Clutch job needed - shops require diagnosis

[SC Maintenance]

There used to be a shop locally that was really good - they would replace what I asked. Only used twice - but once the work order was "replace heater core per customer request" for example. Was no problem for them. If it did or didn't fix things - not there problem. Unfortunately they closed, unsure why - they always had lots of work.

How much $ is the diagnosis? If its not too much might be worth while if the shop is well regarded.

 

[PontiacHO]

Free diagnosis isn’t a priority for a high quality super busy shop. I’m sure that This is negative thinking but it’s not wise business practice to perform a free diagnosis and quote and then the customer shops that and ultimately will find a lower tier shop to make the repair. Probably a lower tier repair also….

 

[Trav]

Trav, concur on your LUK recommendation. But, wouldn't the axles be GKN?

It is a Mazda so I cant say if GKN are even available for that car. If they are and the price is not sky high then sure.

I would be surprised if OE is still available. Regarding the clutch/hydraulic parts, it depends on what's OE in there now. I would probably use Valeo if my inspection led me to believe they were the original supplier.

Every time I had one of these "experts" diagnose one of mine, I usually was rewarded with a diagnosis that I could not support. Well you can guess what happened next; it started with me rounding up my tools.

Even if it was a Valeo OE you are not getting the same quality as OE with any aftermarket. If the car is driven normally not dumping the clutch from redline or power shifting a quality aftermarket unit is no problem.

 

[vwmaniaman]

My wife's 87 VW Cabriolet had the clutch go bad around 160k, and VW in a fit of wisdom put a tang on the top of the transmission and the center point of balance. I had a wire rope crank lift in the ceiling of my garage that was mounted to the trusses. It was a manual lift with a crank that my wife was turning for me. Unbolted the axles starter and bell housing and down it went straight and level. Owe them big time for putting that tang on that transmissionmission. Maybe Mazda was that smart too. We have a 2012 Mazda 5 with automatic.