[Sniktam]

Clutch failure on my Yeti after 10,000 miles - total breakup and damage to flywheelDealer states clutch has been misused! and not covered by warranty
Any other owners experiences please

 

[The Hood]

I think the dealer is wrong, either through lack of experience or ignorance.I don't see how driver abuse would make the clutch disintegrate to the extent that it damaged the flywheel. If you rode the clutch it would only wear to the point that it slipped and scored the flywheel. If you towed a caravan badly it would have a similar effect.It sounds more like one or more of the rivets that hold the two parts of the friction plate together failed or possibly one or moreof the shock absorbing coil springs broke. The flywheel in the Yeti is also a two part affair (DMF) I don't know much about them, but I wonder if the DMF could have failed and damaged the clutch.
You need a second opinion, my first port of call would be to contact Skoda UK and talk to them, this could just be the first such case that your dealer has come across.

If you get no joy with them I wouldget someone like the RAC or a vehicle forensic engineer to have a look and tell Skoda that should the third party find in your favour that you will pursue them for costs and compensation.

I assume your Yeti is stranded at the dealer, if you name them you may get some response from another member who has used them.

Edited by: The Hood

 

[Sniktam]

Thank you 'The Hood'Vehicle is undergoing repair at West Sussex Motors, Worthing - I need the car back!
I have agreed to pay the cost (£ 1187) should Skoda decline warranty claim
I will then pursue Skoda for costs after I have had an independent report

 

[Llanigraham]

Make sure that the garage give you ALL the bits back!!

 

[The Hood]

If I were you I would ask for the parts that were replaced, then you should be able to tell which part failed. I don't know if you are mechanically minded, there are a lot of moving parts in a clutch, many of which are riveted together. If any of these failed and ended up flying around inside the clutch housing could cause a lot of damage.
Quite a time ago I had a car which I had owned from new (British made!!), after a couple of years the clutch started making a strange chiming sound. When I stripped it down, the friction plate had wornand the ring of coil springs in the centre of the plate were beginning to contact the flywheel and were being ground away.The friction plate had been fitted back-to-front in the factory. Had it been the correct way round it would have not have contacted the flywheel or needed replacement. This could have resulted in the entire clutch "exploding" inside the housing as it came apart if I had not acted quickly.

 

[lienog]

Hi. How did you get on with your claim??


I
have a Skoda Yeti 2.0 TDI SE which is a lease car. It is less than 12
months old with 13,000 on the clock. From new I noticed a rotating tick
over noise which I thought was just the noise a Skoda diesel engine
made. I took the car to the Skoda dealer in Bournemouth for a heated
wing mirror fault, but informed them that I was concerned about the tick
over noise which seems to be getting louder. Instant diagnosis, it's
your bad driving, it's the DMF that needs replacing you will have to pay
for it, or we will charge the lease company, who will then charge you.
This is just the start, I am waiting to see what they come up with when
they have carried out a full examination. Has anyone else had the same
problem? This is the reply I have just received from the garage



Hello Geoffrey <wbr>
As you are aware your vehicle is in for a clutch repair today. The
garage has removed the transmission assembly to gain access to the
clutch. The clutch has been removed and inspected. After a long
conversation with there master technician, he confirmed there are no
manufacturers defects, the noise and low clutch pedal travel are caused
by premature wear.<wbr>
I have called Skoda UK, they confirmed there are no issues with clutch
failure on this model, they have search on this model and no other
issues exist with clutch failure. <wbr>
As the clutch has worn prematurely we are looking to yourself for the
cost of the repair. Please confirm you accept £504.32 + vat as a
recharge. Should you wish to dispute this, we can instruct an
independent engineers to inspect the vehicle and create a report.Regards



Lienog

 

[The Hood]

It might be worth contacting Skoda UK (SUK) yourself and see if you get a more sympathetic response. Not on the same scale but Parkview in Reading (since bought out by Ridgeway) refused to replace the rear badge on my Yeti when it had white worm, SUK came out on my side, then Parkview could not do enough to help. If you belong to a motoring organisation such as the RAC they give advice to members. You could also try contactingwatchdog and advise SUK you are doing so, if Watchdog took up your story and there is a good chance that they will, it would not be good publicity, and could prompt other Skoda owners to come forward
as the DMF is not exclusive to Yetis.

