Clutch job needed - shops require diagnosis

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Apr 1, 2018
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591
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TX
I think my 2009 Mazda 5 may need a clutch job. I'm getting an intermittent clutch pedal quiver and when that happens, the engagement is shaky. The car has 173K mi on it, and I'm pretty confident this is the issue. I have bled the slave and also plan to replace an easily accessible lower mount, but I was able to hear a faint noise during the quivering. I'll drive it a bit more to see if things get worse, but I wanted to get an idea of what a clutch service would run me. The two shops I contacted can't give me an estimate for the job without first doing a diagnostic (at a charge), which I'm a bit annoyed by. I understand that if I have a symptom and I want them to figure it out, and I can do that as a formality once I decide on the shop. But at this point, I just want to know what a standard clutch job costs, what the shop does (resurface flywheel?) and what parts they would use (factory, aftermarket, and if the latter the specific kit). But now it seems I have to pay multiple shops (and a few hundred $) to do a diag before I can get a price and pick a shop. And I highly doubt the diag includes looking at the flywheel or bearning.

Anyone know a way around this? Or what a job on a relatively generic FWD car runs? The job itself looks to be fairly typical. It is something I have toyed with doing myself, though it is at the outside edge of my experience. I can source the parts (including the factory upgraded fork and pivot pin) for less than $200. Another reason for maybe doing it myself is that I also have to replace the CV axle on that side and the lower control arms, so I'll have some of those parts off the car anyway. No lift or anything, but just a jack and stands. It seems more hassle than I want to deal with, but knowing the cost and what work is performed (or not) may help me make a decision.
 
When any "professional" wants to charge for a diagnosis, my immediate question back to them is "If your diagnosis is wrong, and the work you did based on your recommended fix does not solve the issue, will you refund the labor money, or credit the labor charge to the proper repair which actually fixes the problem ???"

Shops which want to charge for diagnosis and then won't even back up their assessment with a guarantee are ones to be avoided.
 
Per Napa:

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Keep things simple. Order the parts that you think you need, hire a mobile mechanic, give them simple orders to replace the clutch and CV axles. The responsibility is yours for diagnosis.

Nobody on the internet can tell you if you can DIY everything, have enough tools, or the mechanical knowledge, but that’s how I got started. It took a lot of time and investment in myself and tools.

Good luck.
 
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Using OE parts the clutch disc, plate, flywheel, etc are about 1K-1200 in parts alone plus CV, I would not go that route on a 13 year old with 175K on it. I would put a LUK (made by Sachs) clutch kit, pilot, throw out and flywheel in it, they are decent parts and will last a long time. Throw a couple of GSP CV axles in.
If you get an engine support and transmission jack from HF it should be a fairly straight forward DIY job.
 
Using OE parts the clutch disc, plate, flywheel, etc are about 1K-1200 in parts alone plus CV, I would not go that route on a 13 year old with 175K on it. I would put a LUK (made by Sachs) clutch kit, pilot, throw out and flywheel in it, they are decent parts and will last a long time. Throw a couple of GSP CV axles in.
If you get an engine support and transmission jack from HF it should be a fairly straight forward DIY job.
I did mine with the engine support and transmission jack from HF like you mentioned and it wasn't all that bad. I have a spare car and could leave it broken in the garage though. I'd recommend an Exedy clutch myself since they come with multiple styles of throwout bearing and there is an updated clutch fork he can get from Mazda that has a larger pivot ball. I had my flywheel resurfaced as there were no aftermarket ones available at that time (Covid). Think that ran $60

Sadly my Mazda got side swiped last week and will probably be headed to the junkyard.. Mechanically its fine, but the whole side got messed up.
 
Don't expect to do the job using typical 3 ton jack stands. You should have four, 6 ton jack stands. That Mazda is a cinch to replace a clutch on compared to an Audi A4 quattro.
 
Don't expect to do the job using typical 3 ton jack stands. You should have four, 6 ton jack stands. That Mazda is a cinch to replace a clutch on compared to an Audi A4 quattro.
Quattro are a bugger even with a lift. I just did one on my S4. OE clutch, bolts, and assorted bits with DMF $2400 in parts. I have the engine out for a refresh so that makes it much easier. The DMF cannot be resurfaced or replaced with a SMF, they tend to fail inside anyway so it is better to bin the thing and put a new one in.
 
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I'll bet it's just the throwout bearing not sliding back on the nosepiece of the trans. That lets the throwout bearing ride on the clutch fingers. Try to get some kind of lube in there and see if it improves.
The old mechanical linkages would allow you to lift the clutch pedal with your toe, I'll bet hydraulic ones won't do that. (never owned one with hydraulic clutch)
 
Some shops are gun shy about giving quotes over the phone because people want to hold them to it as gospel.

You need a more low key, relaxed, and probably smaller shop. I'm not suggesting the bigger places are in the wrong. I don't have a problem saying, "If it just needs XYZ the range is $X to $Y depending upon parts used. I can give you a closer number once I've looked at it."
 
Using OE parts the clutch disc, plate, flywheel, etc are about 1K-1200 in parts alone plus CV, I would not go that route on a 13 year old with 175K on it. I would put a LUK (made by Sachs) clutch kit, pilot, throw out and flywheel in it, they are decent parts and will last a long time. Throw a couple of GSP CV axles in.
If you get an engine support and transmission jack from HF it should be a fairly straight forward DIY job.
Trav, concur on your LUK recommendation. But, wouldn't the axles be GKN?
 
We also have a 2009 Mazda5. I noticed the clutch slipping, chickened out, and farmed it out to a local transmission shop.

That was around 2017. IIRC, the total was under C$1000.

It's still working well nine or so years later.

I'll try to find the bill - it looks like I didn't scan it yet.
 
I'll bet it's just the throwout bearing not sliding back on the nosepiece of the trans. That lets the throwout bearing ride on the clutch fingers. Try to get some kind of lube in there and see if it improves.
The old mechanical linkages would allow you to lift the clutch pedal with your toe, I'll bet hydraulic ones won't do that. (never owned one with hydraulic clutch)
If it's still the original slave, the thing is old enough that it is probably near the end anyway. Probably has a boot on it too, making it hard to lube?
 
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.
 
If it's still the original slave, the thing is old enough that it is probably near the end anyway. Probably has a boot on it too, making it hard to lube?
I'm not referring to the slave cylinder, but the actual throwout bearing. No sleeve, just a whole bunch of transmission/bell housing around it. Some had inspection covers long ago.
 
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