New Clutch - My Experience at DAE
Discussion
Hello all,
I know there's a lot of politics and hear say on here regarding AM specialists. I'll say right now up front that this post is about sharing my own unbiased experience for the benefit of others so please don't let this go off track.
My V8V was exhibiting some strange clutch behaviour. Given the milage and symptoms, I decided a clutch change was likely due and so went about researching all the options - specialist / dealer / source parts & have done locally etc.
After doing my research I decided to take the car to James at David Appleby Engineering to have the Twin Plate / Organic clutch and lightweight flywheel fitted, rather than just a standard clutch replacement. Communication was great up front and I liked that the pricing was transparent. The car was also due a service and so decided to get this done at the same time.
Upon arrival I was really impressed by the set up at DAE. I had a good chat with David Appleby about the work they do there and although I won't go into any details about the specifics of their business, it's safe to say I was reassured by their experience and connections with AM. They dropped me to the station and I left the car in their hands.
Within a few hours, James had the car apart and I was receiving photographs of the issue with my clutch (see below).
James also completed a full inspection of the car and highlighted a couple of other areas that needed attention (including sorting out some dubious work by another company that shall remain nameless). I was sent photos immediately and emailed the prices to fix.
Here's the new clutch / flywheel going in ...
Saturday (48 hours later) I travelled up to collect the car. DAE isn't open for business on a Saturday but James picked me up from Banbury and spent some time showing me through what they've done.
So the verdict ...
The new clutch is significantly different to the standard. It's as light as a Fiesta which takes some getting used to given it was like a leg press machine before! The flywheel makes the engine rev more freely, again taking some getting used to, but it feels more 'lively' and is easier to rev-match etc when changing down.
To round it all off, after I got the car home, James was in touch again to make sure I was happy with everything.
Overall I was very impressed with the service I received at DAE, the knowledge of the Appleby family and the facility they have in Banbury. Price wise it came in slightly more expensive than if I were to have the dealer replace the standard parts, but the savings in service costs and marked improvement in drivability with the upgraded clutch/flywheel justify this.
After enduring the headache of the clutch issue I now have restored confidence in the car and look forward to many more happy miles!
I know there's a lot of politics and hear say on here regarding AM specialists. I'll say right now up front that this post is about sharing my own unbiased experience for the benefit of others so please don't let this go off track.
My V8V was exhibiting some strange clutch behaviour. Given the milage and symptoms, I decided a clutch change was likely due and so went about researching all the options - specialist / dealer / source parts & have done locally etc.
After doing my research I decided to take the car to James at David Appleby Engineering to have the Twin Plate / Organic clutch and lightweight flywheel fitted, rather than just a standard clutch replacement. Communication was great up front and I liked that the pricing was transparent. The car was also due a service and so decided to get this done at the same time.
Upon arrival I was really impressed by the set up at DAE. I had a good chat with David Appleby about the work they do there and although I won't go into any details about the specifics of their business, it's safe to say I was reassured by their experience and connections with AM. They dropped me to the station and I left the car in their hands.
Within a few hours, James had the car apart and I was receiving photographs of the issue with my clutch (see below).
James also completed a full inspection of the car and highlighted a couple of other areas that needed attention (including sorting out some dubious work by another company that shall remain nameless). I was sent photos immediately and emailed the prices to fix.
Here's the new clutch / flywheel going in ...
Saturday (48 hours later) I travelled up to collect the car. DAE isn't open for business on a Saturday but James picked me up from Banbury and spent some time showing me through what they've done.
So the verdict ...
The new clutch is significantly different to the standard. It's as light as a Fiesta which takes some getting used to given it was like a leg press machine before! The flywheel makes the engine rev more freely, again taking some getting used to, but it feels more 'lively' and is easier to rev-match etc when changing down.
To round it all off, after I got the car home, James was in touch again to make sure I was happy with everything.
Overall I was very impressed with the service I received at DAE, the knowledge of the Appleby family and the facility they have in Banbury. Price wise it came in slightly more expensive than if I were to have the dealer replace the standard parts, but the savings in service costs and marked improvement in drivability with the upgraded clutch/flywheel justify this.
After enduring the headache of the clutch issue I now have restored confidence in the car and look forward to many more happy miles!
Interesting post. Thanks.
The more I hear about it the more convinced I am that the V12 twin-plate conversion is the way to go when it comes to clutch replacement time. The lightweight flywheel also looks like a good option.
My car has 13K miles on it so hopefully it will be a while before I need to contemplate this.
The more I hear about it the more convinced I am that the V12 twin-plate conversion is the way to go when it comes to clutch replacement time. The lightweight flywheel also looks like a good option.
My car has 13K miles on it so hopefully it will be a while before I need to contemplate this.
I too have had a great experience with DAE. Im new to AM ownership and researching different options the communication with James had been really good. We discussed suspension, exhaust and other bits.
I visited and they fitted a decat for me and some carbon mirrors.
David and James were superb hosts and showed me around the facility and spent ages talking to me about cars and racing. My cup of tea was only just finished and I heard my car crackle into life.
What a great setup and it seems good people with integrity and a passion for what they do!
Some pics I snapped on my phone.
I visited and they fitted a decat for me and some carbon mirrors.
David and James were superb hosts and showed me around the facility and spent ages talking to me about cars and racing. My cup of tea was only just finished and I heard my car crackle into life.
What a great setup and it seems good people with integrity and a passion for what they do!
Some pics I snapped on my phone.
Edited by GT Two on Monday 24th August 23:23
RIB27 said:
My V8V was exhibiting some strange clutch behaviour.
Don't want to think what would have happened if that spring had popped all the way out of the clutch plate 
I presume it was making a horrible screeching sound on engagement as the spring rubbed on the cover plate / fingers.
RIB27 said:
Within a few hours, James had the car apart and I was receiving photographs of the issue with my clutch (see below).
James also completed a full inspection of the car and highlighted a couple of other areas that needed attention (including sorting out some dubious work by another company that shall remain nameless). I was sent photos immediately and emailed the prices to fix.
Did you get any guidance on what could have caused that type of damage? It looks very nasty...James also completed a full inspection of the car and highlighted a couple of other areas that needed attention (including sorting out some dubious work by another company that shall remain nameless). I was sent photos immediately and emailed the prices to fix.
It's not clear what could have caused the issue with the spring.
The car was driving absolutely fine, then all of a sudden I started having issues pushing the clutch down (ie. a LOT of resistance). No unusual driving conditions, it actually started after a long motorway journey. I could also hear a strange spinning sound when the clutch was fully depressed (the spring touching the friction plate I expect).
The car was driving absolutely fine, then all of a sudden I started having issues pushing the clutch down (ie. a LOT of resistance). No unusual driving conditions, it actually started after a long motorway journey. I could also hear a strange spinning sound when the clutch was fully depressed (the spring touching the friction plate I expect).
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