My husband bought his T28 174 TDI new in Aug '05 from Murrays VW, Millbay Road, Plymouth. He's in the building trade (doesn't carry much weight in the van tho) & does a lot of miles. The van's 4 years old in 2 weeks & has done nearly 163,500 miles. The vast majority of his driving is motorway, with the cruise control on.

 

We had a turbo pipe & water pump replaced under warranty, no quibbles from Murrays, to give them credit where it's due. Then, at 120,000 miles in April last year the van broke down on the motorway, with a complete loss of transmission. It was towed back to Murrays who replaced the flywheel & clutch, which cost us £1444.50 + VAT.

 

Then the fun & games started!.... In December '08 the clutch went again. Exactly the same, complete loss of transmission, except this time the clutch had only done 23,000 miles. The van was towed back to Murrays & they said it was due to faulty parts & replaced the clutch & flywheel again under Parts Warranty. 

 

This time the clutch lasted til June '09, and had done 16,700 miles. It was again towed back to Murray's who had by then moved their commercial section to Valley Road, Plympton. They stripped it down & in the Service Manageress's words "it's gone exactly the same as last time but it's not a Parts Warranty issue, it's down to driver abuse".

 

Since the warranty ran out we've had all our servicing done by an independent mechanic so we got him to have a look at it. So did the mechanic from Strashleigh Garage, Ivybridge who'd towed the van to Murrays for the RAC. Both these men had to (reluctantly) agree they thought the damage was down to bad driving/poor gear changing as the centre plate of the clutch had been ripped out & they'd only seen damage like it on clutches from rally cars, etc. The Service Manageress obligingly supplied me with photos of the damage so I could show my husband how he'd been abusing the van & we had no choice but to pay another £685.00 + VAT. This time they didn't rplace the flywheel.

 

 

 

Unbelievably, the van broke down again on Saturday. My husband had just gone through a contraflow on the M5 & went to accelerate out of it - no transmission. I'd driven it to Plymouth on the Wednesday before to get new brakes & our mechanic drove it at that time & it was fine. No judder, nothing.

 

THIS time it's done 3,300 miles & the clutch lasted 5 weeks. It's been towed AGAIN to Murray's, Valley Road & after 3 days they deigned to ring me to say that they will, as a goodwill gesture, replace it FOC..... Sorry???? Goodwill???? They have no idea why it keeps going like this, they say. VW Customer Care Centre weren't much help either, saying their Technical Dept wouldn't want to venture an opinion????

 

I informed the Service Manageress their offer's unacceptable. The previous clutch which cost us nearly £800.00 obviously WASN'T caused by Gary's driving & I want that reimbursed. Also, I suggested it wasn't much good them keep replacing the clutch when each one lasts less & less time. She said to leave it with her so I need info so we can fight our corner.

 

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening and what should be done to stop it happening again, please?

That is the result of torsional vibration - there is a fault in the motor regarding balance, either dmf - front pulley, both etc. I do not know enough of the motor to comment further. 

Has zip to do with driver's driving habits - he's an unfortunate participant in a design that should have been relegated to the rubbish heap a long time ago. Think the T5 is bad - look at the Polo Tdi.

Suggest speaking to an engine balancing company - most guys involved in drag racing etc can point you there.

 

I would google around for clutch plate faults.  Make sure to click on 'Images' rather than the standard search.  The thing is the clutch plate should be up to the job, especially in a van, and assuming your husband isn't a lunatic, something else is clearly wrong. 

 

Good luck    

 

 

 

We doubted all along it WAS anything to do with driving practice. We just didn't feel we could fight our corner last time when all who inspected it reckoned it could have been caused by that & of course we now KNOW that was tosh as the latest clutch has lasted only weeks.

 

I've checked all the invoices concerned & the same part number clutch has been fitted (VW parts) so it can't be a parts fault, as they originally said and no, my husband's not a lunatic. LOL... He's been driving for more than 30 years & has had his own vans for his business for 25 & he has never had a clutch go on any other vehicle.

 

I'll look up the images. We have to get to the bottom of this otherwise, whether they fit the clutch free again & reimburse us for the last one or not, the more worrying issue is it will just keep on happening.

