burnt-out clutch

[Audi driver]

Hi, I have a two year old A4 that's done 20,000 miles. The clutch burnt out last month. It's a lease car and the company has taken it to an Audi garage and spent £2,500 fixing it, and they now say I must pay it as the burnt-out clutch was caused by incorrect driver technique. No option to have it repaired elsewhere (others quoted £600). Never been a problem in the past twenty years, the last six of which have been with a lease car through this company. An RAC report confirms the leaseplan's accusation of incorrect driving technique. Anyone else have this problem after just 20,000 miles (and it was serviced only three months ago, with no problems then)?

[GregK2]

You will have a better response posting this in the Audi specific section here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a...

[Liquid Tuna]

Best advice I can think of is to make it disappear. Break it for parts then report it nicked.

[Markgenesis]

When sitting at traffic lights etc do you sit with the car in gear and the clutch to the floor the whole time ?, know someone who wore out a Passat clutch in 20,000 miles doing just that.

Wears out the release bearing and weakens the pressure plate.

[Boobonman]

Liquid Tuna said:

Best advice I can think of is to make it disappear. Break it for parts then report it nicked.

Just for clarity, this is bad advice.

[Mastodon2]

Audi driver said:

Hi, I have a two year old A4 that's done 20,000 miles. The clutch burnt out last month. It's a lease car and the company has taken it to an Audi garage and spent £2,500 fixing it, and they now say I must pay it as the burnt-out clutch was caused by incorrect driver technique. No option to have it repaired elsewhere (others quoted £600). Never been a problem in the past twenty years, the last six of which have been with a lease car through this company. An RAC report confirms the leaseplan's accusation of incorrect driving technique. Anyone else have this problem after just 20,000 miles (and it was serviced only three months ago, with no problems then)?

It sounds like you've copped to doing something wrong, just because you've never come a cropper before doesn't mean you haven't been abusing the clutches of all of your previous cars. Do you sit on the bite point on hills instead of using the handbrake? Do you pull away in second as a habit?