it is not covered under warranty?

 

Don't let the dealership look at it unless you want them to replace it too. I've heard they charge you just for jacking the car, looking at the clutch, and saying "it needs to be replaced." Then they charge you for the parts and labor to replace it too.

 

Just be aware. If they tell you it isn't covered then you should buy after-market and have that installed somewhere more affordable.

Im having them look at it on the off chance its something stupid, and not in complete need of replacement.

 

Once they call back and say my car is fucked and they expect me to pay, ill gladly make them put it all back together and give them the 75 they screwed me out of just to look at it.

 

I dont know what ill do after that. Im not thrilled with putting a different clutch in, because then when something ELSE breaks, theyre going to give me shit at Subaru for having a non OEM clutch in the car.

 

Its like a lose lose.

Admrl,

 

I am in almost the same boat -- but mine has 60K on it. I am almost fourty years old and rarely drive the car hard. Last couple of months I have the slightest squeal on cold startup. Goes away when you touched the clutch pedal. Never happened once warmed up. On Friday I have new tires and front ball joints installed. Sat AM I start the car to a really LOUD whirring/scraping sound -- clutch in or out. Within 100 miles the car will not move! At the shop now -- we shall see what is wrong.

 

-Dan C.

The word now is that (as expected) the entire clutch is toast. Theyre starting tear down. Im going to go apeshit on SOA just out of the principle that no car this young should have such problems, but there is no way theyre covering a dime.

 

The dealer said 600 in labor, and hed put in an OEM one, or anything i bring him. So tonight ill have to browse here for something decent that isnt going to let go in another 40k. This is effing rediculous.

 

I do NOT beat on this car, and i do NOT ride on the clutch. I have NEVER been so disappointed with this car, EVER.

 

First the horseshit with the stupid radio, and now this. If i had put more money down on it, it would be gone by now.

The word now is that (as expected) the entire clutch is toast. Theyre starting tear down. Im going to go apeshit on SOA just out of the principle that no car this young should have such problems, but there is no way theyre covering a dime.

 

The dealer said 600 in labor, and hed put in an OEM one, or anything i bring him. So tonight ill have to browse here for something decent that isnt going to let go in another 40k. This is effing rediculous.

 

I do NOT beat on this car, and i do NOT ride on the clutch. I have NEVER been so disappointed with this car, EVER.

 

First the horseshit with the stupid radio, and now this. If i had put more money down on it, it would be gone by now.

 

It sounds like you need a night to sleep on this and relax. 43k is low mileage for a clutch to go out, but like you said this is a wear and tear item, have you owned the car since new? If you bought the car used and the clutch wasn't broken in properly it may explain why the clutch went out so fast. Once you replace the clutch if you break it in correctly, this time it should last longer if you take meticulous care of your ride like you say. As for wanting to get rid of a car over a radio and a clutch going out, thats your call, I think that is definitely not enough of a reason to call the car garbage, but thats just my opinion. Cheapest place to find a brand new stock clutch from what I've been told is Kingofparts.com, they are a vendor here.

I can sleep on what kind of clutch to put in the car, but there isnt much else to sleep on.

 

The car is down, and now im blowing money on a rental car for the week, which isnt making my day.

 

SOA customer service is down, so i cant even argue with anyone.

 

I havent owned it since new, i bought it one year and 13k ago. When i bought it, i tested the clutch slippage (put it in 5th and give it a little extra gas, etc), and it was FINE. Its never slipped once the entire time ive owned the car.

 

Literally, from first symtom to complete destruction was 30 minutes of driving time, in one day.

 

Even when im doing what i call "driving hard" it just means im accelerating quickly and shifting at a higher RPM. I never do anything that i would consider hard on the clutch. I dont launch it, ever. I dont keep revving it up when im shifting it. Frankly, i dont drive that hard.

 

Im looking at all the clutch options. The dleaer said the labor was going to be 600, so whatever i have to replace is on top of that. Great. I have tools, but lack the knowledge, so thats out.

 

Frankly, i dont have time to deal with it, so theyre tearing it down already. My bck is up against the wall on this one.

 

The car isnt junk, i love it. Im just really upset. I bought this car to get away from the vehicle that was nailing me with absurd bills, and frankly... at 43k, i consider this to be nuts.

Call SOA. They might replace the clutch this one time as a gestere of Good Will. They tried that it's a were item on me B.S. and I got a lawyer and I was reimbused my $1500.00 after about 2 months. Hopefully, it won't have to come to that.

 

Also, I have a PrePaid Legal Service, which is $10.95 per months so I didn't have to come out-of-pocket for an attorney.

I've used this service twice. Once for a POS used motorcycle in 2004 and this clutch last fall.

 

Of course, if my clutch goes again (I'm Stg2 now) I'm on my own.

 

Good luck. I'll keep my fingers crossed. I know it is very frustating to have this happen on a car that you've babied and you also know how to drive a stick shift.

Your not alone when it comes to members having issues with the stock clutch.

I can sleep on what kind of clutch to put in the car, but there isnt much else to sleep on.

 

The car is down, and now im blowing money on a rental car for the week, which isnt making my day.