 

Thanks again 

I argued with Murrays that my husband couldn't have suddenly turned into the driver from Hell when we were left with little option but to pay for the 2nd replacement clutch 5 weeks ago. Hindsight's a wonderful thing BUT when this situation arose, Murrays had our van in bits, they were already set to charge us for stripping it down & we needed if for work!

 

Having had the worst year in 25 in our business, we couldn't afford to be transportless now things have picked up a little. Because we didn't know enough about the situation we asked for 2 independent people to look at the clutch damage last time & they both agreed with Murrays it COULD be down to driver abuse. Didn't leave me much room for arguement but now, again with hindsight, we all realise that was bollocks & that's why I'm now searching for as much helpful input as I can get so I can argue the toss with these people & get my money back, in court if necessary.

 

I also need to establish the underlying problem so we avoid yet more problems. Otherwise, if Murrays just fit another clutch as they've offered, we'll be sat at the side of the road waiting to be towed again in a matter of weeks cos this problem will just keep occurring, which obviously we want to avoid!

Despite the faults of the dmf - 120 000 miles to me is a good innings on a clutch, so hubby drove fine for that period, so it says to me failure leads to the replacement install, and seems to carry on from there - the same guys doing it - doing the same fault over and over. 

Does the engine vibrate a lot - check for possible balance problems - compare with another van. (Yep I know - when the job is done that is). It is easy to miss when using the van on a daily basis - you naturally correct any faults etc.

Check for possible surging at idle - dunno that model but check on your fanbelt and watch your tensioner - see if it moves excessively fwd and backwards. Dunno if flywheel can be fitted incorrectly - whether it has a timing position or not - someone who has done it before can advise.

Me in your shoes, I would pull off flywheel and start there and where it is mounted onto, crankshaft etc  You may not get an honest answer as this is now a warranty/chargeable issue, so maybe get a friend willing to get dirty and climb in. Also check the gbox input shaft for possible out of round, maybe got bent or hurt the bearing while pulling box out. I would go through the whole setup, right up to the wheels. Take a good camera with. 

Best of luck.......... Kick ass - hard.

 

Some good advice there

 

Something out of line/bent/not balanced would make sense and cure your woes once found

 

As mentioned there may have been slight sounds/vibrations present but if they crept in over a long period they would seem normal after a while

 

 

The first, original clutch lasted 120,000 miles. The 1st replacement lasted 23,000 miles, the 2nd replacement 16,700 miles and the 3rd replacement has now gone after 3,300 miles so we're now looking at a 4th clutch in 43,000 miles.

 

Does that make sense?

 

Sorry - 5 clutches in total and 4 inside the last 43,000 miles

 

To put that in context, assuming similar performance to the original, 5 clutches should see 600,000 miles on the clock.......

 

 

http://www.usedcarmart.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-8523.html - http://www.usedcarmart.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-8523.html

 

I really hope this is the problem - and then I would love to be a fly on the wall when Mansuvan rips into the Service Manageress at the Main Stealer...

 

 

 

As for the dowel pins, that ties in with something a friend discussed with my husband last week. This is all adding up, guys, & is starting to (hopefully) make sense & this is what I need, so I know what I'm talking about when I take on the Manager of Murrays (no point dealing with the Service Manageress, she hasn't a clue).

 

Thank you all so much, Amanda

 

 

You got it in a nutshell, Jack. That's what I want as an outcome & of course I'll post the outcome on here after all the help I've had.... I had been musing how much to claim for our time etc this morning so I agree with you there too! As for not losing my cool, point taken!!!! LOL

 

 

You mean the dealer accidently lifted a "Join MI6" form instead of a "Repair Clutch" form?

 

I`m starting to think this might be accurate.....

 

Dave

 

I have read this problem here because i also have the same whith my T5 '05.

 

See pictures on the dutch  forum http://www.weetjewel.nl/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22489 - http://www.weetjewel.nl/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22489

 

For the moment i have a new clutch but it is not mounted on the car  and mayby i will wait a bit more to see a solution here.

Last thing i want to experience is a lot of replacements of the clutch.

 

Thx for anyone who can help me with tips.

 

Regards Luc

 

Right, try again! LOL.... Dave's absolutely right. We have been manically busy. Gary's busy, working 6 days a week, 14 hours a day and I've had to avoid the internet cos I'm in the middle of our bookwork & getting it all up-to-date. Plus we had middle child's 18th birthday last weekend.... Really could do without the extra hassle with the van tbh.

