Replacing Clutch

[Oldsirhippy]

Hi,

My car is a 7th gen 'tourer'/estate, 2.2l, diesel ctdi 2006 pre-facelift, 5 gears. I have had it for 4 years and it has been a great car to drive as well as being well kitted out, and returns about 42mpg. The clutch is beginning to show its age after 147,000 miles. It is sometimes very difficult to change gear. I have no idea whether it has been replaced in the past so not sure whether it is still the original clutch, though I feel that is unlikely.
The issue is that the cost of replacing the clutch and dual mass flywheel and hydraulic cylinder is in the region of £1200. I am not a mechanic and would not contemplate doing this myself especially when my local garage - great guys - did one in the past and it took them 8.5 hours. A pig of a job they said! Mr Clutch and another local clutch company also quoted similar amounts. The cost of the work may be equivalent to the value of the car, so I am debating whether I should sell it (if possible) or scrap it - but have only been offered £185 max for scrapping it! Overall it 's OK, a few surface scratches. It has leather seats, sat nav, etc... I am loath to scrap it.

• In your experience are the prices £1200 for the clutch quoted correct?
• Is it really such a pig of a job that it takes professional mechanics 8+hours?
• Is it worth spending £1200 on replacing the clutch for the car especially when it has done 147,000 miles?
• At 147,000 mileage what else might go wrong; gear box or engine?

Any thoughts/ideas welcome. Thanks.

 

[Pale]

My acquaintance has a 2.2 saloon (2003 IIRC) and currently counting around 250 thousand miles. The car is still driven everyday, including long trips fully loaded.

From what I've heard, manual gearboxes on these cars rarely have any issues during their lifespan with regular gear oil changes. As for the engine, aside from the example above mentioned, I've seen dozens of 2.2s for sale with a fair bit more than 147k on the clock so I wouldn't worry there either. Regular maintenance is everything, especially with diesels (mind the fuel filter as well).

 

[Oldsirhippy]

Thanks for your reply . I did get the impression that these cars would go on for many more miles than i have done. It was just so disappointing to find that whilst the clutch and DMF cost about £360 on ebay the inaccessible location in the car makes the work very expensive.

I made sure that the genuine Honda fuel filters were fitted and nothing else, I bought them myself and supplied the garage doing the service.

 

[trolleyjack]

For a not too bad pricewise job for your mechanics (if not able to do yourself ), I'd do the following :-

1.Clutch fluid flush/change can ease gear changes, especially if the existing is old and full of gunk.

2. Replace gearbox oil with genuine Honda MTF only.

Mines (2004 tourer) got 189k on now, and engine mounts are just starting to play up.

Bags cheaper than flywheel clutch change, it's always the same on older motors, I did the clutch, flywheel, and timing chains on mine @ 143k but the car was a neglected basket case, and I've time to mess with it, just doing me bit for the environment recyling etc : ).

Cheers T.J.

 

[SayamaAccord]

If the clutch isn't slipping, maybe the hard gear changes are something else, like a worn slave cylinder possibly. But personally I think comparing the cost of the job with the sale value of the car is the wrong way of looking at it. The better way IMO is comparing the cost of the job with the net cost of replacing the car.

 

[Pale]

The better way IMO is comparing the cost of the job with the net cost of replacing the car.

I agree with this, especially if you enjoy the car and can see yourself driving it a foreseeable future. Also, after the clutch + DMF job you really shouldn't have more major expenses for a fair couple of miles (especially not something so labour-intensive).

 

[Bounder]

I thought there was a set price through Honda happiness or maybe that was a long time ago?

 

[Richard B]

Just curious, what are garage prices in the UK for changing the clutch on other FWD vehicles?

From the manual, changing the clutch on an Accord is a similar to other cars.. Suspend the engine, remove driveshaft, then the gearbox and then the clutch ***embly.

 

[nokia]

Honda fixed price is around 790 for the clutch at the moment. Not including flywheel.

If I was going to have this done I would do it at a Honda dealer.