clutch = end of the line?

[dash]

Hello all

Citroen C5 Estate 2002, 2.0HDI 110BP

I have had the above car since nearly new. I bought it in 2003 with 16K on the clock. Now has 190K.

The car has been excellent, apart from the usual pads, new wipers, it has never given me any trouble. Passed its MOT last week with no advisories or issues. I have looked after it, regular servicing from local independent garage.

So all in all, love the car. Brought my children home from hospital in it, towed a caravan in it, French holidays you name it.

This week the clutch has started to slip. Only in 4th gear at about 2000 revs. soon recovers, all other gears are currently fine. This is the original clutch.

My local garage (who knows the car) has said he reckons £400-£450 (all in) for a new clutch.

Whats the board views? I think I am being a little emotive about the car. The cars not worth much (few hundred tops) so to spend best part of £500 seems mad? Whats to stop something else going? Nothing I guess.

he also says my clutch is a peculiar as its hydralic and makes the clutch more expensive due to the parts required and labour (reckons its a days job), he charges £13 an hour.

Any views? And how long have I got? I have booked a drive to Calais end of June, reckon I should cancel it?

work are pushing me to a lease car, maybe its time.

Would like to hear views?

thanks
dash (gutted)

[jgra1]

hmm ,
that's a cheap Mechanic Dash.. although he will be making a bit on the parts.. still, price sounds about right.. good that he knows the car.
the engine should go on for ever.. it's a good opportunity to bin the dual mass flywheel also, which can and will fail at some point and requires removing gearbox anyway..
tricky.. car could well keep going for many more years, especially as you have looked after it well..
my vote, keep with her..

if you had brought the car on 100K for a few hundred £, then you wouldn't have the long history - which is worth a lot in many ways.. and I wouldnt suggest it..

alternative, but the parts for ?1-150 and get someone who;s a freind and handy to help do it with you..
whereabouts are you ?

John

[red_dwarfers]

Personally I'd say stick with what you know. With a new car you might end up having to spend just as much on other things as it will be pretty much an unknown quantity.

[Hell Razor5543]

Doing the maths would possibly help here. The original clutch has lasted for 10 years. If you replace it (and the bl00dy DMF at the same time), and the total cost hits £600 (at worst) that seems a lot of money. However, taken over the same period of time, that works out as £60 per year, or £5 per month.

I would also agree with jgra1 and red_dwarfers, in that you know the car, and how well it has been maintained for the vast majority of its' mileage. Unless you get another car with 16Kmiles, you are buying an unknown vehicle. How does they saying go? Better the devil you know than the devil you don't. You have a solid, reliable, well loved car with an engine that is beloved by this forum (properly looked after it will keep on going until hell freezes over (and probably past then as well!)). Get the clutch done and look forward to another decade of enjoyable Citroen driving.

[SaabC5]

You know the car, you trust the car so stick with it. You could go out and buy another vehicle and let yourself in for a whole world of issues. BTW, where's this mechanic that works for £13 an hour!

[dash]

Hello all.

Firstly thank you for the replies, you seem a nice friendly bunch.... why I never came here before I don't know...


Anyway.

I am in rural Lincolnshire, the garage is the local one man affair. Its actually a old hanger he works in, no overheads of waiting rooms, only honest mechanic I have ever met. He does not charge VAT on labour as he doesn't work enough, plus I get all the receipts with any parts I get (leave them with the box in the car).

But anyway, you are the only bunch of people to say keep it! From the kids to my wife all say ditch it. My only half way house is to get a new C5 estate on lease............ (£130 a month for the 1.6 model... any views).

I don't know... anyone know how long it will last? just did the school run (8 miles / rural / town) and it didn't slip once....

Dash

[neil123]

Dash - just a thought mate - if you lease a C5, in 4 months you'll have paid as much as it would cost to fix yours.

Absolute no-brainer to me, keep what you know and love. (assuming she's had a cambelt, nothing much ese goes wrong!)

If you're pushed down the new car route, you'll be paying EVERY month - forever if you get into the lease trap.

And if you do go that route, put her on here for sale!

PS If you drive gently and make sure the clutch is fully up before accellerating, you could squeeze another few thousand miles out of that clutch!

I'd still just get it done, if it were mine.

Hope that helps!

Neil

[SaabC5]

Drive it gently and it will probably last another 10k miles. In the meantime keep an eye out on Europarts for deals they do every so often like 25% off clutch kits. You can then buy the kit as cheap as possible and leave him to sort it out when it does go. I've seen LUK dual mass flywheel/clutch kits on there for £299 delivered so £225 after discount.

[dash]

Hi Neil

Yes it had a cambelt at 101K. Thinking about it, needs another one now don't it? Isnt it every 10 years or 100K miles? (something like that anyway?!?).

I know it had one as I remember him telling me about it, plus he writes with permanent marker pen on the plastic covers when he replaces something major. Its like graffiti in there.....

I like the point about 3 months into a lease and I could paid for her to be fixed......

Saab - Where do I track the deals? on here?

So I am fully informed, whats the opinions on new c5 estates?

Dash

[Hell Razor5543]

The simplest way to check their deals is to regularly look on their website (say, once a week). This is the link to ECPs' site;

http://www.eurocarparts.com/car-parts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

However, ECP also has an on-line only subsidiary, Carparts4Less, and this is their website;

http://www.carparts4less.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EDIT; Carparts4Less are doing a solid flywheel conversion kit that might convince you to stick with your C5;

http://www.carparts4less.co.uk/cp4l/c/C ... f7d&000299" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

But you MUST make sure that it is the right one. I selected Citroen C5, 2002, 2.0l, Diesel, so it should be right, but I would enter the vehicle registration to make certain. Good luck.

[Rhothgar]

Yup. Put the money into a car you know well and has served you well. Time for a little payback. That's how I see it.

It really doesn't matter if you have to spend a grand over a year or two (providing you have the money to spend)

[JohnD]

I'm another who says keep what you've got ---------------- but does a 2002 110 engine have a DMF?

[Hell Razor5543]

I did a quick Google search, and the results would suggest that a 2002 C5 does have a DMF.

[neil123]

Opinion on the new C5 estate?

Lovely, if it was someone else's money. And you coud park it in this god-forsaken island without worrying about someone keying it/bumping it/trolley dinging/door dinking it.

So - yep, I'll probably get one - in about 10 years, when its long-term owner gives it away because it needs a new clutch...

In the meantime - when i worked in the trade, a long time ago, it was a common enough joke among staff -Q 'How do you make a small fortune?

R 'Start with a large fortune and visit the showroom!...


Says it all really - new clutch, DMF if it has one, new belt... and keep the beggar!

You know it makes sense...!

Neil

[Rhothgar]

I forgot to say and I haven't read this post fully so I may be echoing someone else.

You'll probably still have 20k left or more if it is not a DMF. Maybe same with DMF I don't know.

I bought an HDi with a slipping clutch that was going to the scrappers last April.

It's a great car. Have done 6-7k in it since August when I put it on the road.

Secret I was told is to drive along at 40-50mph., dip clutch. Rev to redline (assuming you've had your cambelt done) and flick your foot off the clutch. Do this several times. It seems to free up the springs. Worked a treat for me and many others on the forum. I think citroenxm is an advocate of this method.

A few will agree shorty and maybe a few disagree.

This all depends of course on a known serviced cambelt and standard non-DMF clutch.

Perhaps someone has tried this with a DMF clutch too.