 

Anyway, I HAVEN'T forgotten all you wonderfully helpful & informative people on here & had a good laugh at the suggestions as to what might have happened to us.... Sadly, our van saga STILL hasn't reached any sort of conclusion  You'll have to bear with me. This is going to be one VERY long post!!!!

 

Our T5's been with Murrays 4 weeks now & is still in bits. They came up with a course of action 2 weeks ago which was risible. I rejected it & it's been rumbling on since then, with VW negotiating with Murrays. I see little point in speaking to them myself cos they say one thing & then VW say "NO way!" and say another so they can thrash out the details which we will either accept or not. Murrays want to do as little as possible at their own expense whilst VW have been rather more reasonable (but still not offered enough yet, we feel).

 

To say it makes one's blood boil would HAVE to be the understatement of our lives for this year! When I speak to the "Service Manageress" at Murrays I feel like beating MY OWN head to a bloody pulp against a very large brick wall. We haven't even had a "courtesy vehicle" off them! When I complained of this to VW UK the chap I speak with did say I should hire a van (up to £35) a day which they would refund BUT I have no transport to go and organise it & my husband would have to be present anyway as he'd be the one driving it. He doesn't have a couple of hours to spare to go off-site to go and organise one so he's still using my poor old car. I feel the VERY least Murrays could have done is deliver one to our flipping door, 25 miles away or not!

 

Anyway, going back to the beginning, I told Murrays that OBVIOUSLY the last clutch WAS NOT down to my husband's "bad driving" after all and therefore I wanted our £787 refunded, I wanted them to identify the underlying cause & rectify the problem PLUS replace the clutch AND flywheel free of charge as that's what we paid for at 120,000 miles when the first one went & we've never had one that's been up to the job since. I made it very clear I didn't expect to pay them for their time spent on "diagnostics" as we'd paid more than enough the first time round when they CLEARLY didn't do their job properly & we wouldn't be in this mess now IF they'd kept their part of the bargain. I also made it VERY CLEAR that once the parts were stripped out and BEFORE anything was done or decided upon that our mechanic we now use should be able to inspect the van, with me, so we could see for ourselves what the damage is & what it might be caused by.

 

At that point I came on here for your varied & helpful input/experience/knowledge AND phoned VW Uk for support as I felt Murrays were trying to fob us off & worm out of their responsibilities yet again. My opinion maybe but I feel it's entirely justified & I'm quite prepared to go to court to say why IF we don't get the results we want after this debacle.

 

So, Murrays eventually contacted me at the end of the 2nd week (after I'd had several conversations with VW UK) & told me they'd taken the clutch out, had a look, didn't know what the problem was & so they'd sent the gearbox off to a local transmission specialist for an "independent" assessment of the problems with it.... Sorry? Did I miss something? At what point did Murrays have the common courtesy to inform me they thought the gearbox was causing the van's clutch plates to be shredded with greater & greater frequency, ask me if it was ok to send it elsewhere & allow our mechanic & me to view the vehicle BEFORE anything was done or decided upon, as I'd instructed? And why are Murrays sending it elsewhere. According to their radio ad, they're the experts at diagnostics but they claim they don't know what the problem is with the clutches in our van.

 

When the Service Manageress did ring me she waffled on about how of course last time OUR mechanic had agreed my husband had wrecked the clutch plate through bad driving (he didn't say that - he said damage like that COULD be caused be heavy/bad driving & he'd seen it very occasionally in his long experience as a mechanic). In the end I had to spell out to her in no uncertain terms that the blaming my husband scenario was untrue & irrelevant to our current situation & that it had no place in the mix as it was just them buck-passing last time.

 

She also said it "wasn't really Murrays fault" they'd not found the underlying problem (even tho we'd paid their premium rates for their "expertise, experience & knowledge of VWs" when the first cluch was ripped apart, NOT worn out, at 120,000 miles). She said there was only a tiny amount of wear on the part of the shaft going into the gearbox at the clutch end & this was causing only a miniscule amount of play so they had no reason to think that there was a problem with the gearbox that should be investigated further. Also WE didn't tell them to look at the gearbox when we'd taken the van to them previously so it's OUR FAULT this underlying cause has gone unrectified.... I see, so when I go to the doc's with the high blood pressure I now undoubtedly have thanks to Murrays, I must tell the doc what's wrong with me & how to treat it if I want to get better? Ah, that's where I've been going wrong all these years! I thought when you go to the "experts" they're meant to do the job!!!!

