rjc

I've got a MY00 5dr Impreza Turbo which I imported from Holland last year. In the last few months the clutch has got progressively more difficult to use smoothly. In reverse the judder is particularly bad. The car is now out of warranty and has done less than 11K miles, with no hard use or track days.

I spoke to my local dealer (Osbournes Colchester) who have been very good with servicing etc. but they can't touch it unless I'm prepared to pay for the work.

E-mailed my Dutch dealer (Frits Kempen) and he phoned me last night to let me know the score. Dealers don't get any better than this guy, trust me! He is chasing up Subaru NL for me, to get them to authorise Osbourne's to inspect and replace the clutch. If it is not excessively worn then they will pick up the bill, otherwise I have to. Subaru NL want the clutch returned to them for an inspection also.

Having such a new car, with such a low mileage, I'm not going to be happy about picking up a big bill for a clutch.

What is a reasonable cost for a clutch replacement and how can I help to prove it was not down to excessive wear? What does an excessively worn clutch look like?

Rob

rjc

Why dfoesn't this thread appear in today's active topics?

Rob

rjh

Hi,
I've got a Dutch MY00 as well. I had the clutch replaced under warranty because it juddered (had to pay for it then got the money back the following week!). Bad news is it's doing the odd judder again now (@18k, 6k on) but not as bad as before. It's out of warranty now.

From talking to the dealer if you do lots of high rev starts the clutch plate "blues" because of the heat generated - as long as it hasn't got that you should be OK.

Richard

Tip - take a photo of it before you send it off to prove it hasn't been abused!

JFB

Hi Rob,

Just had my clutch replaced under warranty MY00 Dutch import a few weeks before the warranty expired. 14000 miles. Didn't have to pay but it was slightly open ended in that final approval was being sought by Tileys from IM. No news is good news.

I am pretty sure that you would have to be a real track fanatic or 0-60 merchant to be refused however you are outside your warranty. It all comes down to how cooperative your dealer is.

Not much but hope it helps.

Jerome

LEE P

hi m8 , i have my00 uk, and mines been in at 15000 22500 mi;les with the same, they said they have seen alot worse and were not offering to do it foc, in case it fails inspection, im pis5ed off with it, sum say fit p1 clutch under warranty, but my dealer said they have p1 that also do it! im thinkiung of bining it and getting a ap or other upgraded clutch to save time off road and sort it once and for all. lee

The Saint

This is not a Euro Import problem, it happens to loads of Uk cars as well.

The cars are identical.


The Saint

jwhitton

Mine too (UK NL import) had minor judder but decided to leave it as is since a standard clutch replacement will not solve this, see other threads.
Scoobysport recommend a Helix or AP upgrade.

jon

rjc

Was on holiday last week (2K round trip) and noticed that the clutch is making a whining noise occasionally, more so in reverse. Reversed up a steep hill and it smelt badly too.

Combined with the 'check engine' light making an appearance yesterday, I'm beginning to lose confidence in the car somewhat.

Rob

babber

All,

My00 bought in january 2001 has now done 19k. Dealer is reluctant to do this under warranty (Tileys of Bristol).

Judders so bad sometimes that it's unbelievable. Dealer wants me to wait until it becomes a problem, well it is a problem otherwise I'd live with it........

I would have thought that my clutch was blue, as sometimes I do rev it up and slip it. Short term fix!!!

Really annoyed Phill C

rjc

Update:

My local dealer (Osbournes, Colchester) have been authorised by Subaru NL to do the work but I have to pay up front for them to do it. Both my selling dealer (Frits Kempen) and Osbournes have been very good so far.

If all is well, then Subaru NL will refund Subaru UK, who refund my local dealer, who refunds me. Both dealers seem very optomistic that I will get my money back, despite being out of warranty.

The fix is not a straight swap but involves some upraded components apparently.

Rob.

rjh

Be wary of upgraded components (I guess P1 bits). I was told that unless it was a direct replacement then Subaru NL would reject the claim!

Depends what goes on the invoice i guess

Richard

rjc

Both dealers will be using an upgrade set to replace the clutch and this is the recommended procedure for IM and Subaru NL.

I've now got a dilema. If Osbournes do the work I've got to pay up front. If it was a warranty claim it would be £713 and since they can't tell until they've done the work, I have to pay the normal customer rate of £813!

If I spend a day taking the car back to Holland, it's only going to cost me £315 all in (assuming it's my fault)! Although I would have to pay transport/petrol costs, the whole process is simpler and I stand much more chance of getting my money back.

I've got the weekend to decide which is the lowest risk and most cost effective approach to take. Since I live close to Harwichand it's only a 3.5 hour drive to the Dutch dealer I'm very tempted to take a mid week break.

Rob

rjh

If it helps I had my refund the following week It was from the dealer not Subaru NL. The dealer is right next to IM, that helped. Make sure they send the clutch off the same day, confirm it gets there etc. you shouldn't have any problems. As I said before take photos in case they get funny (dealer recommended this).

Richard
(Mail me if you want any more adice)

NickAdams

iTrader: (5)

I also have a little clutch judder on my MY01.It's got around 2700miles on it.Anyone else suffering with this problem on the MY01? (It's a belgian import!)

Cheers,

Nick..

rjc

Update no. 2

Well, how things have changed in such a short period of time. Osbournes won't touch the car without some form of authorisation or payment by myself up front. I then have to ship the parts back to Subaru NL and chase up the refund myself. They are not being co-operative at all.

Now I know I didn't buy the car their but I was hoping that they would be a little more co-operative bearing in mind that it is regularly serviced with them and accessories and repairs have also gone their way.

I've also spoken to Subaru UK warranty department (tel. 01215 222000) and they won't get involved because its over 12 months old.

It looks like a trip to Holland will be the simplest option and certainly the cheapest option if I do end up footing the bill.

It begs the question, why use a UK dealership to service and manitain my car? I thought I was getting something extra for paying a premium to a UK dealership. Are there any good independent specialists close to Ipswich that service Subaru cars?

Rob.

Gary- X705+++

Hi I have had dealings with Subaru Colchester with my dutch MY00 with a fault with my central locking when I first got the car, the long and short of it was I ended up paying.. I now use Subaru Norwich & will never use Colchester again!

Give norwich a call

LEN CARLYON

Hi chaps
If you dont get any satisfaction with these dealers about clutches& they say you will have too pay,but you would like it done cheaper than they would do it, get a quote
and give me an e-mail at subaru.4you@ntlworld.com /or via sidc links
service