Honda Civic: Clutch Slipping

[Gerrard]

Well, it had to happen eventually. Only had the car 4 months, (car is 3.5 years old and 43k miles) and the clutch slipped a couple of times yesterday (M40 is surprisingly hilly in and out of London!). It's a known issue with the diesel Civics, and reading the owner's forum I'm really surprised this hasn't been blasted on Watchdog and so on. No warranty and the service history is lacking a bit, so looks like a £585 pay out (fixed by Honda because it's so common). That's assuming the Dual Mass Flywheel isn't a problem as well, in which case it's another £850 on top.

I could probably sell the car and cut my losses, but I actually quite like it. Getting another one would just end up wth the same problem eventually, and getting one from a dealership with 12 months warranty would actually cost more (at least £2000 more it seems!). I could get an after market warranty, but it looks like they only cover the breakdown of parts, so would have to drive it into the ground before they paid up. Finally, I could just be sensible and get another Focus...

Honda are apparently trialling a new clutch; on three cars (one in UK, USA and Japan). With such thorough testing, I think I can see why this problem occured in the first palce. Since I don't use it much (trip to the LAN next week will be biggest journey in the coming months), I might be able to cope until the new part comes out later this year.

[GoNz0]

wtf ?

cost me £500 for a clutch and flywheel on the 328 bmw from the local garage...

[jon bda]

That a ridiculous price for parts to be honest, iirc Honda diesels use the Vauxhall cdti engines?

[GoNz0]

even more reason to find a none main stealer to do it.

[Gerrard]

True. I've contacted my Dad who knows a few people (he currently works at a VW garage) to see if I can get it cheaper. Problem would be geting the correct part and then if there are any special tools needed. By the way, those prices quoted are inclusive of parts and labour.

Just to put this into perspective, here's a thread of some of the people who have had this problem: -

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/engines...ster-here.html

[Vimeous]

Gerrard it might be worth giving Richie at Performance Autoworks in Fairford a ring. He is a Honda specialist who I, and many on the Honda Revs forums, have been using for years.
He should be able to give you a valuable second opinion/cost.

Also shop around the different dealer groups if they're close enough. They'll be very happy to compete no doubt.

[Vimeous]

wtf ?

cost me £500 for a clutch and flywheel on the 328 bmw from the local garage...

How much was the 'official' cost to give an idea of the saving possible?
You'll also find the Civic is, at a guess, putting out twice the torque of the 328 so the clutch is likely a different beast altogether.

[GoNz0]

How much was the 'official' cost to give an idea of the saving possible?
You'll also find the Civic is, at a guess, putting out twice the torque of the 328 so the clutch is likely a different beast altogether.

i am not stupid enough to even ask a main dealer, and price wise you need to account for the BMW rip off factor as well ! (hence not asking and doing nearly all the work on it myself)