 

 

Anyway, this is what Murrays & their "independent" transmission report says...You'll have to excuse me at this point as I'm merely repeating what she said. Once the gearbox was stripped there was "evidence of considerable play in the gearbox" due to "the input shaft and supporting casing" being "heavily worn". They are of the opinion that "the wear in those items could cause the clutch to run off-centre and could cause this damage". Also, according to Murrays, the flywheel's fine.

 

 

1. To replace the clutch (not flywheel) free of charge 2. To repair or replace the gearbox, for which we would be paying for the parts. 3. Not to charge us for the labour for diagnostics & repairs up to the value of the £787 we paid (& shouldn't have) for the last clutch.

 

 

So, I told Murray' Service Manageress that their offer was totally unacceptable, that I'd discuss it with VW UK, that I was extremely unhappy they'd ignored my request to view the van BEFORE any action was taken and that we question their diagnosis & assertion that the flywheel's fine anyway.

 

Now, forgive me for being old-fashioned but where's the apology for getting it totally wrong last time & charging us £787 when they should not have done so? Where's any sort of goodwill or element of compensation for this nightmare scenario? For my husband's 16 hours (approx) sat in the side of the road waiting for the RAC? For my total of 2 weeks working time (minimum!) on the phone to Murrays & VW UK, writing letters, on the internet researching this fiasco and talking to our wonderful, generous mechanic who helps me make sense of all this? And what about our mechanic's hours wasted going to Murrays on several occasions checking over what they're doing as I don't feel I can trust them as far as I can throw them and talking things through on the phone, helping me?

 

IF the gearbox is indeed the underlying cause & I say a very big IF! we wouldn't be in this situation now, with another potentially huge bill before us IF Murrays had done their job properly in the first place.

 

Anyway, so that was 2 weeks ago. I went back to VW UK chap & have had several long conversations with him since, with him then talking to his manager & Murrays etc. He finally came back to me on Wednesday of this week (after 3 & 1/2 weeks without the van) to say that 1. He'd secured us a refund for our £787 from Murrays for the last clutch. 2. The clutch would be replaced FOC. 3. Murrays have told him the flywheel doesn't need replacing as it's fine. 4. The gearbox can be repaired or replaced, whichever we prefer & VW UK would contribute 40% to that with us paying the rest. 5. Murrays had pointed out there was the question of paying for "5 or 6 hours spent on diagnostics", obviously expecting us to pay for that!!!!!

 

I had to reject that offer as well.... I told our VW chap that our mechanic STILL hadn't been able to view the vehicle despite my strict instructions that this was essential and that until he did we aren't in a position to comment or make any decisions regarding the van. I pointed out a couple of things I was extremely unhappy about as well as making it clear no way would be paying Murrays for their "diagnostics" when they were merely rectifying a problem they should have dealt with months ago so he went away to negotiate some more saying he'd phone me yesterday, which he did.

 

As the situation now stands, our mechanic DID go to look at the van yesterday but the gearbox was still at the transmission business. The flywheel couldn't be viewed properly as it's still attached to the van so HOW can they possibly say it's ok & not the problem???? Although our mechanic couldn't view the gearbox he DID see the report on it sent to Murrays by their "independent transmission expert" and, having read the details of the alleged "heavy wear" to the far end of the "input shaft & supporting casing" he is extremely doubtful that could cause the kind of damage our shattered clutch plates are suffering..... There was no vibration, judder, or anything when driving the van prior to this happening. Only 2 days before the clutch went last time our mechanic replaced the rear discs & brakes & test drove it and I'd driven it that day an hour up to Exeter then an hour down to Plymouth to meet him & then home again and it was absolutely fine. From driving it there was no hint of any problem. Then, when the clutch went, same as the first time, my husband wasn't even changing gear - he was going out of a contraflow on the M5, in 5th gear, accelerating (but not hard) and it just went out of gear and then there was nothing. No transmission.

 

Our mechanic feels that wear on the input shaft and supporting casing, as they're describing, would cause play in the gearbox, certainly, but in a fractionally eliptical movement which would NOT put the incredible pressure on the clutch centre plate that would be required to shatter it as has happened. He still feels, most decidedly, that the problem's the flywheel. We're looking into that over the weekend.