 

[lienog]

Hi
Thanks for your message and great advice. I will contact the RAC this morning and also Skoda themselves. It's just so frustrating when you commit to financing new vehicles to avoid this kind of occurrence.
Thanks again. Regards.

 

[lienog]

Hi All
Re my Skoda Yeti whirring noise which the garage said was premature clutch wear thro' driver style , and which they said would not be replaced under warranty. It was replaced at a cost of nearly £700 paid by the leasing company. I disputed there analysis insisting that there didn't appear to be any sign of wear etc thro' the feel on the pedal and the fact that I don't and never have ridden the clutch or had one replaced in 53 years of driving. Anyway went to pick up the car new clutch and all, got back home 8 miles and guess what the same whirring noise. Back it goes to the garage tested by their headman and diagnosis is the noise is a faulty alternator pulley wheel. Charming!!! Why didn't they find that when it first went in they are the experts (Westover Skoda Bournemouth). Just got the car back no whirring noise just a big clunk on the nearside front wheel every time the brakes are applied. The cars back in tomorrow to Westover Skoda Bournemouth with who to say the least I am fast losing patience.

 

[Llanigraham]

Then take it somewhere else!

 

[The Hood]

I hope the leasing company will take action to get their £700 back, and I hope the whirring noise does not turn out to be the turbo. I would also get straight back on the phone to SUK about a £700 bill due to incompetence and false diagnosis.

 

[yet I]

Is this a 4x2 or 4x4? I understand only the 4x4 is fitted with Haldex clutch wherasthe 4x2 models use the same clutch that was used in the Octivia 2, which was integrated with the DMF. In the later versions of the octivia theystarted using the single mass flywheel which also had the option ofchanging the clutch plate and costed far lesser compared to the integrated ones.

 

[Llanigraham]

Is this a 4x2 or 4x4? I understand only the 4x4 is fitted with Haldex clutch wherasthe 4x2 models use the same clutch that was used in the Octivia 2, which was integrated with the DMF. In the later versions of the octivia theystarted using the single mass flywheel which also had the option ofchanging the clutch plate and costed far lesser compared to the integrated ones.

The Haldex unit in the 4x4 is nothing to do with the clutch between the engine and gearbox.

 

[Kildareman]

An 11-month-old Skoda Yeti (Elegance 1.6TDI if that means anything) with 13,300 km done has just cost me over 1000 Euro at Sheehy Motors, Naas, Co Kildare. It seems the clutch was at fault: ""disc badly worn, flywheel had burn marks""�. And it was my fault.
The car is driven carefully by me, retired gent, and occasionally by my sister over the very flat county of Kildare. It is not taken into the city with frequent gear changes. Occasion trips to the edge of the Wicklow Mountains and they are not steep inclines. So all my fault. Skoda refuses to take responsibility and the dealer does not want to argue the case. Surely previous correspondence suggests some design fault. I can ill afford 1000 Euro every 11 months now that I have retired. I regret the glowing report I gave them when I first purchased.PS. How do i go about getting an independent report in Ireland. I have some bits which were handed back and which I hope are from my car.

 

[Llanigraham]

Sorry but 8300 miles and a failed clutch does point to poor driving, to me.My car has done 89k miles, including towing a caravan and a lot of off-road work, and it is still on the original clutch.

 

[nations]

Hi Kildareman. Check your yellow pages and you find Motor Assessors they can look at car and give an opinion as to what's wrong.And if needed they will go to court and state their expert findings. I also have a 141 Yeti 1.6 car and it is sometimes very hard to engage reverse gear and have to keep depressing the clutch a few times before it goes in.A bit like in the old days of double de clutching in a Morris minor before syncro came in.