 

SOA customer service is down, so i cant even argue with anyone.

 

I havent owned it since new, i bought it one year and 13k ago. When i bought it, i tested the clutch slippage (put it in 5th and give it a little extra gas, etc), and it was FINE. Its never slipped once the entire time ive owned the car.

 

Literally, from first symtom to complete destruction was 30 minutes of driving time, in one day.

 

Even when im doing what i call "driving hard" it just means im accelerating quickly and shifting at a higher RPM. I never do anything that i would consider hard on the clutch. I dont launch it, ever. I dont keep revving it up when im shifting it. Frankly, i dont drive that hard.

 

Im looking at all the clutch options. The dleaer said the labor was going to be 600, so whatever i have to replace is on top of that. Great. I have tools, but lack the knowledge, so thats out.

 

Frankly, i dont have time to deal with it, so theyre tearing it down already. My bck is up against the wall on this one.

 

The car isnt junk, i love it. Im just really upset. I bought this car to get away from the vehicle that was nailing me with absurd bills, and frankly... at 43k, i consider this to be nuts.

 

If you had to get a rental car for the week, I would have just told subaru to put in a clutch and pay their retail price for it, did you get quoted on how much they charge?I bet the rental is probably running you an extra 40 or 50 bucks a day. You did buy the car used, so you're kind of at the mercy of the previous owner with what kind of shape the clutch is in.

 

I understand you bought this car to replace headaches you got from your prior car, and with any luck this will be the last issue for you. If the previous owner replaced brakes and tires you should be good to go after this for a while with good maintenance and you know the clutch will get broken in correctly this time around so you shouldn't have to worry about it taking a dump at 43k again.

Call SOA. They might replace the clutch this one time as a gestere of Good Will. They tried that it's a were item on me B.S. and I got a lawyer and I was reimbused my $1500.00 after about 2 months. Hopefully, it won't have to come to that.

 

Also, I have a PrePaid Legal Service, which is $10.95 per months so I didn't have to come out-of-pocket for an attorney.

I've used this service twice. Once for a POS used motorcycle in 2004 and this clutch last fall.

 

Of course, if my clutch goes again (I'm Stg2 now) I'm on my own.

 

Good luck. I'll keep my fingers crossed. I know it is very frustating to have this happen on a car that you've babied and you also know how to drive a stick shift.

Your not alone when it comes to members having issues with the stock clutch.

 

 

Theyre telling me 1600 now, that its completely toasted. No mechanical failures, just wear. I dont care who owned this car before me, there is no way im buying this crap. My father is the worst clutch rider of anyone i know, and even he manages to get one to last more than 50k.

 

I fonally got a hold of SOA, and theyre *going to get back to me*. What exactly did you have your lawyer do? I have a lawyer already (handles my tickets and my mortgage processing, lol), but what can they do?

 

I admit the sitch looks bad, as im not the original owner, and you can never *prove* that you are a decent driver with the stick shift. BUT, im reading this forum, and evidently this is NOT an isolated case. So wtf can i do?

 

Im not trying to be cheap, but this is nuts. I wouldnt have shelled out 2k for a warranty if i had known this kind of shit would happen...

Yeah, I'm going to chime in here and say it sounds like the previous owner...who obviously wasn't worried about clutch life....abused the clutch. You are giving it a hard time, but 60k out of a clutch on an AWD car is not BAD. 90k is pretty good. You got about the equivalent life out of a clutch that I would expect of someone who lives in NYC and drove an LGT. 13k miles is ALOT of chance for abuse.

 

Since you bought it pre-owned from the dealership, I would personally push really hard for "assistance". There are lots of grades of dealership assistance, including full replacement for free, replacement for a deductible, or something like you pay for the labor and they'll cover the cost of the clutch.

 

You woulda replaced the clutch at some point. Now you have the opportunity to replace it with a unit of your choosing (read up on alot of the stage 1 clutches), and drive it the way you want.

 

By the way. A POS Cavalier doesn't produce any torque (the force that really wears a clutch down). Lots of low torque applications can get 150-200k out of a clutch when driven carefully with a good amount of highway miles. It also depends on clutch application....alot of GM cars will literally use transmissions/gear ratios/clutches right out of their truck division. It will feel like shit, but the things will be damn near bulletproof because they were built for a much tougher application.

 

You bought a pre-owned first model year car. All you've had go wrong is a radio and a wear item. Sounds like you are doing ok and the car is going to be fine.

 

Good Luck!

 

Joe

Okay, i just want to make sure im getting this right.

 

So i bought an AWD car (my third one), but the frist with a turbo. So everytime i take off from a traffic light or stop sign, i do so at 2k RPM's or less.

 

That being the case, with an AWD turbo car i can generally only expect 50k out of a clutch?

 

Good to know. Car will be for sale by the end of the week.

 

Thats rediculous.

I would have gotten more than 70k out of my stock clutch if not for the damn throw-out bearing going. I am at stage 2 power levels as well ... so I just replaced mine with another stock clutch.

SPEC Stage 2 clutch with the aluminum flywheel.