 

Yesterday afternoon VW UK chap rang me as promised & said he'd got 1. The refund for £787 secured from Murrays. 2. The cost of their diagnostics covered or written off so it wouldn't cost us. 3. We couldn't discuss any further as I explained that, although our mechanic had been to see the van in the morning the gearbox still wasn't there so we still couldn't reach any conclusions...... He was NOT happy! Murrays had just told him our mechanic had been to see the van AND inspected the gearbox even tho it wasn't even there!!!! So, as he said himself, they'd "lied" to him. Also, that morning, Murrays told our mechanic the gearbox was being delivered back to them today and he was welcome to go see it but when I rang the transmission place who had it at 3pm yesterday they told me Murrays were collecting it yesterday afternoon some time!?!? Why is NOTHING straightforward with them? I also explained to VW UK chap that we didn't know how Murrays could say the flywheel was ok as it was still on the van.

 

So the final upshot yesterday was that we'll discuss things again with our man at VW when the gearbox is back & the van has all it's bits & our mechanic's been to see it. By then we should also have received our £787 refund in the post. Thanks Murrays... He then said it'll be taken out of Murrays hands as he'll pay the RAC to take it to a different VW Main Dealer to do any work on it. The clutch will be replaced FOC and the flywheel too "if necessary". That's no question as that's what we originally paid for and has never been right. Then, our mechanic having examined the gearbox & any necessary research done, we can discuss what to do about that. It's reassuring at least to know that Murrays will have no part in any repairs. I can't say I'm happy about a potential gearbox to fork out for (I've told VW UK I'm not happy with 40%), at any percentage. This is not a good year to be slapped with big bills!

 

Anyway, we're not convinced about this gearbox business and I'm wondering what you all think.... Bearing in mind Murrays said they'd replace the clutch, the flywheel was ok & we needed to fork out for a gearbox repair/replacement, we're all (me, husband, our mechanic + anyone else who'll listen & knows anything about vehicles) of the opininion Murrays chose the gearbox as the scapegoat in all this. They've screwed up repeatedly, we feel, so are looking for something to blame (whilst forking out as little as possible but charging us more)...... When our mechanic was at Murrays yesterday he discussed various things with the mechanics who've worked on the van and the Service Manageress. He asked her what happens next, if the clutch is replaced and we fork out for a new gearbox & then so many thousand miles down the line the same thing happens again and the clutch plate shatters cos the gearbox wasn't the underlying cause.... and she just shrugged her shoulders!!!!!!! Is she having a giraffe??????

 

My personal opinion is that Murrays don't deserve to be in business, let alone be associated with VW's name, and I think I can safely say the chap I've been speaking to at VW UK is thoroughly fed up with them too. They've flanneled him & told him the same rubbish they've told us. My husband now questions whether he'll get another VW van next year (much as he loves his) & we will never, ever deal with Murrays again. I've heard too many horror stories about them & now we've been very firmly put on the receiving end of their appalling lack of "Service! I have to say VW UK chap has been excellent, given the rubbish he's had to plough through, & has ben pleasant, helpful and professional throughout. One redeeming feature to this sorry tale at least!

 

Thank you anyone determined enough to have read through all this & any opinions will be VERY welcome... Cheers, Amanda @:-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It does sound however like Murrays have been less than helpful, probably down to their initial incompetence and wishing to deflect any blame which clearly they cannot

 

It is encouraging to hear that VW is actively trying to negotiate a successful conclusion to this nightmare - however much it will finally cost remains to be seen but it appears that bill would be infinately higher had VW not intervened

 

Now that a different dealer has been tasked to undertake the repair this hopefully will be a turning point for you - If any monies have to be paid towards the repairs I would only agree if the repairs carry a 12 month no costs guarantee

 

Good luck

  For what my limited knowledge of the alleged gearbox problem is worth -"input shaft and supporting casing heavily worn" i presume this means the input shaft bearing has gone and/or has spun on the shaft or in its casing.

 If it was that heavily worn i would have expected the excessive play to have been self evident to the VW technician.

 I cant speak about the independent gearbox specialist, but the thoughts of Murrays repairing your gearbox would alarm me and i would try to avoid that option if at all possible.

