[azazel1024]

Deffinitely a milage opposed to time issue with replacement. nearly 80k sounds like it could be on the early side still, but it depends. My friends '93 escort has had the clutch replaced every 40k miles almost like clock work (at like 40k, 82k and at about 125k miles). A lot depends on how you drive, 80k doesn't sound like 'bad' milage to get before it dies, but of course I would also want to try to drive the car into the ground before it goes (just like I would want brake pads to last the life of the car). Other then defective clutches I have seen them last on cars from about 25k to over 150k before dying...a lot depended on how the person drove the car and some on the car itself (some cars seemed to last a lot longer then others).

Anyway more highway miles then city, gentler starts and proper clutch use/shifting all make it last a lot longer. So far I have ~30k with the clutch still going strong.
-Matt

 

[azazel1024]

[quote author=sevin7 link=topic=74525.msg1341782#msg1341782 date=1176768447]
well the thing is, i wouldnt ever stall, i just didnt realize that i sucked at it. I would drive it crazy as hell and that combined with me not using brakes when stopped on a hill is probably what mest it up.
[/quote]

Ummm, yeah holding it on a hill with the clutch is going to burn it up badly. I hope like heck you have learned how to drive it by now. My advice for anyone is if you don't know how to drive manual and you have no logical understanding of how it should work get someone to teach you. I had a damn good logical understanding of how it should work and I managed to teach myself how to drive my 3i really well after about maybe 100 miles. Even within the 100 miles I never abused the clutch and only stalled a few times, after 100 miles I was pretty damn confident and never really had any stalling issues and had decent shifts most of the time (every once in awhile I will manage a sloppy shift even now, but who doesn't every once in a great while?).
-Matt

 

[azazel1024]

[quote author=mctwist link=topic=74525.msg1679406#msg1679406 date=1188482541]
If it was under the manufacturers warranty period, say 30K miles? I ask because they wouldn't cover my brakes under warranty and said that nobody covers brakes "its not a warranty item, its a normal wear & tear item".....they shuddered and squealed with just 17k on them.
[/quote]

12,000 miles or 1 year. Check your warranty information, the clutch disk is listed under wear and tear coverables along with brake rotors and pads. There are a few other things under there. Standard coverage on basically all cars is 12k/1yr for wearable items.
-Matt

 

[azazel1024]

Yeah that is the problem with clutches, a little bit like brakes. You can drive them fine for a long time, but abuse them BADLY just a few times and they are toast.

Either you wear the material off them really fast, or more likely you glaze the clutch material (a lot like what can happen to brake pads/rotors). A few high RPM smokey abusive clutch drops in a row can completely kill a brand new clutch or a lot of riding the clutch, using it to keep your car on a hill, etc can take thousands or tens of thousands of miles off a clutch.
-Matt