 

This a decent replacement unit for the stocker? Theyre qouting me 1600 dollars, 600 in labor and 1000 in OEM parts, which seems rediculous, when for 1000 dollars i can get someting aftermarket and (hopefully) more robust.

 

The dealer said theyd put it in if i bring it to them. Still waiting on SOA to call back, but they probably wont till tomorrow (if at all).

Have you ever owned a manual with an aftermarket clutch and fly wheel. I did on my last car, I had a 13.9lbs flywheel and upgraded clutch, both were ACT brand. I could not stand to drive the car as an everyday driver after I put those mods in. I do 90% of my driving in rush hour and it was so annoying to drive. Oh and driving with AC on forget about it, way too jerky to shift in rush hour IMO. If you do a lot of rush hour driving I would stick with OEM if you can. Buy it from king of parts if you have to, I'm sure they don't charge 1000$ for a clutch, I will check their site and get back to you.

Oh, fantastic. LOL...

 

What kind of driveability differences are there? I dont live in a big city, but i do a lot of stop and go...

 

Oh **** it, ill let them put the OEM shit back in. Then ill just have to plan on not keeping the stupid thing.

Admrl - Stop jumping the ship man. You'll probably get at least 75k out of the next clutch, which is respectable. You might get more too.

 

If you put in a lightweight flywheel, you'll have drivability issues. Don't mess with the flywheel unless you have too. From what I understand, the stock dual-mass flywheel can be re-used once, so you shouldn't need to replace that.

 

Go with a stage 1 clutch (NOT stage 2) or a OEM organic-style clutch. It should be a few hundred dollars for the clutch kit (clutch, pressure plate, release bearing).

 

You'll be happy and you'll get out the door for under $1000.

 

Joe

TheKingofParts lists a new OEM clutch at $289.00 for the kit. You can be out the door for under $1000.

 

You don't seem like a modifying man, so stay with stock. A stage II clutch alone will make the car harder to drive smoothly; with a lightened flywheel, it'll be exacerbated. Furthermore, the car will be easier to sell when you stay stock.

 

If you need to step it up because you intend to add a Cobb AP, then go with a stage 1 clutch somewhere. ACT is very good and reputable.

 

In any event, if you intend to keep this car for the long haul, this is one of the small prices you can pay when you buy a used manual. It sounds like the original owner beat the crap out of the clutch; with the money you saved by buying used, you now get to spend some of it on replacing the clutch.

 

You are still ahead.

 

Joe

An Oem clutch from Kingofparts is 289.00, with an oem flywheel its 699. You may not need a new fly wheel, can't you get them machined like a rotor when you do the clutch? Don't quote me on that, but I could have swore you could... if that were the case this repair bill is down to under a g.

 

Is there any way you can cancel your extended warranty and get reimbursed? A lot of dealerships allow you to get reimbursed if you want out of the exteneded warranty. Just keep in mind that your clutch more than likely went out because of the previous owner's abuse. The new clutch should last you a lot longer, 75k I think easy if broken in right. That's another 4 or 5 years of driving.... I am at almost 45k with stage 2 on my stock clutch, no slippage and I drive like you, rev to around 2k to get off the line.

 

Edited, I just saw I was beat to the punch on the pricing, snooze you lose.

No, its not. They cant resurface the flywheel, they said. And they quoted me 1k for parts and 600 for labor, so im at 1600. Ouch.

then it will be 699.00 from king of parts for what you need, still 3bill cheaper than the dealer on the clutch/flywheel.

Theyre telling me 1600 now, that its completely toasted. No mechanical failures, just wear. I dont care who owned this car before me, there is no way im buying this crap. My father is the worst clutch rider of anyone i know, and even he manages to get one to last more than 50k.

 

I fonally got a hold of SOA, and theyre *going to get back to me*. What exactly did you have your lawyer do? I have a lawyer already (handles my tickets and my mortgage processing, lol), but what can they do?

 

I admit the sitch looks bad, as im not the original owner, and you can never *prove* that you are a decent driver with the stick shift. BUT, im reading this forum, and evidently this is NOT an isolated case. So wtf can i do?

 

Im not trying to be cheap, but this is nuts. I wouldnt have shelled out 2k for a warranty if i had known this kind of shit would happen...

 

The reason I got a lawyer was to explain my situation.

 

The first clutch failed on the 2nd day of ownership at 254 miles on the odometer.

There is not way you could destroy a clutch driving on the highway 12 hours after owning a car. SOA replaced the clutch.

 

At 5500 miles the clutch petal got stuck to the floor but the car was drivable (unlike the first time). I drive to the dealer that replaced the first clutch as well does my maintenence. They have Subaru Rep look at the car a determined the clutch needs to be replaced but Subaru is not paying.

 

I explained to my lawyer that I am not a kid that races or beats on his car. Basically I'm a weekend driver that drives primary on the highway.

Long story short, after two months SOA reimbursed me the $1500 for parts and laber from the dealer. What really sucked about this was I had the spend the $1500 about two weeks before Xmas last year.

 

Also, I already knew about NOT launching the car from a start as well as the clutch stink in long bumper-to-bumper traffic so I made sure I didn't abuse it.

 

Wait and see what SOA tells you.