 I also think Murrays are being rather short sighted, allowing this to roll on so long- especially to a tradesmans vehicle, and with details of the whole affair read by so many.

 

 

hopefully prospective customers of murrays will read this and natural justice will take it's course.

 

regarding the flywheel. there is no way to know if it is in good working order without actually cutting it open to check (and thus rendering it useless)

inside there is two different thickness springs, one 3mm diameter and the other 4.5mm

the 4.5mm springs shatter, loose their shape i.e. springyness??? and in my opinion are the direct cause of the failure of the flywheel (appauling design concept excepted of course)

 

even if it feels ok to the hand, the spring could still of shattered.

 

this failure of the springs in my opinon will lead to one of two types of clutch failure.

 

1. a piece of the shattered spring gets wedged in between the lobe of the clutch side of the flywheel and the main flywheel, siezes it up and in effect creates a solid flywheel, now there is no damping effect in the drivetrain and failure will occure at the weakest point. like those 1mm thick stainless steel lobes holding the clutch plate together. (are these a designed in weakness by VW?)

 

2. so the spring shatters, the whole mechanism is bathed in thick grease but is not sealed to outside contaminants, like clutch dust, that mixes with the grease and becomes a very fine cutting paste. the shattered spring starts to rub on the casing of the flywheel and the more it rubs the more metal is removed from the flywheel, mixes with the grease and improves the efficientcy of the cutting patse. eventually it wears through 4.5.MM THICK OF STEEL and spits bits of spring round the bell housing.

this is how my flywheel failed, also se this (from MOTOYAKA)        

It's funny I have been following this thread with interest as my van did exactly the same thing. This is the result......

 

 

 

Damage around the bellhousing from the bits being wedged in and dragged around at 2,000 rpm and a couple of holes for welding.

 

Not saying that yours will all be the same, just don't neglect them as the result could be mega expensive. I was lucky  as the bellhousing could be welded, but a new gearbox is a bit pricey

 

how many times did they change the flywheel? (not just clutch)

did they ever change the flywheel? or just say they did (cutting corners)

disclosure of purchase invoices by murrays needed.

 

with regards smidsy

 

p.s. i'll try and post up a photo of the inside of my flywheel to illustrate later.

 

 

Most mechanics I know don't really like replacing a clutch without a dual mass flywheel.  It's just asking for an unhappy customer further down the line.

Good luck anyway....I feel your pain!

 

My sentiments entirely.... I used to work for the Western Morning News Co (Advertising Field Sales Manager for Evening Herald) up to 18 years ago & one of the first things you learn is there is NO more successful form of advertising than word of mouth... Plus if someone is pleased with the service they receive they'll tell some of the people they know. If they're unhappy & disgruntled they'll tell EVERYONE! It's a false economy to try and get out of putting something right.

 

As for how many times the clutch AND flywheel have been replaced, that'd be twice. The first time it went we paid for a clutch and flywheel (@ 120,000 miles). When that replacement shattered 23,000 miles later Murrays (then at Stonehouse) replaced both under parts warranty without any quibble. Having said that we only have their word for that & I now have every reason to believe that doesn't stand for much. As it was a warranty job we had a bit of paper saying only that under the parts warranty the following parts had been replaced: 1. Clutch 2. Flywheel. I think that seeing their purchase records for those parts would be something VW UK would be well advised to do, to verify (or not) Murrays story.  The 3rd clutch to fail was the one they persuaded us to pay for and only the clutch was replaced, not the flywheel. This time they're saying only the clutch needs replacing as the flywheel's fine tho how they can claim to know that I don't know.

 

We don't know yet which VW Dealer it will be taken to. Anywhere but Murrays is a start! After the appalling experiences we have had with them what we would have to say to ANYONE contemplating going to Murrays is "DON'T DO IT!". When we do reach any sort of acceptable conclusion to this sorry tale (which I'm sure we will) it'll be thanks to VW UK & Murrays have had no part in anything acceptable AT ALL! From Plymouth I would imagine their options are Exeter or Newton Abbott, although I know nothing about those VW Dealers.

 

I've just spoken to our mechanic again & he's been taking advice from a well known and the best-respected transmission specialist in the area. They are both firmly of the opinion that even if the input shaft/bearing/support casing in the gearbox ARE badly worn they would NOT cause this sort of damage to the clutch centre plate. He'll be having a look at it Monday & we'll decide what to do about that. Regardless of the gearbox our chap is adamant the clutch & DMF must both be replaced (by someone other than Murrays) so we start with a level playing field, right back at square one with what we paid for 23,000 miles ago.

