[pchriston]

Hi I bought a Toyota CHR in March 22 with 16,000 miles on the clock and it is a 68 plate. It still has just over a year warranty left and i took out 1 year extended warranty however this week i have noticed it doesn't feel right driving. The bite on the clutch is higher up than it used to be and also when gently accelerating the revs go higher. I have been told it sounds like a clutch problem so i have booked it into my local toyota garage to be checked over. However they have said if the problem is the clutch it won't be covered under warranty as it is classed as wear and tear. The car now has just over 21,000 miles so i have done 5,000 miles since purchasing the vehicle in march and have been the owner of many cars (none a Toyota) of which were a lot older (7&8 years) and had a lot more miles on and i've never had to have a clutch replaced so i am wondering what has happened to allow this to happen. The car was last serviced in September 2021 and MOT of which it passed and had done 15500 miles at the point the MOT was carried out. I purchased the car in March 2022 and it had 16,344 miles on so from September to March it had done less than a 1,000 miles and then a further 5,000 miles since i purchased it. I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this kind of problem. I purchased the car thinking it had really low mileage for 3 and a half year old and had the warranty and extended warranty so wouldn't be costing me much for the next few years apart from wear and tear like tyres, brake pads. If anyone has had to have a clutch replaced on a CHR, what sort of cost did it involve? Thanks

 

[Toybaru1]

Toyota now has 10 year warranty if serviced by them so no need to pay for a warranty. Clutches and brakes are not covered unless a mechanical failure, lining wearing out is wear and tear, different driving styles of current and previous owners can see a clutch off prematurely.

 

[gavinrissone]

Certainly sounds like the clutch has worn and it would be interesting to know whether it was on the way out when you bought it or whether all the excessive wear has been since then. I don't know how you can establish that but I'd hope you would have some consumer protection if there is any doubt that the clutch was due replacement at point of sale. It has only been 4 months.

Did you buy it privately or from a dealer?

I have heard of clutches getting killed early, no particular manufacturers, but that is due to misuse such as racing starts, holding car on hill using clutch, or resting your foot on the pedal whilst driving. Presumably you are not guilty of any of these.

When the replacement is installed ask for the old item to be inspected to see if there are any clues as to the reason for failure. For instance, is it worn down to the rivets, is it heat damaged or is it contaminated with oil? Also check the flywheel for damage.

 

[pchriston]

Thank you both for your comments. I bought it from a motorpoint garage rather than a toyota dealer which had really good reviews. Yes i think it be hard to prove what damage was done from previous owner. I have emailed motorpoint customer services to see if they can offer any assistance as a gesture of good will with having car for such a short period of time i will also ask as u suggest what kind of damage has occurred and what could of caused it. I am now.worrying what sort of cost its going to entail.. with it being a dealer their.labour charges are another level but as the car is under warranty i assume the repairs have to be carried out at dealer otherwise will void warranty.

 

[Toybaru1]

Easiest thing is call dealer and get a quote for the work. Hope you get a resolution

 

[pchriston]

Bad news the clutch has gone and its not included under the warranty as its a wear and tear item despite only having 20,000 miles on clock. 1300 its going to cost if flywheel needs replacing too which they not sure abour yet till they open it up to replace clutch. Part is on order. Didnt expect this kind of expense on a car i bought 4 month ago with low milesage.

 

[pchriston]

That must of been what happened. When u buy a used car its the unknown but due to the low mileage thought it was a pretty safe bet
Lesson learnt.

 

[forkingabout1978]

Clutches are a wear & tear item plus you won't know how the previous owner treated the clutch.
Some people can destroy clutches in a short space of time.

Maybe there where resting there foot on the clutch pedal while driving & / or sitting still in gear waiting in traffic with clutch pedal depressed which both lead to early clutch death.

In 27 years of driving I've only replaced 2 clutches on 2 different vehicles I've owned.

1 - as the gearbox was out to replace the engine rear main crank seal & its just good engineering practice as the labour required is basically already done.

2 - factory fitted original clutch pressure plate failed at 97k miles / 11 years old - wear & tear.