Clutch Replacement in St Marychurch

St Marychurch is a Torquay suburb with a historic village centre on a hill above Babbacombe, and the residential roads around it are steep. Hill starts, tight turns and parked streets are a daily test of a clutch.

We are Automaster, and we trade as Clutchmaster at Automaster because clutches are our speciality. Here is what to look for and how we go about the repair.

Is my clutch struggling on steep residential roads?

Hill starts expose a worn clutch quickly. If the engine revs rise but the car hardly moves, if you smell burning after a steep pull-away, or if the biting point has risen to the very top of the pedal, the friction material is likely worn.

Judder from a standstill, noise when you press the pedal and difficulty finding gears are also worth acting on.

A clutch rarely fails without warning. Most drivers notice something a few weeks earlier, such as a pedal that bites slightly differently or a faint smell after a hill. Acting then is usually kinder to the rest of the transmission than waiting for a breakdown.

• Revs rising, car lagging
• Burning smell after a hill start
• Biting point near the top
• Judder from stationary
• Gears hard to select

What is involved in a clutch replacement?

We separate the gearbox from the engine, remove the old clutch and fit a fresh kit: pressure plate, driven plate and release bearing. The flywheel is checked for wear and heat damage, and the seals are inspected for leaks.

Once refitted, we check the pedal feel and take the car out to make sure it engages cleanly.

Should the parts be replaced separately to save money?

It is rarely worth it. The labour of removing the gearbox is the largest part of the job, so fitting only the friction disc while leaving a worn bearing or pressure plate risks repeating that work. The components wear at the same rate and are designed as a set.

If your quote seems high, ask us to explain which items are essential.

What about the flywheel and hydraulic faults?

A dual-mass flywheel can fail with noise, vibration or shudder and may need replacing with the clutch. A heavy, sinking or sticking pedal can come from a slave cylinder, master cylinder, pipe leak or air in the system, and sometimes that is a repair rather than a replacement.

We diagnose first so you pay for what the car actually needs.

We cannot promise a repair is possible until the car has been inspected, because a slipping clutch and a leaking hydraulic system can feel very similar from the driving seat.

Do you work on cars from St Marychurch and Newton Abbot?

Yes. Automaster is at Longcombe Cross near Totnes, and drivers from St Marychurch, Ellacombe, Torbay, Newton Abbot and Stoke-in-Teignhead bring their cars to us.

Please describe the problem when you ask for a quote so we can say whether the car should be driven in.