 

As for taking the time to post this we're very interested in everything everyone has to say & believe strongly that firms like Murrays need to be held accountable. It's just not good enough to take lots of money from their customers & then be arrogant/unaccountable/patronising when things go wrong. They have contractual obligations to their clients which I don't believe they're fulfilling & people need to know about that! They hide behind waffle & warranty babble. Warranties don't affect one's rights and one pays for goods (including parts on a vehicle) the right is that those goods should be of merchantable quality & fit for the purpose intended. I don't think that's been the case in our van scenario ever!

 

As for VW I cannot fault the young man I've been dealing with. His manner & perseverance are admirable but I don't think he's being given the authority to offer us enough to make this whole sorry mess right, under the circumstances.... In the current economic climate VW should surely want to bend over backwards to keep customers like us? Over 20 years we have owned a VW Beetle (old one), a Golf GLS, a VW Caddy, 3 Golf GTis, a VW Polo and now Gary's T5. Incidentally we never had a clutch go on any of those vehicles and at least 3 of them had over 200,000 miles on the clock when we sold them on (& they carried on going after that). We know, personally, at least 1/2 a dozen people who drive Transporters & more who drive VW cars. All are following our story. Next year Gary wanted to trade in the T5 for a new one (once business has picked up).... Now, well would you?

 

Let's see what next week brings & if we've can't conclude this monstrous saga without raising my blood pressure any further... Watch this space @:-)

 

 

 

 

 

Clonky, this IS what they're saying. Strikes me they would have noticed something like this before. Like I said in my huge long update, I think Murrays are looking for something (now they lack someone, ie my husband) to blame.

 

They won't be repairing anything on the van, which I can only say is a great relief.

http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/topic42867_post330852.html#330852 - http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/topic42867_post330852.html#330852

 

decided it was probably worth a discussion on it's own merits and not to polllute this thread with it.

 

hope it's of some use.

 

smidsy.

 

Yes this is what my gearbox is doing I think ??

 

Movement on the shafts and noise when decelerating in 1st or second from gearbox.

 

Did you put a whole new gearbox in ??

 

See this video on this thread

 

http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/dmf-or-shaft-problem_topic43961.html - http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/dmf-or-shaft-problem_topic43961.html

Hi, sorry to read about your issues with you T5, I write as I am in EXACTLY the same position, only your 2 clutches more ahead of me. My fiasco started when I changed my engine, I thought I don't want to be going in there again so I'll change the lot DMF cover and plate bearing etc... preventative works I thought, within 4k miles I had total loss of transmission on the motorway, plate ripped to shreds and the centre completely separated from the friction material all stainless fingers ripped !  As the flywheel was only a few months old and had only covered 4k I simply had the plate and cover replaced.  All good and off we go, within 500 miles I'm back to square one !  Second one ripped out (assuming its the same issue) although I have not taken it apart again to look, it got towed home and sat on the drive ever since.... 

SO if ANYONE want a project feel free to make me an offer, my time with VW and T5's has come to an end. Its a 2010, 2.0 6spd 4Motion, Factory Kombi has 5 seats, owes me 9k NO OFFERS, its had recent 23k miles engine fitted and is very tidy in wonderful Frisian Green.  Come and take it away, it has saab captain seats and rear 12v wiring with leisure battery etc, awning rail part insulated and carpeted buyer gets everything I have to finish interior. Spare stainless exhaust bits and pieces etc Just had NEW Discs and pads upfront, new ones available for rear.  This was to be a keeper for me but wife has had major strop either it goes or I do !

In the intervening nine years of reported (and now well known) problems this clutch one has actually turned out a bit of a rarity. (I stand to be corrected!)  The drive shafts stripping however are still common even on the new model.  I reckon VW should look on the internet a bit more before they design a 'new' model. 

A cynic (who, me ?) might speculate whether the VW engineers who want to fix a known problem have been over-ruled by the bean counters in charge of maximising profits from spare parts sales (driveshafts, DMFs, DPFs, water pumps, free wheels, wheel bearings etc), aided and abetted by the service managers in the dealers.