Clutch Replacement in Teignmouth

Teignmouth is a seaside town at the mouth of the River Teign, with a harbour, a seafront and the bridge to Shaldon. Add steep hills and summer visitors and you get a lot of slow queues and hill starts, which wear a clutch.

Automaster, trading as Clutchmaster at Automaster, is a South Devon garage known for clutches. Below we cover symptoms, the job itself and how to ask for a quote.

How do I know my clutch is worn out?

Watch for slipping, where revs rise without matching acceleration, and judder when you set off. A biting point creeping up the pedal, a burning smell and a pedal that feels heavy, vague or sinks are all common. Difficulty selecting gears can mean a clutch or hydraulic problem.

Hills near the seafront and bridge approaches will make any weakness obvious.

Many drivers put up with a creeping biting point for months, adjusting how they drive without noticing. If you find you now lift the pedal almost fully before the car moves, that is a clue the clutch has worn well down.

• Slipping under acceleration
• Judder from a stop
• Biting point high or vague
• Burning smell
• Pedal sinking or sticking

What will you do during a clutch replacement?

We remove the gearbox, take out the old clutch and fit a new kit with a pressure plate, driven plate and release bearing. We inspect the flywheel, spigot bearing where fitted, and the engine and gearbox seals.

Once back together we check the pedal and test drive.

The release bearing deserves a mention: a whirring or rumbling noise that changes when you press the pedal often comes from it, and it is cheaper to replace it with the clutch than separately later.

Why not just replace the driven plate?

The friction disc is only one third of the set. The pressure plate loses spring tension and the release bearing wears with it. Fitting only one component risks early failure, and the labour to reach them is the same either way.

Replacing the set is the sound choice for a lasting job.

Where the seals around the clutch are weeping oil, we tell you, because oil on the friction disc causes slipping and judder in a brand new clutch just as quickly as in an old one.

When is a flywheel or hydraulic repair the answer?

A dual-mass flywheel that rattles or shudders needs replacing, usually along with the clutch. A hydraulic fault such as a leaking slave cylinder, failing master cylinder, damaged pipe or air in the system may be a repair on its own. Cable clutches may simply need adjustment or a new cable.

We confirm after inspection, not before.

Cable and hydraulic faults can look identical to a worn clutch from the driving seat, which is exactly why inspection matters.

Do you cover Teignmouth, and where is the garage?

Yes. We are Automaster at Longcombe Cross near Totnes, and drivers from Teignmouth, Dawlish, Newton Abbot, Stoke-in-Teignhead and Milber come to us. We are an RAC Approved Garage.

Tell us the symptoms when you call so we can advise on driving the car in.