2015 WRX Clutch issue (same tranny as 5th Gen)

Hey Guys,

 

So I'm having an issue with the clutch on my WRX, it's not really a major issue, just a nuisance. I've noticed as of recently the clutch pedal has become very heavy, the car goes in gear just fine there's just a lot of resistance in pushing the clutch down. I spoke with a friend of mine who works at a Subaru dealership in their service department who also owns a WRX and he belives it's the pressure plate or the Slave/Master cylinders. Unfortunately his dealership is over an hour from me so I don't have the time to go there and get it checked out so I went to one local to me.

 

Upon bringing my car in (which has 22k miles on it) they inspect it, they see that I have a modified car, they point out and document to me that I have my TGV's and EGR Removed and they know that I'm running a Stg 1 protune for it. They would not go any further in the inspection or even look at my clutch. Service manager tells me that if I return the car to stock they will look in to it further and warranty it. This is where I'm a little confused because I don't see how me removing my TGV's and EGR's voids my warranty for my clutch, nor can they prove that's why my clutch has gotten heavy. I'm not turning this in to a dealer rant because I made a claim with SOA and the fate of that is for them to decide. I have the same 6MT as you find in the 5th gen Legacy so I want to know if anyone else had this issue and if there is anything else that could be done that may fix it and turn out to not be either the Pressure plate, master/slave cylinder. Will changing the clutch fluid make a difference?

 

If it comes down to that I have to pay to replace the clutch because of wear or SOA ultimately voids it because of my modifications I'm fine with it, I'm old enough to get that you have to pay to play when you modify your car. Any input's appreciated

very unlikely that many 5th gen owners will see this here if that's the input you're looking for.

can you move it to the appropriate forum so I don't have to repost it please?

Moved from Transmission section to 5th Gen mode specific forum. Also left expiring redirect in Transmission section and revised thread title.

Check for the damper under the steering column, and are you having any TOB noise. I cant imagine much else affecting clutch feel. Is it slipping at all?

no slipping at all. When I went to the dealer today the service writer theoretically said if it's the pressure plate it will start slipping sooner than later. I don't really care for dealer service departments, as far as I see it if they're going to warranty it or not, or even bother looking in to the issue but if they don't I'll bring it to my normal garage. What should I be looking for on the damper? and is the damper inside the car or under hood?

It's about a foot upstream of the clutch master, almost right above the pedal, at least it's there in the 5th gen.

Check for the damper under the steering column, and are you having any TOB noise. I cant imagine much else affecting clutch feel. Is it slipping at all?

 

It's about a foot upstream of the clutch master, almost right above the pedal, at least it's there in the 5th gen.

 

I looked at the parts diagram for the 2015 WRX, and they do not have a separate clutch damper mid way between master cylinder and slave cylinder like we do, it is part of the clutch master cylinder assembly like previous WRX's and STi's.

 

 

 

And RZA, just for your reference, this is what we are talking about.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/clutch-damper-valve-delete-223235.html?t=223235&highlight=clutch+damper+delete

I have a 2010 LGT and have a very heavy clutch pedal. Heavier than my 2012 base model clutch. It was one of the first things I noticed with my LGT after I traded in the base model. I bought the LGT with 42k miles on the clock. The clutch pedal was heavy before GTEASER and I installed the clutch damper delete. It's still heavy even after bleeding the system.

 

When I had my 60k service performed at FW Motorsports, a respected Subaru repair shop. The owner commented on the heavy clutch pedal. He had me sit in and test out the pedal in a newer WRX and mentioned that's how easy the clutch should be to engage. He asked me if it was like this brand new. I told him I bought it used. But the two previous owners lived in San Francisco. What does that have to do with it? There are plenty of hills and possible, over time, holding the clutch on those hills may have contributed to the heavy clutch. I am still not convinced though.

 

It just turned over 70k and pedal feel is still heavy. But it is still holding strong. I've smoked it a couple of times testing out my Stage 1 eTune. Since then I've been saving up for a replacement. Right now though, it's fine.

 

Getting is checked by a reputable shop wouldn't hurt. Starting to save for a replacement may not be a bad idea either. He said about $900 - $1000 installed depending on the brand of clutch.

^^ are you *positive* the clutch is the original stock unit? I replaced my clutch around 45k miles.

amidroc's clutch is definitely heavier than mine, and as far as we know, his clutch is stock. Why two stock clutches would feel that different, I have no idea.

 

I remember that JJBerk's clutch was always heavy too (she bought her car with 12k miles on it), and when she had it replaced before she sold the car (approx 60k miles), I remember her being amazed how light the new one felt.

^^ are you *positive* the clutch is the original stock unit? I replaced my clutch around 45k miles.

 

FWIW the owner for FW Motorsports told me that my LGT was clean and doesn't look like it's been modified. I suspect he would have commented if the engine and transmission looked like they've been apart. When I bought the car the car fax didn't show any major repairs.

