Octavia VRS very stiff clutch

[snowen250]

All,

Just looking for some info.

I just moved my Octavia VRS (mk1) across the company car park, where its been for the past 2 days, and the clutch was massively heavy. Still changed gears fine, no issue there, no slipping. Just very heavy.

Any ideas on the cause? I'd have thought if the clutch was on its way out it would have slipped before hand etc. but its been fine. Car is on just over 100k miles and I do believe this to be the original clutch however.

Checked the silly option, the matt isn't interfering with the pedal in the foot well!

Thanks for any help

[Pumaracing]

Clutch cable if it has one rather than hydraulics.

[Jimmyarm]

As above, also the bushings in the gearbag housing that the release bearing arm pivots through. Fairly easy to check, disconnect the cable and if it is easy to wiggle back and forth it isn't that

If it is hydraulic it could be that the pressure plate springy bits have hardened but that usually gets worse gradually rather than being a sudden thing.

[SuperchargedVR6]

That gearbox has an external slave cylinder pushing an actuator arm / bearing onto the pressure plate.

As above, I can't think of anything in that setup that would cause sudden stiffness. VAG pedals do get bloody stiff once the lining has passed 50% wear though.

[Sardonicus]

SuperchargedVR6 said:

That gearbox has an external slave cylinder pushing an actuator arm / bearing onto the pressure plate.

As above, I can't think of anything in that setup that would cause sudden stiffness. VAG pedals do get bloody stiff once the lining has passed 50% wear though.

This ^ most clutches get progressively heavier as they wear well they do in just about any brand I have worked on in the last 30 years