If you bought the car new and it wasn't like that to start off with I'd say it's fairly easy to come to the conclusion that something isn't right and you've developed an issue. Either A.) Live with it until something happens or B.) Take it to an independent import shop and have them diagnose it. Might be a good time to upgrade if you plan on keeping the car.

 

Just based upon my experience (cars on 3rd clutch) it could be a pressure plate problem. My 1st aftermarket clutch had a defective pressure plate which was problematic. Not sure about the new WRX but 5th gen LGT's don't have stiff stock clutches (bought my car new). If you want to feel a stiff OEM clutch then go drive a Porsche lol.

To be honest with you I don't really remember my clutch being that "easy" like some people have. However I figured since I still have the car under warranty I'd have it checked out. I'm going to do a clutch and trans fluid change first and see where that gets me. It's also more of a nuisance than it is an actual issue because I still can shift just fine.

To be honest with you I don't really remember my clutch being that "easy" like some people have. However I figured since I still have the car under warranty I'd have it checked out. I'm going to do a clutch and trans fluid change first and see where that gets me. It's also more of a nuisance than it is an actual issue because I still can shift just fine.

 

I understand, comes down to a live with it or spend the money and upgrade situation.

I want to know if it's even the clutch itself. It could be the springs in the pedal assembly or something else in the assembly like the master or slave cylinder. The clutch has no problem engaging and it doesn't slip so I have my doubts on it being the actual clutch itself.

 

The real problem with SOA is their dealer service network is terrible, the District service manager for my area instantly denies any claims for warranty if the dealer tells him the car has been modified, without actually looking in to the issue. The dealers need to realize people who own the BRZ, LGT, FXT, WRX and STI are going to modify their car. It's just how that car is marketed and sold. The dealers need to prove that modifications are what affected the part coming in to be warrantied. Right now I'm running my car on a base map from my tuner so I'm actually detuned below the factory HP at the moment so saying more power isn't the issue. I'm honestly impressed they went through the hassle of finding that I had TGV and EGR deletes because on this motor you have to pull the intercooler off to see this. I didn't leave the sensor wires hanging out in the open when i removed them either so it wasn't something to be seen in plain sight. They go throught he trouble of taking my engine apart but not even look at the clutch assembly lol

If you aren't noticing anything going on with the clutch as far as strange noises, engagement issues, slipping, or funny smells. I would probably say there is a chance it has just reached it's break-in point and that may just be the way it is. My stock clutch with 65k miles on it is fairly heavy. My wife trying to burn it up while learning to drive my car lightened the pressure a little but it is still heavy to me.

 

Clutch feel is pretty subjective and most wrx owners may be in the same boat but just haven't noticed it since it probably occurs incrementally and you adjust the pressure you put on it to compensate.

 

I would recommend at this point either taking it somewhere reputable, taking it to your friend, or getting a lawyer and going back to the dealership.

So I got the SOA representatives email today and I sent him a long winded response on my dealership experience, hopefully he can see the light with this, maybe not. Anyways we'll see how it goes.

I looked at the parts diagram for the 2015 WRX, and they do not have a separate clutch damper mid way between master cylinder and slave cylinder like we do, it is part of the clutch master cylinder assembly like previous WRX's and STi's.

 

[ATTACH]227333[/ATTACH]

 

 

And RZA, just for your reference, this is what we are talking about.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/clutch-damper-valve-delete-223235.html?t=223235&highlight=clutch+damper+delete

 

thank you for sharing this

So this is the Letter I wrote to SOA today. I'm sensoring out the dealership names because I am not putting them on blast to the public. I hate to sound like I have a sense of self entitlement, but after owning 4 Subaru's and dealing with the same nonsense from the dealer network, enough is enough

 

Hello Jim,

 

My name is John Rufino and I believe you are working on my case for my 2015 WRX. I just wanted to give you my side of the story and my experience with **** ****** Subaru on 3/28/16. I brought my car in to have the clutch looked at, I noticed the pedal has become heavy, I drove a friend's 2015 WRX the other day as well to compare and his was a lot easier than mine. I honestly cannot remember if mine was ever that light or not and while my car is still in warranty, I wanted to have it checked out by the dealer. The clutch doesn't slip and it doesn't struggle to engage in gear (to my knowledge). So to start out I will straight up tell you my WRX has been modified. I have a Cobb Accessport reflash device, Tumbler Valve delete plates, Exhaust Gas Regulator apparatus deletion plates, a Grimmspeed 3-port Electronic Boost Control Solenoid Valve and a Cobb Stainless Steel Cat-Back exhaust. The ECU is reflashed with the accessport, but currently running on a "base map" to clear the codes from the TGV and EGR until I get my car to a tuning shop. I have all paperwork to back it up from this shop and the current map has "de-tuned" my car to safely run until it has been tuned by a professional for said modifications, in other words I am making less power and torque than the factor ECU tune. With this being said the dealership never asked about it so I never said anything, an hour and a half later I speak to the service manager and I was told upon their initial inspection they found the TGV Deletes and EGR Deletes and they would not go further in inspecting my car with this clutch issue. They made their district service manager aware that my car has been modified and I was told if I return the car back to it's OEM state, they will look in to it further for me.

 

So this is where my complaints begin, I bring the car in to have the clutch mechanizing system looked at, for the technicians to see that I have TGV and EGR deletes installed, they need to take apart the intercooler and intake manifold on the engine to see this, why are they doing that when I'm bringing my car in for a clutch issue? Or better yet, why are they starting there and not with the clutch? The EGR and TGV are both part of the intake tract and not the clutch mechanism. I was told if I wanted them to look at the clutch and give it a road diagnosis or any diagnosis for that matter I would have to pay a diagnostic fee. Isn't a diagnosis fee covered under warranty whether or not the actual part itself is covered? This is what I'm not sure about. There a numerous amount of scenarios related to my concern that my modifications have no impact on with the clutch. I could be leaking clutch fluid, the spring mechanism for the pedal could be bad, it could be the master or slave cylinder, or it might just be normal for my car (which is why I wanted it checked out in the first place) A road test could have quickly determined that my clutch itself isn't bad and they could look at what could be bad, and proved whether or not my modified intake system was the root cause of it. I can understand if I brought my car in with a cylinder misfire and I'm running a catless turbo back exhaust system, sure there isn't much the dealership can do for me in that scenario. I'm not trying to play the warranty system I just want a fair due process.

 

Secondly, after all this is said and done, the service writers enter in to their database all of my modifications on my car, essentially black listing my car from further warranty work if I wanted to go back to them or another subaru dealership. What they are doing in another example would be say I bring my car in for a tail light wiring harness being burnt out and refusing to repair it under warranty because I have my engine modified. In my experience owning a WRX and previously a legacy GT, any time I have brought my cars in to the dealer the odds are already against me in them working with me, rather they're against me because they are purposely looking for reasons to void my warranty. Something SOA and the dealer network needs to realize is, people who own the BRZ or any of the turbo platform Subaru's are going to Modify their car, it's how the car is marketed and with the amount of aftermarket support there is, it is an expensive performance car to have. However we are still entitled to the factory warranty's on our car as long as it can be proven that our modifications did not affect the claimed part that has come in for warranty work. I understand that can be a little more time consuming, but if it's covered by warranty, why not? I come from a former mechanical background and now turned engineer, I would think from the technicians standpoint this would be a more rewarding and stimulating job to work on one of Subaru's most iconic cars than to fix the bluetooth in Mrs. Smith's outback or another oil change.

 

Thirdly, my issue with this I believe is their District Service Manager, I have had another warranty issue back in september that I took to another dealership in the area, Subaru of ********** and it was the same deal, I won't get in to that story but because the service department told their DSM that my car had been modified without looking in to the actual issue they denied warrantying my part. I'm starting to believe their DSM has a strict policy of not warrantying modified cars whether or not the modifcation has anything to do with the issue. This is absurd and brings me back to the point I made above. I've been a loyal subaru customer for the entire 11 years I've been driving. I've owned a 1998 Legacy L, a 2009 Legacy 2.5i, a 2008 Legacy GT Spec.B and now the 2015, all have which were bought from your dealers. The 2 legacys (one not being a performance car btw) and the WRX have always been a pain to get any warranty work done on. So my question to you is, what is the purpose behind these warranties when we the customers are paying big money for these cars and the dealers are working against us rather than with us? I'm sorry that my email may come off as brash or a feeling of self entitlement, however being a loyal subaru customer for 11 years now and the constant struggle of the dealer network trying to crush us as customers, I feel it's warranted. All I want is a fair due process in this scenario.

 

Respectfully,

 

John Rufino

Legacy is spelled with a capital "L".

well **** me for missing the low hanging fruit on the tree and look I capitalized Legacy 3 other times

However, <-----

 

Seems reasonable to me, grammar aside you are making a good point with your subaru history, but allow me to point out that modifying a vehicle for more power, which is what you have done like it or not, directly affects the life of the clutch and the abuse it may encounter.

 

And to access the clutch components the tech would have to remove or at least look around the tmic and hey lookie there at those shiny new tgv deletes...

 

You make some valid arguments, but I think the burden of proof in this case will lie with you. And the diagnostic fee is refunded if a warranty issue is found, at least that is how the dealers do it around here. I had to pay almost $200 for the dealer tech to tell me nothing was wrong with our 07 Legacy when it would shudder shifting to 2nd. Luckily a local shop got me some friction modifier and it took care of the issue

I asked this question on one of the 2015 WRX owners facebook groups and a guy said he had the same issue, he was stg 2+ and they fixed it under warranty no issue. instead of telling me what his problem was, I got lambasted for not helping others out and telling them what dealer it was that I dealt with. Oh well This is what I hate about the WRX community, it's a constant pissing match over who's tuner is the best or what oil they use and how it's better. I do really miss this part of the legacy community where everyone helped each other out and respected one another's opinion on those things. I appreciate everyone's help here so far on this issue, I'll keep you informed if I learn what it is or what SOA's take on the situation will be.

Just message the guy and circumvent the public part of social media.